680830 - Letter to Sumati Morarjee written from Montreal

Letters by Date, 1968

Madam Sumati Morarjee Baishaheba,

Please accept my hearty greetings. Since a long time I did not hear from you, and I hope everything is going well with your health and business. Last year in July I went back to India and from Vrindaban, I wrote you a letter, asking your appointment to see you, but I never received any reply. Several times I reminded you, but I did not receive any reply. Then again, according to your letter dated 11th April, 1966, I contacted your Calcutta manager, Sri I.N. Wankawala, but he refused to carry your order as per your letter dated 11th April, 1966. He refused to carry my goods, or carry my men, and I did not receive any reply from you, so I was helpless, and came back to New York again. At present, I am in Canada. I hope you are receiving my paper "Back To Godhead" regularly; by the Grace of Krishna, the preaching work in this part of the world about Krishna Consciousness is improving. You will be glad to know that I have got now 8 branches, in USA, and Canada. Next, I am going to Europe and shall open branches in London, in Amsterdam, Munich, and Sweden, and that is my program. Some of my students have already gone with Kirtan party; and about my activities, you might have heard from different papers, especially in January 21, 1968, there was a nice article in the "Illustrated Weekly of Bombay." I hope you have seen it. Now my appeal to you that in your letter dated 11th April, 1966, you wrote as follows. The exact copy of the letter is given herewith; please read:

SUMATI MORARJEE
Scindia House
Dougali Road, Ballard Estate,
BOMBAY
11th April, 1966

Pujya Swamiji,

I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 18th March and am glad to note about your activities in New York particularly the fact that you are arranging to construct a temple of Sri Radha Krishna in New York.

Regarding free passage to be provided to your men from India to New York on our ships, kindly note that these gentlemen will have to obtain permission from the Reserve Bank of India and therefore I suggest that you please request them to complete the P form formalities and thereafter please ask them to contact Sri I.N. Wankawala of our Calcutta office whom I am advising suitably.

As regards equipments for the temple such as Mridangam for Sankirtan, also I am advising Sri Wankawala to allow freight-free shipment on our vessels. You may therefore advise those concerned to contact him for this purpose. I may add that for shipment from Cochin also Sri Wankawala of our Calcutta office should be contacted and he will do the needful.

I did receive your earlier two letters, but could not acknowledge the same since I was out of station in U.K. for Shipping Conference Meetings and other work.

I wish you success in your mission.

With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
(Sumati Morarji)

I could not understand why your manager, Mr. Wankawala, refused to carry out the orders of your letter under reference. Anyway, my fervent request to you is that you continue to help me as per your above letter. It will be good to you and to your business. I am trying to open several Radha Krishna Temples as I have already done in several places, in USA and Canada, and next I am going to open in Europe also. So please ask your Calcutta manager to carry my goods free of freight charges as per your letter under reference, dated 11th April, 1966.

Some of my Indian friends are ready to donate Sri Sri Radha Krishna Vigraha for installation in the temples. Formerly, also, one Mr. Bhargava of Agra, he donated one Pair of Radha Krishna Vigraha, with dress, and it was sent to Calcutta, and your Calcutta office was kind enough to carry it free of freight charges. Now they have denied. I have to import at least 20 Pairs of such Vigraha, and if you at least carry the Vigrahas, freight charges free, it will be a great help to my cause. Besides that, I am getting Mridangas, Khole, from Navadwip, Khartals. So there are many paraphernalia I require for my temples. It is not meant for business; and I did not know why Mr. Wankawala refused.

There are some copies of books, Srimad Bhagavatam, lying in your Bombay office, as it was delivered by Mr. Dharwarkar of the Universal Bookstore, Pipe Road, Sita-Sadan, Dadar, Bombay. Please arrange to send these books to New York. These books are lying there for nothing, and if they are sent to New York, I can get them sold.

Regarding free passage to be provided to my men, as you have kindly agreed, in your above letter; there will be no difficulty to get the Reserve Bank permission, because I shall arrange for sponsoring their expenses here in United States, and it is not possible to pay their fare. They wanted to get some expert player of Mridangam, from India, so please cooperate with me, and help my missionary activities. By practical experience, I am seeing that by spreading Krishna Consciousness movement, the people here, especially the younger generation, who were feeling frustration, and confusion, are getting great relief, and they are joining this movement although the restriction for becoming initiated in this line are strictly according to our Vaishnava rituals. Still they are accepting; they do not take meat; they have given up drinking; and all kinds of intoxicants, not even will they take tea and ciggrette; they have no illicit sex life, except in marriage union, and they have given up gambling. So if you want to see, two of my students are there in India, and if you so desire, I can ask them to see you. They are presently in Vrindaban. And you will be pleased to see how they have changed from their old habits to Vaishnava initiation. So I request you again that, kindly continue your cooperation as per your letter dated 11th April, 1966, and oblige.

Thanking you in anticipation for an early reply; and please send the books lying with you in your Bombay office. Hope this will find you in good health,

Yours very sincerely,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Srimati Sumati Morarjee
Scindia House
Dougall Road
Ballard Estate,
Bombay-1, INDIA