ANANDA KATHA

Chapter Nineteen
BABA PREDICTS THE GROWTH OF ANANDA MARGA

It was the summer of 1955. As usual I was with Baba that day on his evening walk. Baba had proceeded only a little distance from his house, when I saw a big crowd emerging from a temple nearby.

I asked Baba, “When will so many people gather at our festivities in the Marga.”

Baba replied, “You will soon see even bigger crowds in your festivities also, but Nagina, after sometime, a time will come when you people will be afraid to call yourself a Margii.” Then Baba began to laugh.

I wanted to know the reason for such a situation and enquired, “Why will this happen, Baba?"

Baba said, “Such a time will come when the purohit (Hindu priest), the maulvi (Muslim cleric), the priest and the government and all political parties will oppose Ananda Marga intensely and jointly and will blame you people for all sorts of things. They will not do so– because of defects or faults in your people, but they will do so because your ideal and moral principles will directly hit their selfish interests. But such adverse times will not last long. Although you people will always be required to struggle but you will be able to construct a strong social order in future which will look after the requirements of all the sections of society. This will be the ‘Sadvipra Samaj.”

Baba said this during the summer of 1955. After about ten years things began to take a turn in the direction, Baba had indicated. It reached its climax in June 1975 when during the state of emergency during which all opposition parties were banned, parliament was suspended, Ananda Marga was one amongst many social organizations also banned.