From Mumbai to Delhi,man on mission to spread message of religious unity

Das was in Delhi between January 30 and February 7. His mission began in February 2009,since then he’s travelled to Bhubaneshwar,Raipur,Bhilwara in Rajasthan,Baroda and Ahmedabad besides his regular haunts in Mumbai and Delhi.

“I was looking for a way to say what I wanted to but without getting into a lengthy discourse. The message is simple,so is the medium,” he says.

Das was a garment salesman in the 90s when he had a “spiritual awakening”. “I left home and my travels took me to Chitrakoot and the Himalayas,to gurus,imams and pastors,and into the books and places of worship of the major religions of India. I realised that followers of different faiths won’t agree all the time. The solution to this problem lies in my message — follow your religion,love everybody,” he says.

Though diminutive,Das makes a captivating figure —– he is the only static person in the whirlpool of commuters and the only person grinning widely. Both are physically taxing,he says.

The cops at the ITO crossing say he stands there for close to six hours,though his normal day stretches from 12 to 17 hours. “I have a routine — Rajghat from 6.30 am to 8.30 am,followed by Dilli Gate and ITO besides visits to India Gate,” he says.

In Mumbai,he lives in a cottage on Versova beach and is a familiar figure to the cops. A follower of Sant Morari Bapu,Das relies on his guru’s organisation for travel and lodging. The placards,however,are his own idea. He has a stock of 40 — 2×3 ft white sunboards — with messages like “life’s a struggle,don’t lose hope” but it is his placard on religious unity that hits home.

Foreign tourists pose for photographs,drivers shout “achhi baat hai” from whizzing cars,but it is the young crowd that involves him in discussions on religion,society and politics.

“I saw him on Friday but was too busy to stop and talk,so I made it a point to say salaam on Saturday,” says Mohammad Mustaque,a 25-year-old employee of a publishing firm.

“This man has whittled down the ultimate truth of all religions into two lines. Amazing,” says Subhash Kumar,who mans the traffic display system at ITO.

In Mumbai,well-wishers warn him to change the words in Hindi for Marathi but Das won’t budge. “The Thackerays are religious people,they’ll understand the message of love,” he insists. His Delhi sojourn ended on February 7. Coming up next are Gwalior and Junagarh.