Re: Soc, Her: What, me, migrate? Feet Touchings to Dadi Leela

[KIRPALANI <sindhu@INTERACT.NET.AU>]

>Born in Heerabad, a suburb of Hyderabad, the young Leelawati received her
>primary schooling from Noor Mohammad School.


Dadi Leela has been our family friend since last 6 decades. She was a
regular visitor at our home in Hyderabad, where she and her late husband Dr.
Harchandani would have evening chit chat with my uncle Late Diwan Pritamdas
and aunt Dadi Sana Shivdasani. The Noor Muhammad High School was also
attended by me during my times, and even today I can recollect  this
majestic building with its high roof corridors, where we used to march
towards our classes on the tune of school band.

Dadi Leela still remembers Dada Pritamdas with a touch of devotion due to
the divine depth of that saintly soul; who passed an absolutely honest
mortal life retiring as Head Clerk District Local Board Hyderabad in early
60s with a silver shield of honesty presented to him by chairman of the
board ( Saain Miran Muhammad Shah ?). Thereafter he devoted his time free of
charges, for
quenching the spiritual thirst of thousands of Sindhi Hindus by singing Hari
Bhajans in the temples of Hyderabad and Samadha darbar of Shikarpur. Dada
Sahib was equally adored by Muhajir Muslim community of our area, who would
request him to come and sing at Eid-Milad-ul-Nabi functions every year. I
recollect very well seeing Dada Pritamdas sitting on the stage with Muslim
Muftis singing Sufi Kalams of Baba Buley Shah for the soul satisfaction of
another breed of human beings.

Dada Pritamdas also had admirers from Sindhi Muslim community who loved  his
rendering of sufi kalams of Harat Sachal Sarmast and Shah Abdul Latif
Bhittai broadcasted regularly from Radio Pakistan Hyderabad in early
sixties. Dadi Leela was his adorable sister on whose requests he sang many
songs at Zubeda College girls functions organised by Dadi during her career
as District Education Officer of Sindh.

On the other hand my late aunt Dadi Sana Pritamdas Shivdasani was disciple
of Sufi saint Hazrat Hadi Bux Shah of Tando Jehanian Hyderabad, whose son
Saain Noor Hussain Shah is now Gaddi Nashin of Qutub Shahi dargah. The
married life of Dada Pritamdas and Dadi Sana shivdasani was  unique in the
sense that where both perceived and persued Divinity through
different means of Vedanta and Sufi philosophy . It was during these evening
discussions of these noble souls with Dadi Leela and my god father Baba
Mulchand Giani, that I learned about the universality of divinity from the
spiritual university of my home,  and understood that GurVani of Guru Granth
Sahib, sufi poetry  and vedanta philosophy all complement to each other in
essence, and direct towards the same path of spiritual salvation.

Life is a process of ad-continuum; those saintly characters who provided a
meaningful guidance to my life have long crossed the physical barrier of
this world, and perhaps continued their journey on some other plane. However
as their contemporary, Dadi Leela has been a great source of blessing for
our entire family. Thanks to the internet and her only son Dr. Pardeep who
grew up with me in our dusty Hyderabad; that I can send my feet touchings to
her regularly and seek her blessings in return.  The plane of thought has
different operating principles; here the barriers of time and distance just
wither away.


|||||||   Life is but our perception.   |||||||

Inder Kirpalani
Bathurst, Australia.

E: sindhu@interact.net.au