Return to Manav Kendra
The quality of Mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.
The Merchant of Venicef
About two weeks after the Satsang recorded in the preceding pages [see the links about ‘Satsang on 29 August,’ Editorial Note, 2011], on 13th September, the Great Master returned to His Himalayan retreat and His personal daily supervision of the construction of the extraordinary Manav Kendra – Centre for Man – project located outside of Dehra Dun. (For a complete description and history of Manav Kendra, which will be dedicated to man-making, man service, and land service, see ‘The True Integration of Mankind,’ in the June 1971 Sat Sandesh.)
Shortly after His arrival, on 27th September, the Master received a very distinguished visitor indeed – Madame Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, sister of the late Prime Minister Nehru, and aunt of the present Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi. A leader in the struggle for Indian independence, Mme Pandit served as Indian Ambassador to the United Nations, the USSR, the USA, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain; as Governor of Maharashtra; and as a member of the Indian Parliament. President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1953–54, she won an international reputation as a humanitarian and statesman. While in the United States, she heard about the Master from an American initiate. Greatly interested in Manav Kendra, she came to see the Master and learn more about the project. The Master was very very kind to her, invited her into His bungalow for tea, and spoke to her at length about Manav Kendra and man-making.
Another welcome visitor was Mr R.K. Tripathi, the new District Magistrate – the highest-ranking Government officer in the area –, who came to see the Master and Manav Kendra first-hand. He inspected the project, drank water from the Sarovar – the pool described in the following article [see the link ‘At the Pool of Immortality’; Editorial Note, 2011] –, and had a long talk with the Master on Manav Kendra and the Science of Spirituality.
Present on both of these occasions – and visible in some of the pictures – were an American Satsangi couple, Robert and Kira Redeen of Long Island, who spent the month of September at Master’s Holy Feet – their third such pilgrimage. We are grateful to Robert Redeen for sharing with us, in the following article [‘At the Pool of Immortality’; Editorial Note, 2011], a few unforgettable moments from his blessed stay.
Pictorial Report
