Editorial

Remembrance. A sweet word, it implies the remembrance of something uplifting that spreads a quiet and warm smile within giving much hope, fueling one’s aspiration. It could be the remembrance of a deed, an aim, a beautiful experience, an ideal, a person or at the highest, the remembrance of the Divine Presence in and around us. Remembrance comes, it seems, as a result of some part of our consciousness being deeply touched by something, which is anything at all, under the sky. This something most often appears to be a movement that gains entry into our inner regions resulting in a little stir towards something beautiful, in the line of progression. The title lines of this issue refer to the highest remembrance, that of the Divine, which promises a lead towards progress. The highest progress can only be a transformation of our nature, our consciousness, that Divinity itself may manifest in our earthly being. Any individual, who lives in remembrance of the Divine, or who sincerely tries to, becomes a source of inspiration, admiration, even wonder. This issue of our Newsletter hopes to celebrate the life of one such person who has been instrumental, knowingly or unknowingly, of movements that changed the lives of significant numbers of people in this small circle we call, “our Society”. The original theme for this issue was left on hold, as tribute after tribute poured in. It was really the quality of the tributes that have inspired this issue’s theme and the editorial. Each tribute seemed to strike at the same chord of remembrance – remembrance of a beautiful movement effectuated by the departed. These were sweet memories, written in gratitude and an ardent prayer for that soul to be embraced by the Divine Light. They spoke of a life lived in service to the divine, a life offered to The Mother. He demonstrated to us what surrender and submission to the Divine meant and simple trust. This issue remembers and celebrates such a spirit of devotion, the spirit of goodwill, and surrender to the higher force of all that one does and was, or at least, attempted. It celebrates one man’s sincere efforts to remember and connect all around him to the divine in all that he did and said. It celebrates the life of a man who celebrated life in the name of The Mother.

What he meant to the society, Singapore, and will always mean, cannot be dismissed lightly. It appears that his life was inextricably tied to all our lives in this little island in the South-East. He was commissioned to the East with a divine plan, it seems, now.

It is also significant that the May issue bears this special tribute. His birthday falls on the 1st of May, he would have turned 88. Strangely, 1st May 2011 falls on a Sunday, the day of the walk hosted by his family, and he had always wanted it to fall on a Sunday so that he could observe his birthday together with all the members of the society during the walk brunch. His life was one lived with a host of people from all walks of life, from all over the world, of a wide range of age groups. He was a special man who would take pains to remember each and everyone’s birthday and send birthday messages, and that too, with “blessings from the Samadhi”, whenever he was at Pondicherry. All his numberless treasures that money could not buy, he shared with us. He opened the gates for our further advent into spiritual atmospheres.

This issue is a collective tribute to the man who will always be “Our Uncle Patel”, and a celebration of his life that built bridges, countless bridges that changed lives forever.