Death of Dada Vaswani a month before he turned 100 leaves followers dismayed

Dada Vaswani gave up academics to follow his illustrious uncle and guru, Sadhu T L Vaswani. Pic/PTI

Spiritual leader Dada J P Vaswani, head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, passed away in Pune on Thursday, one month before his 100th birthday, due to old age-related ailments, a mission member said.

"He had been admitted to a private hospital in the city for the past few days and was discharged last night," she said. He died in the mission premises this morning, she added. The mission was planning a grand celebration on his 100th birthday next month, she said. Vaswani, 99, an acclaimed orator, author, spiritual leader, and philosopher, had millions of followers across the world. Prime minister Narenda Modi had addressed his 99th birthday through video link.

Ratna Vaswani, chairperson of the mission said, "He was a saint and he was legendary. He will continue to shield us and guide us as he did." Senior poet Geeta Bindrani, 53, a resident of Andheri West, recalled hearing one of Vaswani's speeches more than a decade back. "He used to say that God is the focal point - the centre of everything - and we should be thankful to God for everything in life," she said.

'A noble soul'
Speaking on his demise, she said, "A noble soul has been liberated and has flown away. He was the spiritual guru for many Sindhis and had ashrams across the country. The work he has done for the community is enormous."

Veena Gidwani, a Mumbaikar, said, "I respect him for his good work and his brilliant messages. He always had a glow on his face and was always humble." Dada Vaswani's mortal remains will be at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission in Pune today for last respects. The Mahasamadhi will be at 5 pm there.
Inputs by Chaitraly Deshmukh

He graduated at 17
Born on August 2, 1918 in Pakistan's Hyderabad, Dada JP Vaswani was the head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, a non-profit organisation involved in social work and charity. Dada Vaswani grew up to be a brilliant student who matriculated at 13 and graduated at 17. He acquired a Master's Degree in Physics and his thesis on the scattering of X-Rays by solids was assessed by Dr C V Raman.

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