Babuji, His Descendants, and the SRCM (Shahjahanpur)

Taken and Translated From Elodie's Blog in Europe: Pour Que Vive Le Sahaj Marg
This is an article by Alexis.

The descendants of Babuji and the SRCM of Shahjahanpur

Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (Babuji 30/04/1899-19/04/1983) had five children, three boys named Prakash, Umesh Kumar and Sarvesh Saxena, and two girls named Smt Maya Indira and Smt Chaya Saxena.

4-d Don's comment: According to the breakaway Institute of Sri Ramchandra Consciousness (ISRC) of Narayana, Dr Varadachari's son, Dr K.C. Varadachari was Guru in-waiting and heir-apparent of SRCM before Chari came on the scene. Dr. Varadachari died Jan. 31, 1971.)

"His (Babuji's) family life continued satisfactorily. He was blessed with 6 sons and 3 daughters. However 2 sons and one daughter died during infancy. His wife Smt. Bhagwati passed away in the year 1949. His second son Sri Dinesh, however, committed suicide in the year 1958. (Chari joined the mission in 1964 according to SRCM (California-1997) )"

Babuji includes his young (elder) son Prakash in the list of the founding members of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, when he files its statutes in 1945. In 1980, Umesh goes on tour in the U.S. with two full preceptors of his father, Raghavendra Rao and Ramachandra Reddy, without any delegation of Babuji. On April 16, 1982, he (Babuji) secretly designates his son Umesh as his successorin a letter addressed to him. Yet, everyone agrees in claiming that the children of Babuji did not participate in the collective weekly meditations and have never shown any sign of interest in things spiritual until the early 1980's.

Babuji dies April 19, 1983. At the working committee which meets without delay, the following July, Prakash presents his own son, Sharad as successor to Babuji. This request was rejected by the committee which accepts, however, Umesh and his secret letter of nomination in February 1984. The family opens a legal battle against Rajagopalachari who also claims the succession, on the subject of the Presidency of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission and the properties that are attached.

They recall the statutes of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, which stipulate that its headquarters is in Shahjahanpur and the president inherits its position from the line of succession, which they translate as "blood line". They add that the purported letter of appointment of Rajagopalachari is a fake because it is backdated, and makes no reference to Lalaji, which Babuji never would have done, and the phrase "President of the Sahaj Marg system" which means nothing, and that the Canadian Donald Sabourin, the so-called witness to this appointment, could not have attended on that date.

Around 1984, the state of Uttar Pradesh introduces the legal requirement for the organizations declared as the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, to hold elections and elect their president. After the vote, SP Srivastava is elected. According to the son of Umesh Chandra Saxena, Srivastava was appointed chairman of the working committee and BD Mahajan, the secretary, so as to avoid an explosion of the movement, because of statements by Kasturi in favor of Rajagopalachari. The ashram undergoes a first failed attempt to a takeover by force in 1988, by the clan Rajagopalachari.

In 1994, Umesh Chandra is elected President in place of SP Srivastava, and KV Reddy becomes secretary of the Mission. In 1997, another attempt to take back the power from the ashram fails. Umesh is walking armed in the ashram. In 1998, one of his preceptors, who went to the United States to represent him, opens a website titled 'sahajmarg.org'. This gives rise to a another quarrel with the clan of Rajagopalachari. The American Arbitration Commission on domain names delivers an opinion in favor of the clan of Umesh in 2000, but the site was abandoned due to pressure from the clan of Rajagopalachari.

Umesh Chandra Saxena dies November 3, 2003. His son Navneet Kumar Saxena is appointed the next president, KV Reddy is confirmed in his post of secretary. The Rajagopalachari clan tries unsuccessfully to seize the ashram again, four days later, November 7. So, at once, no one is allowed to enter into the ashram easily, even under express recommendation. Until it was finally taken over April 2, 2006 by the Rajagopalachari clan, who places at its head Sarvesh, the brother of Umesh. The trial continues today, from appeal to appeal, but Navneet has decided to speak on the web also in January 2007, first on blogs and then by creating his own website 'srcmshahjahanpur.org'. This time, the Indian arbitration panel ruled in favor of Rajagopalachari clan, in July, 2007.

Today in late 2009, Prakash and Umesh have died. Prakash's wife attends satsanghs led by Kasturi in Lucknow. Sarvesh, who is on the list of preceptors of Rajagopalachari, opens the Ashram at Shahjahanpur to all those who wish to attend. Navneet's brother, Puneet and his mother have recorded their testimonies against the methods of the Rajagopalachari clan in videos shot by Shashwat Pandey. And we are still waiting for the outcome of the trial ...

Alexis



Shashwat Said:

There is one minor correction in this summary, K.V Reddy was made overseas secretory of the mission in 1980, and Chari was removed from the post of secretory of Indian affairs in 1982 and replaced by B.D Mahajan.

S.P Shrivastava now runs a parallel organization from Lakheempur Khiri, a small town near Lucknow, U.P. and refuses to give any interview on record.

First two points are relevant enough to be put in the summary.

Regards
Shashwat