Narayana Guru - 1856-1928

Two Memorable Events

Two memorable events took place at Shivagiri, after the Guru settled down there. The first was the visit of Poet Rabindranath Tagore, and the second was that of Mahatma Gandhi. The visits of these two great men of modern India to the Ashram show the greatness of the Guru.
Rabindranath Tagore was on a visit to South India. Having heard about Narayana Guru, he desired to call on him. The people of the villages around the Ashram welcomed the poet with great enthusiasm. It was almost a welcome befitting a king. He was taken in a procession in a palanquin ('pallak'). The people acclaimed with great joy the meeting of the Nobel Laureate and the Guru.
The Guru and the Mahatma met in 1925. It was an equally significant event. The Guru was fascinated by the Mahatma's philosophy of life and his constructive programme. He had given full support to Khadi, village industries and above all to the cause of uplifting the classes which had been pushed down, and particularly to the attempts to end 'untouchability', Swami Dayananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Swami Vivekananda started a Social Reform Movement in India; this caught the imagination of thoughtful young men. Narayana Guru had done it in his own way in Kerala. The worship of God in a very simple manner, and the equality of all in the eyes of God - these principles he had practised. His main aim was to dispel all supersti tious beliefs and practices. The members of the Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam worked for this aim. They thought of securing the right of temple entry to people of all castes. They tried to organize this Reform Movement on the lines of Satyagraha taught by Mahatma Gandhi.