Being transported back in time
I met a 93-year-old gentleman of Indian descent in the Midlands of the UK, in the town called Loughborough. His full name is Rama P. Gupta. He took some books and gave me a very generous donation. After we spoke for some time, he explained that he was given his first name by Srila Prabhupada in 1930.
When he was born, he said, Srila Prabhupada was his family’s guru.
Rama was supportive of Srila Prabhupada over the years. In India, when Prabhupada started to develop temples in Mayapur and Vrindavan, Rama helped in various ways. He let the devotees use his house and served Srila Prabhupada. When Rama moved to the UK, he maintained a connection with the devotees. In central London he visited Srila Prabhupada at Bury Place and even once slept in the same room. He would give foot massages to Srila Prabhupada.
Rama met George Harrison both in England and India. Rama recalled when George gave Bhaktivedanta Manor to ISKCON. He recounted a story to me that in England he “accidentally” bought two calves at an auction. Seeing this as Krishna’s arrangement, Rama took the calves to the Manor, knowing that a lot of land surrounded the Manor. On this occasion, George was at the temple and saw the calves and said, “We should start a goshala here!” They were the first two calves at the Manor.
I wanted to serve Rama in any way possible and repeatedly asked him how I could serve him. His answer was always, “Please pray that I go to Back to Prabhupada.” And tears flowed from his eyes.
The experience of meeting him was mystical, because I felt the love he had for Srila Prabhupada. It was so inspiring. I managed to record a small portion of our conversation, though he was very shy and humble. After the camera was off, he spoke about many pastimes of Srila Prabhupada.
After he told me that he was cold and must go into a warmer place, I offered him my scarf, which was much thicker than his. He gladly accepted it, and I immediately put it around his neck. He thanked me and said, “Here! You might as well take my scarf, as now you don’t have one.”
The town of Loughborough is a very insignificant town in the middle of England, and the last thing I would have expected is to bump into such a personality. I asked him for his phone number and address and invited him to the Leicester temple.
Your servant,
Ekavarna Dasa
