Every once in a while, there comes along an individual who changes the way we think, perceive life and the world we live in. One such personage is Sri M, the founder of Manav Ekta Mission, who is embarking on what he calls a ‘Walk of Hope’, a padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Born in 1948 as Mumtaz Ali Khan into a Muslim family in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Sri M left home for the Himalayas when he was 19 years old in pursuit of spiritual knowledge. He is the founder of the Satsang Foundation, which works towards spiritual and educational uplift of people. He stays in a house named Snow White, in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh. The Satsang foundation runs two multi-lingual schools, one of which provides free education to tribal children from Andhra Pradesh. “When I arrived here in 1999, there was nobody. One day, I came across a group of children tending cows. I asked them why they don’t go to school. They replied ‘there is no school’.” He asked them if they would attend school if there was one. “They nodded heartily,” recalls Sri M, of warmly greeting the children.
He recruited a single teacher from Rishi Valley School nearby and met the parents of the children to seek their permission to send them to study. “Initially, only 20 of 80 children accepted. Now we have nearly 220 children, all of whom get free education, free food and free books. Once school finishes in the evening, they go back home, but are happier here,” the guru explains, swelling with pride.
The ‘Walk of Hope’ will flag off on January 12, Swami Vivekananda’s birthday. Led by Sri M, the journey spans 15 to 18 months through 11 states, bringing together citizens from all walks of life. Starting from Kanyakumari where the Vivekananda rock stands, the walk begins from Gandhi Memorial Mandapam on to Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Its aim is to reach out to billions of fellow Indians to join and walk for peace. Says Sri M, “We will walk together, not as members of groups or parties or advocates of ideologies, but as human beings. We will walk to free society from fear and insecurity, thus igniting the formation of an inclusive and participative society, where opportunity is given to all, where talent and effort are rewarded regardless of caste, religion, language, region or gender.”
Each day they plan to cover about 15 kilometres, and halt in the evening at a temple, church or a gurdwara or anywhere else where they are provided shelter. “We will hold meetings with the local communities, which will include meaningful dialogues and inter-faith prayers,” the yogi explains.
Sri M wants to make and provide clean toilets for all men and women on this journey. “We have already identified many places and hope more people will come forward and support us. An add-on aspect of this initiative is that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be collaborating with us to ensure medical treatment for all,” Sri M reveals.
The spiritual guide also plans to do organic forming during the padayatra. “These days, there is so much poison in our food. When I see a red tomato, I wonder if it is so red because it’s ripe or because of chemicals. Unfortunately, people don’t practice organic farming because the profits are low. We must understand that health is far more important than profit,” Sri M points out.
When asked what inspired him to take up this initiative, he says, “I have always walked right through my life. My master also went everywhere on foot. I feel that if you have your feet on the ground, you will remain grounded. You’ll also learn much more about India.”
As a child, Sri M had longed to be in the presence of mountains. He was never interested in studies, as he felt he had a greater calling. “The cage was golden, but it was still a cage,” he quips, philosophically. Sri M’s father was also a yogi, who understood that his son was different from the rest. Sri M began meditating when he was nine. “I didn’t know what meditation was at that time. But I would just lie down, close my eyes and enjoy,” he remarks with a smile. Then a significant thing happened to him. One day when he ventured into the backyard of his house, he thought he saw a person, who seemed different from everybody else. “My encounter with him was brief but it left a lasting impression on me,” recalls the spiritual guide. At the age of 19, he left home for the Himalayas. But the longer he travelled, the more frustrated he became. “I could not find any suitable guru, who could truly understand me.”
However, all that changed when he wandered into a small cave, Vyasa Guha, a few kilometres beyond Badrinath Temple. “I saw a man sitting by a fire, whom I recognised as the same person I had seen in my backyard, when I was a nine-year-old boy. He too recognised me and welcomed me with open arms,” Sri M fondly recalls.
That was Maheshwarnath Babaji, who took Sri M under his wing and trained him in the Upanishads, Kriya yoga and meditation for the next two-and-a-half years. So how did Mumtaz Ali Khan, a young boy on a quest for spiritual guidance, transformed into Sri M, a spiritual guide, social reformer and educationist with hundreds of disciples?
He replies, “After watching Babaji closely, I strived to become like him. However, he had instructed me not to teach anybody. So when I returned from the Himalayas, for many years I just met different people at Satsangs. We used to share ideas and thoughts but I never taught any, but just used to be with them.” One day, he met a group of people at a Satsang in Bangalore in the early 1990s who asked him to narrate his Himalayan experiences. “By then I had received a cue from Babaji that I could go ahead and tell my story,” the guru says.
He thus became a spiritual teacher and soon attracted hordes of followers, who were amazed by his wisdom. “I feel like a circus master or a clown,” he chuckles self-deprecatingly. “Since we were already holding regular Satsang meetings, we decided to call it the Satsang Foundation. My name in the Nath tradition starts with M (Madhukarnath), and so does my master’s. M also stands for Manushya and Manava,” he says of the mystery behind the name.
Displaying a subtle, yet impeccable sense of humour, he adds, “People started calling me Mr M
but I thought Sri M was better. M was after all James Bond’s boss.”
Acknowledging the existence of fake babas and godmen, he said, “Sadly such people exist and something must be done about it. One has to see through them and eliminate them from one’s minds. However, there are a few genuine people. When you realise that any guru’s image has a lasting impact on you and refuses to go away, you must follow them,” he reasons.
Sri M may have his fair share of skeptics, but is not interested in anybody who blindly believes in him. “I don’t want someone to suddenly start following me just because somebody had told them about me. I want people to come and live with me, watch how I live, see me for who I am and only if they are convinced, should they follow me,” he says, firmly.
How does one differentiate between a normal person and a spiritual being? Sri M has a simple answer. “Every human being has an instinct for freedom. Everybody seeks happiness and peace. The moment you realise that what you’re seeking is inside you, you will turn into a spiritual being,” Sri M explains. In 2011, he wrote his autobiography called Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master. He also provided his valuable insights into the three Upanishads in his other book, Wisdom of the Rishis.
The yogi’s living room is filled with his own paintings, each one telling a story of its own. “Even as a child, I used to often draw and paint in the classroom. As the years went by, I continued to paint and my technique improved,” he explains.
For someone who has attained spiritual wisdom, and is well versed in the Vedas and the Upanishads, Sri M says, “A person’s beliefs are his personal matter. One must treat different cultures with equal respect. A religion is born out of somebody’s mystical experience. Sadly, these days, blind practice has become more important than the direction. So it’s necessary to bring people back on course.” Condemning terrorism and violence, the yogi feels that religion must be completely eliminated if it leads to such horrific acts.
A man who preaches practicality, Sri M is not against politics, and feels that politicians must not be excluded from society or treated as outcasts. “Anybody who is in a position of power, and is able to do something for society is blessed. They possess an extra energy, which has to be channelled in the right direction. Corruption is unacceptable but there are some good politicians as well,” he says.
One look at Sri M and you immediately realise that he doesn’t resemble the usual travellers on the spiritual bandwagon. Clean shaven, suave yet humble, the smartly dressed Sri M looks, speaks and dresses like a normal person. “Babaji taught that people should not be distinguished by anyone,” he says. Sri M is also married with two children—a 27-year-old son who is married and lives in Jaipur and a 24-year-old daughter, currently engaged to a follower of Sri M. “I have deliberately kept my children away from Satsang. They are their own people and have their own ideologies, but they are good people,” he says with pride. He is Internet-savvy and says technology must be encouraged if it is for the right purpose. However, he is not on either Facebook or Twitter.
As he prepares to embark on his yatra, Sri M is confident that people will turn up in large numbers to support him. “There are many who recognise me in Kerala, so I think we will start with a few thousand people. As we go along, I hope more will join me,” he says.
However, Sri M is concerned and responsible for all the people who will be joining him on this walking mission. “The safety of everybody who joins me in this journey is the only burden which I carry with me on this journey,” he says with a sense of worry which is clearly visible on his face.
One wonders how a 66-year-old man would be able to complete such a long and daunting journey. Sri M says he has no such health concerns. “I feel healthy, and my body and mind are problem-free. I feel that by walking, my health can only improve and not deteriorate,” he adds, with a smile.
Those who wish to join this revered man and travel towards unity, spirit, companionship and oneness, can be assured that it will certainly be a walk to remember.