 |
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 |
Hurrichand Chintaman.
There lived in Bombay a few days ago an educated and learned Hindoo, who was known to the public as an artist, photographer, author, reformer, and a champion of fallen greatness. This accomplished gentleman, this learned savant, this Knight of the Red Cross—why, who should he be but the very famous proprietor of a no less famous little yellow bungalow on the Girgaum Road? Do our readers require to be told his name? Great men are best without any names. But the name of Hurrichand Chintaman is too great to be allowed to be forgotten. Our readers must have found out by this time, that Hurrichand Chintaman is that identical individual, who has been on terms of the highest intimacy with the crowned heads of India in his capacity of a photographer, who has astonished English ‘lordships’ and German ‘highnesses’ into a warm approval of the celebrated commentary on the Bhagvad-Ghita, (being a work—we mean the commentary—the authorship of which is by the tongues of envy denied to its alleged author, and withal a work of profound thought and research) and who has, finally, made the admiring world neglect the feats of Don Quixote by his ultra quixotic and extremely disinterested championship of the fallen fortunes of that very virtuous but ill-used prince, Mulharrao—ex-Guickwar of Baroda! Yet, we forgot. Was he not, at the same time, the President of that body of men, to whom the spirit of modern Hindoo renaissance has given birth? Was he not, we repeat, the President of the Arya Samaj of Bombay?
He was, but is no more! Sad words but true, as Hurrichand Chintaman himself knows they are. Why the very thought of this Aryan warms up our imagination, and inclines us to cut poetical capers. Shall we, then, quote Shakespeare to dignify our theme? Shall we say, “Oh! what a noble mind is here overthrown,” or shall we say of him as of Hamlet, “the observed of all observers quite, quite down,” or shall we like Mark Antony mourn over this modern Cæsar, and regret our loss by exclaiming; “Oh! what a fall was there”? It was a decided fall, but we are afraid, to use sober prose a very undignified one. And thus it came about.
One fine morning, the members of the Arya Samaj discovered certain sums of money, which had been sent down by the American Theosophists from New York to his care to be handed over to the Arya Samaj, had never reached those for whom they were meant. It was a neat little windfall, so to say. Our readers must know, that the Theosophical Society of America and the Arya Samaj of Bombay were established on the same day. Their births were intertwined as well as their interests and aims. Hurrichand Chintaman was the President of the Arya Samaj and a Fellow of the Theosophical Society. (We sincerely hope and believe he is so no more). The money, therefore, was naturally sent to his care. He had not most likely counted upon seeing the Theosophists so soon in Bombay; for whenever asked by the Samajists to clear up his accounts (these meek and mild Hindoos had never been notified by their worthy President that any money had been sent at all) and resign his post of trust for other minor misdeeds, he had always threatened them in case they declined to recognise him as President to prevent the American Theosophists from coming to India at all!!! But while he proposed, it was not left entirely with him to dispose of his wish. The thing he must have least expected turned up. A deputation of the Theosophists arrived in Bombay, and then came the day of Waterloo. But our Indian Napoleon did not despair. The game was still in his hands. He decreed that the Samajists should not see the Theosophists. But this little scheme had really gone too far, and alas! he had to disgorge the sums he had appropriated. A special meeting of the Arya Samaj was held and its President was unanimously hissed out and formally expelled. Mistakes will occur in the best regulated families, and, therefore, we love and admire the bold and straight forward conduct of the Arya Samajists of Bombay. As for the object of their deserved wrath—Sic transit—gloria.
In connection with this matter, we place before our readers translation of a short extract from a Hindee letter of Pundit Dayanund Saraswati, Swami, addressed to his Bombay agent, Moonshi Samarthdan:—
“From Alligurh 25th May.
I have received your letter and noted the contents. Hurrichand once wrote to me that the Americans wished to send down some money. When Hurrichand saw me since, I told him to spread the news everywhere and chiefly among all the Samajis; and to acknowledge the sums, when sent, with the names of the donors, in the newspapers. He replied that he would be guided by the wish of the Americans. And I asked him further to spend the sums in three ways; 1st, in the spread of general knowledge and literature of the Vedas; 2ndly, in societies for preaching morality, etc.; and lastly, in the relief of the poor. It turns out now that he did nothing of the kind.”
Now what does this extract prove? It proves nothing that favours the cause of Hurrichand Chintaman. That man wrote to the Native Opinion to say that he had kept back the sums in question at the express command of the Swami. But the words of the Swami himself give the lie direct to this novel defence. The friends of Hurrichand will now see the worth of the person whom they were defending with such zeal. Do they know, that they were “advocates for an impostor?”
<... continues on page 8-246 >
Editor's notes
- ↑ Hurrichand Chintaman. by unknown author, Indian Spectator, The, June 1, 1879