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vol. title: Vol Four of The Theosophical Society of The Arya Samaj of Arya-wart vol. period: Sept 1878 – Sept 1879 pages in vol.: 350 |
< To the Editor of the “Native Opinion.” (continued from page 8-190) >
separate fund at the written and express instructions of Pandit Dayanand. Subsequently certain correspondence took place between the American Theosophists and Pandit Dayanand on spiritual instruction which brought on differences of opinion in their religious views.
Under these circumstances and knowing well from letters to me, that the American Theosophists were expected to arrive in Bombay shortly, I thought it prudent to keep the money above alluded to until I and Pandit Dayanand had a personal conference with them as regards the respective differences of opinion on religious views.
A week after the arrival of the American Theosophists in Bombay, a meeting of the Managing Committee of the Arya Samaj was held, somewhat unexpectedly, which however resulted in confusion and a scandal of embezzling the initiation fees above referred to, was freely circulated against me by individuals who call themselves as Brothers.
I was rather surprised at the rude and ungentlemanly conduct towards me of some of the members in the above meeting, notwithstanding the fact that they had been distinctly informed by me, more than once, that the monies received from America were kept as a separate fund. Being thus unnecessarily and unreasonably insulted for reasons I can not divine, I immediately the very next day, prepared accounts and returned the amount of initiation fees received up to that date to Madam H. P. Blavatsky, from whom I hold a receipt for the full amount, viz. Rs. 609-13-0.
This was followed by another extraordinary general meeting of the Arya Samaj which was held, without my knowledge and consent as President. As a circular was sent to me two hours before the specified time at which the meeting was to be held, I attended it and protested that the meeting was convened in an irregular way, but finding that there was a clique of a few members who were prepared to proceed with the business in contravention of the rules of the Samaj and the common usage generally followed in all public societies, I left the place in utter disgust and was followed by a few other members, viz. Dr. Pandurung Gopal, Mr. Balaji Sittaram, &c.
I conclude this letter by giving the foregoing facts to the public in abstract, and leave them to judge how far the scandal created against me is true and justifiable. My absence from Bombay did not enable me to send this letter earlier for which I am sorry. I remain, &c.
My dear Mr. Harrichundjee.
As requested in your letter of the 26th instant, I have the pleasure to give, from memory, an account of the proceedings of the extraordinary general meeting of the Arya Samaj held on Saturday the 22nd idem.
There were about 25 men present at the meeting among whom were Dr. Pandurang Gopal, Mr. Ballajee Sittaram, Mr. Nanabhoy D. Pingle, Mr. Atmaram Bapu Dulvi, Mr. Anna Martand Josey, Mr. Mooljee Thackersey, Mr. Raghunathdass Madhowdass, Mr. Haumon Pitee, and A. Shastree yourself, myself, Assistant Secretary. The rest were all Bania members.
When it was about 5½ P. M. you rose and suggested that the business of the meeting might be proceeded with, as the number of members then present was sufficient to form a quorum as required by the rules of the Samaj.
Mr. Mooljee Thackersey then got up and took objection to the sitting in the meeting of strangers of whom, I may say, there were but only two persons, and even these I presume, had attended the meeting at the request of their friends who were members of the Samaj. Where upon you stated to the meeting of the usual practice of admitting strangers to the meeting of the Samaj, alluding at the same time to certain meetings of the managing committee in which strangers were admitted as visitors, and ruled that strangers should be allowed to sit at one side of the hall. Mr. Mooljee then put his objection in the form of a proposition and suggested that it be put to vote. It was seconded by one of the members. Some of the members dissented from the proposition being put to vote and the consequence was a general confusion wherein I may remark, that Mr. A. B. Dulvi’s address to the strangers at this time, was anything but polite. The visitors being thus insulted left the hall. After this, you called upon the Assistant Secretary to shew authority upon which he called that day’s meeting. In answer he referred to Rule 11 of the Samaj and I read it before the meeting, and also said that he had all along been convening meetings without the consent of either the president or the managing committee!! You therefore said that the wording of the rule did not convey any authority to the secretary or the assistant secretary to call a meeting without the president or the managing committee’s consent. Mr. Mooljee then read out the rule himself and pointed out the wording which empowered the assistant secretary to call a meeting. Here again the members were divided in opinion as to the interpretation to be placed on the rule and there was a great excitement at the meeting. Shortly after, you addressed the meeting, and while explaining the irregularity with which the said meeting was convened, and the business connected therewith was carried on, you were interrupted again and again, there was confusion which if it had continued for a few minutes more, would have, in my opinion, resulted in an assault. While this conflict was going on, I left the place immediately and saw you, Mr. Ballajee Sittaram, Dr. Pandurung Gopal and others following me.
It appeared to me from the proceedings of the meeting that there was a pre-arrangement among most of the members to convene the said meeting in contravention of the rules. On the whole, I am of opinion that the meeting was both irregular and illegal and the conduct of the ring-leaders of the faction highly ungentlemanly and improper.
Your sincerely,
Narayen Anundrao.
Girgaum, 25th April 1879.
My Dear Mr. Hurrichandra,
You asked me in a letter to give you an account of the proceedings of the extraordinary meeting held by a few members of the Arya Samaj on the 22nd of March. I refrained from doing so as you did not state to me the purpose or use to which such account of disgraceful conduct of a public body was to be put to.
But as you have now drawn my attention to a long and one sided report of the so called proceedings published by the Indian Spectator which is avowedly made to shine as a leading article in bold type with the heading “Expulsion of Mr. Hurrichund Chintamon from the Arya Samaj of Bombay.” I feel inclined to give you my recollections of the occurrence for any use you may deem fit to make of them.
I attended this meeting at 5 P. M. on the 22nd of March, and having waited till 5.40 P. M., asked you whether you considered there was a sufficient number of members present to form a quorum. On your replying to me that you would ascertain, Mr. Mooljee shortly after rose to remark that he objected to the presence of a few strangers whom he saw there and before he had finished it was apparent that there was a tendency to a general rising in support of his suggestion of disallowing the strangers who were present. One other member brought to the recollection of the meeting previous instances wherein strangers or rather recognised and accredited acquaintances of members were allowed admission to its deliberation and that it was improper that an objection should be raised on that day alone. I had my reasons to think similarly and therefore proposed that the sense of the meeting should be taken, the majority being in favour of Mr. Mooljee’s proposal, strangers were made to retire from the room.
You, (Mr. Hurrichund) began to address the meeting and I noticed that although you endeavoured to protest on your own behalf and in the maintenance of your privilege of a president against the informal action of the secretary without your consent in calling that meeting you were not only frequently interrupted but there was an evident desire to stop you from addressing the members. You simply stated to the meeting that it was necessary on your part to warn the party who got up the meeting of the consequences of their act if they took upon themselves as they did on that date without taking your consent. In this I suppose you acted fairly in your own interest as any honest member of society would wish to and I believe it was not only simply competent for you so to do, but absolutely necessary to maintain your right as a president of a public body. I was however pained to notice that you were loudly taken to task for your address and your opening to them the prospect of a legal proceeding if they persisted in bringing charges of a grave and personal nature against you, frightened them beyond measure and some members rose to question your right to the chair when you challenged them to close the meeting and hand over the records of proceedings to Mr. Ballajee Sittaram. You thus seem to have acted within the jurisdiction of your privileges of a president, when there was a general rise and disorder. I need not write to you an account of what subsequently occurred as we had both to bear the brunt of the tumult. I remember there was an attempt at cowardly and precipitate rush against us both. I do not wish to enter into the veracity of the report which has appeared in the Spectator as an attempt to do so would involve me in a question of party warfare a procedure which is personally disgusting to my sense of honor.
Your faithfully,
(Signed) Pandoorung Gopal.
The following amusing description of our American visitors is given by an English paper, The Colonial Empire and Star of India:—“A good deal of laughter has been caused lately in New York by the sailing in a body of a small company of persons calling themselves the Theosophical Society, bound for the Himalaya mountains. The society consisted of a German doctor, a woman who styled herself a Russian princess, and a man named Olcott, who had lived for years by perpetual posing in some eccentric way before the public. He was a secret detective during the war; he was one of the three men who disposed of Wilkes Booth’s body at midnight; he then produced before the public divers materialised spirits of pirates, Indians and high priests. Finally, with the German doctor and the woman who called herself a princess, he turned pagan, and erected a Buddhist place of worship in a sky-lighted room over a grocery shop in New York. There he and his disciples have been accustomed to dance and keel about a wooden altar, attired in such ancient and mystic garments as could be made out of muslin and gilt paper. A poor German named Dr. Palm happening to die, they claimed him as a pagan convert, and used his dead body as a means of advertisement for themselves. First, they embalmed it and performed the funeral rites of the fire-worshippers over it. Next they persuaded Dr. Le Moyne to cremate it; and, lastly, they conveyed the ashes out to the bay, and with various genuflections and incantations, scattered them among the garbage-boats there. The whole party, to the relief of New York, have now set off to the Himalayas.”
Editor's notes
- ↑ Knave by unknown author
- ↑ My dear Mr. Harrichundjee by Anundrao, Narayen, March 30, 1879
- ↑ Untitled fish illustration by unknown author
- ↑ My dear Mr. Hurrichandra by Gopal, Pandooring, Girgaum, 25 April, 1879
- ↑ Untitled portrait by unknown author
- ↑ The following amusing description of our American visitors by unknown author, Times of India, The, Thursday, May 8, 1879
- ↑ Lia by unknown author