The Baha'is of India

http://www.bagchiblog.blogspot.com

I first saw a Baha’i when I was a schoolboy. A Baha’i family came and settled down in Gwalior. I never seem to have seen the head of the family but the wife was very active and very sociable. Their name was Bowman and they had two daughters – Perin and another whose name I just cannot remember. Mrs. Bowman used to come to our house as she became a student of my father in the local Victoria College.

The mother was enterprising; she introduced table breads to the citizens of Gwalior which she used to make at home and get them home-delivered. Her daughter Perin joined the local Medical College and, in the process, collected a lot of suitors, attractive as she was. After all, she was an Iranian. I suppose in course of time other Baha’is joined them and they, I believe, built a small Baha’i temple somewhere near their house.It was much later that I saw in photographs the new Baha’i temple  of Delhi called the Lotus Temple. Later, I too got an opportunity to photograph this beautiful structure and partake of its quiet and peaceful ambiance..

Baha’is, to my mind are a somewhat obscure community in India. Theyare not many in numbers but they appear to be very prosperous as they have built temples in major cities of the world. Drawing their religiosity from one Baha ullah, who in 1863 declared himself to be a prophet predicted to arrive by the Babi religion. Baha’is basically believe in the unity of God, unity of all religions and unity of humanity. The Baha’is also stand for world peace and a new world order.

As the teachings were diametrically opposed to those of Islam they were persecuted in Iran, the land where it took its roots. They therefore

migrated out of Iran and landed in various lands from East to West. In this process they also touched the shores of India and settled in its various parts in small numbers. Around 2 million in number, they are making their own contribution to the multicoloured social fabric of India. The biggest contribution of Baha’is in India is the Lotus Temple at Delhi, a wonderful piece of architecture that people come to see from far off places.