I was in High School around 1985–questioning  and looking. I was looking for meaning of life. Somehow when there is meaning quest, it turns to a spiritual path. Perhaps, it is with unknown that spirituality deals with. I was told by a pious Sikh woman to go and meet a Nirankari Bana. His name was Baba Hardev Singh. He was the head of Nirankari Satsang. Nirankar means without a form. That is an attribute of God. I liked it. Because, I used to read in the books that God is supreme and unlimited. Inspired I took a bus from Janakpuri towards North Delhi, this is where he used to live. It was an old home, with some people coming in and out. I stood there in the verandah kind of an enclosure of his home. Someone came out and said Baba Jee is inside and he is calling for you. I met him. He had big eyes, soft and laughing. He said it would be difficult to reason out with a jawaan insaan, because jawani has a tendency to reject anything that does not go with it. He laughed. I told him, as I was fearless, “Aap bhe to thahar gaye” [despite jawani, you are resolved too]. Baba jee was happy with that retort. And he kindly pointed out that, not there, not outside, that Nirankara is here, everywhere, here inside you. “Nirankaar is not with just no forms, but it is with or without forms, it is all manifestation including unmanifested one.” His wife came out to be next to Baba jee. She was a very kind and a beautiful lady. I was given tea by her. She seemed puzzled by all these questions and statement, but she told Baba jee to be nice to me. She was motherly. I respected Mata Jee intervention, but I was not discomforted by Baba Jee narration of Nirankaar.

Fortunately that day, he had his big satsang on the border Delhi towards GT Road. Both Baba Jee and Mata Jee invited me to come to the sammellan. When we got out of the car and walked towards the Sammellan, Mata Jee tripped. Mata Jee had red color shoes, with little heels. At that point, I saw the tremendous love Baba Jee had for Mata Jee. He held her and was so pained by the fall. But in few seconds, it was all normal again. But this incident left a big impression on my mind. I felt Baba Jee was not only spiritual, he loved his wife immensely and lived life fully on both levels, extraordinary and ordinary. And they were a beautiful couple. Satsang that followed was a sea of humanity, people came from all over the country and were taken care of with food, water and shade.

It pained to see his departure, a couple of days back. My heart reaches out to Mata Jee and the family. But Baba Jee true to his words, exited from limited to unlimited, manifested to unmanifested–the Nirankaar and Nirankaari stayed put. Nothing has changed, forms were never important–Dhan Nirankar!