“Gyan Bhavan”- V&PO SAPROON
Simla Hills, Punjab, INDIA
September 11, 1962

My dear Mr. Winter:

You doubtless remember Dr. Bhagwan Singh Gyanee whom you met some years back. He was a great original thinker and philosopher, Founder of the American Institute of Culture, with Self-Culture Associations in many of our large cities. He had a deep admiration for you and among his papers I find this letter, which was written April 28th 1958 the year we left the U S for India. He had been exiled for 50yrs. and returned to his Beloved India at the invitation of the Chief Minister of his native Punjab. We landed in Bombay on Nov. 10th 1958.

He died on September 8th at 11 AM of uremia. He had been active lecturing up to the 7th of March. On that day he had delivered the last lecture of 38, given to Gazetted officers and officials of the Punjab Government at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh. He was taken suddenly il ill as we were returning to the Guest House after the lecture and has been in Hospitals, more or less eversince. He was cremated, at Gyan Bhavan, a lovely spot in the Simla Hills, one mile from Solan, in Punjab, where he was establishing an Institute of Research and Self-Culture, at one P M on the 9th where we brought him from Dr. Sen’s Nursing Home in New Delhi, where he was under treatment, as he requested.

Since his return to India he had spoken in over 75 Universities & Colleges in Punjab and New Delhi. His enthusiasm and fire ignited many of the youth on National Integration and the true meaning of FREEDOM. He was very dynamic as you know and still possesed the power to enflame whoever heard him with love of India and his deadly logic plus his ability to put in simple and eloquent language the most complicated problems.

My object in writing to you is that you may be able to tell his many students and followers of the irreparable loss we all have suffered, at some appropriate time, also give a short resume of his Revolutionary activities in the Liberation of his Country, for he was co-founder and second President of the Gadar Party with Sri Hardyal from 1914 to 1928, centre, San Francisco. After that he devoted all his time and energy Lecturing, Teaching, Writing on his Theory of Pattern, a new outlook and practical Educational System which he called “Self-Culture”.

I am enclosing a “Brief Sketch of Life Lived” dictated by him and prepared while we were on the Scindia Steamship SS “Jaladharati coming back to India under the Indian flag. It was a cargo ship on its maiden trip from New York to Bombay. It sailed from Brooklyn on Oct. 10th 1958 and carried four passengers. You may find it useful and informative of the years he was a “rebel”. Should you not be able to utilize any of it would you kindly see that it goes to the right agency to notify his hundred of students and friends of his sad demise. Many thanks. He was one of those extr-ordinary beings that are born every 500 years or so and his death is a real loss to the world. We are fortunate that his “Pattern of the Human Personality” Course, is on tapes and part of the Pattern of the Universe. But it requires time to transcribe and edit these. I intend to devote the rest of my life to this sacred task. Dr Ji had passed his 80th birthday on July 27th this year, 1962.

I trust this letter will reach you and I would be very grateful for a short word from you telling us what you have done and are doing. When in America, we always listened with so much appreciation to your programme.

May I express my thanks in advance for your kind cooperation and continued interest.

Very sincerely yours,

(acting secretary to Dr. Bhagwan Singh Gyanee)