He Lived His Message... And Shared His Love
The Man with a Heart of Gold
It is these subtle but very significant traits which endeared him to everyone. He was a man who always governed not from his head, but from his heart.
“Even as we grew up to complete our studies and take up careers in the world, the bond with Habbu Sir remained as strong as ever,” says Partish and adds, “He would always enquire about our family and careers, and remind us of Swami’s words and expectations from His students. Not only that he would invite us to his home and make tea for us himself! We really felt like his very own children.”
“Even as we grew up to complete our studies and take up careers in the world, the bond with Habbu Sir remained as strong as ever... He would always enquire about our family and careers, and remind us of Swami’s words and expectations from His students. Not only that he would invite us to his home and make tea for us himself! We really felt like his very own children.” |
Another alumnus, Mr. S.B.S.S. Madhav, adds, “When I visited him at his house in July 2007, even though he was recuperating from a surgery, he insisted that he make some tea for us and he did make great tea! What a noble man he was!”
“The last time I saw him was in July 2008. And my meeting with him often ended with ‘I have got something for you’, and he would then pull out a small calendar photo of Swami from his shirt pocket and hand it over saying, ‘Next time, stay here longer’,” says Mr. Rakendu Suren, a student who graduated from the school in 1989.
Even after being relieved of duties in the hostel in 1994 because of his ill-health, upon his recovery, Prof. Habbu continued to teach history in the University for many years. But he was not happy with this; he wanted to do more. And so, with the help of a band of enthusiastic youngsters, he started a village empowerment programme in the neighbouring rural areas of Puttaparthi. Often he would go to these under developed hamlets, collect the children and provide them basic education as well as train them with Vedic hymns. And He continued to do this almost till his last breadth, even after he was diagnosed with cancer in July 2007.
A Rare Divine Farewell
“Father was 82 years when he was diagnosed with advanced bone metastatic prostate cancer,” shares Ms. Sumana, Prof. Habbu’s daughter. Patients, in such cases, usually suffer excruciating pain in their bones. Actually, when one is in the terminal stage, even morphine cannot suppress the suffering. But father did not experience any pain till his very end.
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For Prof. Habbu, Swami was the
be all and end all of life |
“During every bone-scan, which was done once in three months, the doctors would advise father to visit the hospital immediately if he experienced severe pain. But such a situation never arose. And that is probably because he was already on divine therapy; the daily darshans of Swami, for him, were tranquilizers with ‘potency infinity’.
“The progress of the cancer could be ascertained only from the scans as he didn’t seem to suffer any more or less as time progressed. It was as if Swami was taking him through his karmic experience without letting him feel the real impact.
“But father’s health took a downward slope a week after Swami’s 83rd Birthday celebrations. He actually stopped going to Mandir; he was no more inclined to see Swami physically. Even when we made repeated requests to him to have His darshan, he simply said, ‘I will see Swami on December 31’. We have never understood from where he got that date.
“But, on December 31, he was in the I.C.U. and his body’s vitals were constantly monitored. When he recovered from the semi-conscious state that morning, he realized that he wasn’t able to see Bhagavan’s photo on the wall from his bed because his view was blocked by a pillar. There was actually a large photograph of Swami sitting on the swing. Not being able to see Swami’s picture bothered him a lot and he called out, ‘Baba, I am unable to see you! I am not able to see you!’ What really happened after this is known only to him and Swami.
“However, in his own words, father said, ‘Swami got up from the swing, in flesh and blood, came down, blessed me and returned to His seat on the swing.’ He kept stressing on ‘in flesh and blood’. He called out to the sisters and said, ‘Look, Swami is here.’ That very day, in the afternoon, Swami sent vibhuti for father. |
“However, in his own words, father said, ‘Swami got up from the swing, in flesh and blood, came down, blessed me and returned to His seat on the swing.’ He kept stressing on ‘in flesh and blood’. He called out to the sisters and said, ‘Look, Swami is here.’ That very day, in the afternoon, Swami sent vibhuti for father.
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His surrender to Sai was complete |
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“At first, I wasn’t sure of the authenticity of father’s words as I thought he was still in a state of delirium. But his face was radiant. It was only two days later, when he was shifted back to the Urology ward and was his normal self, and then recollected the entire incident again very clearly that I realized Swami had indeed chosen to give him darshan on that appointed day as per his wish. It was as if the Lord was telling him ‘I am seeing you’ when he was in the ICU.
“On January 3, when father was still in the Urology ward, his former students from Swami’s school and college came to see him, and he immediately remembered each student by his name. But that was not all. He also recollected their basketball scores! And finally, He said, ‘Swami has great expectations from you. He wants His students to be torchbearers of His Mission. Don’t fall short of meeting His expectations.’
“On January 4, father went into a semi-conscious state and shut his eyes. He completely stopped intake of food. He would also not respond to any questions, but if someone were to whisper ‘Sairam’ in his ears, he would respond with a ‘Sairam.’ In fact, that was the only word that escaped his mouth.
“Two days later, he was admitted in the ICU again because of hemorrhaging of the stomach. Swami again sent vibhuti, but now with instructions that bhajans should be played continuously by his side.
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Prof. Habbu - always under His care |
“On the next day, January 7, which was sacred as Vaikuntha Ekadashi (the day when, in the days of yore, Swami materialized amritha and personally gifted to all the devotees), father merged at His Lotus Feet. The kind Lord sent vibhuti and white dhoti for the funeral, with specific instructions that he should be draped in the white dhoti after the ceremonial bath, and that the sacred vibhuti should be smeared on him.
In a solemn procession, amidst Veda chants and bhajans, he went on his final journey to Him.”
It was a divine farewell that the Lord awarded to His dedicated devotee. There was never a moment in Prof. Habbu’s life when his lips were not busy chanting His name or reciting a mantra. He never forgot the Lord and the Lord too was with him till his last moment. “Prof. Habbu is a role model for all those who decide to lead a spiritual life,” says Prof. Anil Kumar, and adds, “I have never seen him indulge in any unnecessary talk. His lips were always chanting. He was really a personification of ideal spiritual practice; the very metaphor of namasmarana.”
Prof. Habbu was an ideal in life and in death. Just like the ones who have seen Gandhiji can never forget him in their lives, the ones who were privileged to be associated with Habbu Sir, or at least seen him at work, will carry him in their hearts till there is blood flowing in their veins. He continues and will continue to inspire thousands of students to be ramrod straight in their gait and character, and yet be filled with softness in their voice and heart. The ‘H’ in Habbu verily stood for ‘Heart’.
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The 'Heart' of Prof. 'H'abbu... |
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