Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar was one of the luminaries of the national resurgence and spiritual renaissance that swept the country in the early part of the century.
Shri Poddar was born on 17th September, 1892 at Shillong in a vaishnava family. He had very little formal schooling, but due to his dedication and self effort he attained mastery over half a dozen languages.
Like many of his contemporaries, he began his early life as a revolutionary, determined to overthrow the British and free his motherland, Because of his close association with young revolutionaries of Bengal, he was imprisoned and put under house arrest for 21 months, which proved to be a turning point in his life. He undertook to edit the spiritual Hindi magazine ‘Kalyan’ and with his unique spiritual zeal, inspiring leadership and organising capacity, its membership soon crossed the mark of 1.5 lakhs. Under the advice of Mahatmaji, ‘Kalyan’ had no columns for book reviews, criticism and commercial advertisements. Instead, ‘Kalyan’ prospered without such support and became a powerful instrument for the moral and social awakening of the highest values of Indian tradition, thought and culture. The Ramayan, the Geeta and the Upnishads were published by him in the original Sanskrit text with a rendering of the Hindi translation, thus making it available to the common man. Millions of copies of these inspirational fountainheads of ancient knowledge were thus distributed to the nook and corner of the country. Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar contributed his own prose and poetry which were published from the ‘Geeta Press’, which he founded.
He was never a self-proclaimed preceptor though millions flocked to meet for counsel and guidance. With love, care and affectionate homilies as also with scholarly articles and works he brought in a sea-change in the minds of the millions who heard him and read him.
In the sphere of social service, he was always in the forefront whether it was a flood, a fire or an epidemic. He showed superhuman capacity for such' relief operations by heading squads to take care of the affected and the afflicted. He set up a number of schools for the blind, the deaf, the dumb, the needy, the sick, the destitutes and the lepers. In recognition of his services to the country the national government has published his biography both in Hindi and English under the ‘Builders of Modern India’ series. Regarded as a saint among saints, he spent the latter half of his life immersed in spiritual pursuits along with his role as a householder and a leading social performer.
Shri Poddar left his mortal frame on March 22nd, 1971 and he is remembered today for his self-less service to humanity.
Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India