Dada Ádyánanda

Da'da' A'dya'nandajii breathed his last on Jan. 20 at the age of 86. He was an initiate of Dada Vijayanandajii and became a WT at the age of 55 with special permission from Baba. He spent 30 years in service of His mission. Most of his posting was in North East India. During his last 12 years he was at Camp HQs in Publications department and was suffering from old age diseases. His dedication to His mission was very strong.

Dada Acyuta'nanda writes: Many people regarded Dádá Ádyánanda as a very simple person, but he had a capacity for original thinking regarding the challenge of bringing about a spiritual society. Probably it was his work in the bookstore that first caused him to notice a book on Neohumanist education and the illustration on its cover, an illustration depicting the cycle of creation. He had a particular love for Prabháta Sam'giita song #3768, which uses the imagery of the six Bengalee seasons, and he began to develop a vision.

His idea was to bring out a calendar with only one illustration for the whole year -- an illustration of the six seasons that would include other imagery of the song -- all in a circular form like the cover illustration he had seen. Each year such a calendar would depict a different Prabháta Sam'giita song. He thought of the sale of the calendar as a source of income for the monks and nuns of Delhi Sector. And above all, he thought of the calendar as a source of inspiration for all those who would see it. He hoped that the world could come to appreciate the beauty of Prabháta Sam'giita, and become spiritually elevated thereby. He hoped that the calendar would hang in the lobby of the United Nations building in New York.

Finally in 2002 he inspired a monk who had some of the necessary skills, to help him raise a little money for the printing of the calendar, to find an artist -- Rámeshánanda Avadhúta, known for his murals -- and to produce the calendar (see below). Unfortunately, it did not sell well, and therefore in subsequent years he was not able to attract the necessary financing again.