Dada Vaswani was a pure soul and a man of all religious scriptures, say Pune’s top religious leaders
Valerian D’Souza, former Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pune, and Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chief Imam and president, All India Imam organisation, on how Dada Vaswani had an open heart and embraced all religions.
PUNE Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chief Imam and president, All India Imam organisation, is deeply saddened by the demise of Dada JP Vaswani. Remembering the spiritual leader, Imam said, “He was a pure soul and a very rare person. Whenever I met him, he would always address me as a senior and gave me immense respect.”
Imam added that Dada was always eager to learn. And, always kept an open mind to grasping new thoughts and ideas. “He often told me, “Imamsaab, please teach me something new today”. He was an eager student and always ready to learn. This reflected his simplicity and humility. These are qualities of a saint. He never boasted about his learnings and was very humble. He was very learned, yet he would be completely open to learning.”
Imam said, “He respected all religions and understood all teachings. He incorporated these in his talks and discussions. The best part about him was that he treated everyone equally. He emphasises a lot on humanity and equality. This is something that stayed with me too.”
“I learnt a lot from him. He taught me to keep smiling and greet everyone pleasantly. He never tell his personal suffering affect his smile. I will never forget him.”
Dada Vaswani, a man of all religious scriptures
Valerian D’Souza, former Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pune has fond memories of Dada JP Vaswani. D’Souza. “It is a great loss to society. Dada was a man of profound knowledge and was extremely well read. I have had the chance of meeting him on many occasions,” said D’Souza.
Recalling one particular incident, D’Souza added, “I remember the time of his 90th birthday celebrations in the city. I was also invited to the event among other guests. He took such great care of each one of us. Though he was busy on stag, he ensured that everyone present was looked after. He kept giving instructions to make everybody comfortable.”
D’Souza remembers Dada as a kind, compassionate and always ready to help. “He was always concerned about the welfare of others. He was a pleasure to chat with. He has knowledge on all religious scriptures and could quote from all. He was well-versed with all the religions of the world.”
“He was a very humble and never showed his knowledge. He spoke about love, peace and compassion and requested all to take the similar path.”