Madhava Ashish

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Sri
Madhava Ashish
Born23 February 1920
Edinburgh, Scotland
DiedApril 13, 1997(1997-04-13) (aged 77)
Mirtola, Uttarakhand, India
NationalityScottish-Indian
Other namesAlexander Phipps
Occupation(s)Agriculturist
Spiritualist
Mystic
writer
Known forSpiritualism
Agriculture
AwardsPadma Shri

Sri Madhava Ashish (1920–1997) was a Scottish-born naturalised Indian spiritualist, mystic, writer and agriculturist, known for his services to Indian agriculture.[1] He was the head of the Mirtola Ashram located in the village of same name, near Almora, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.[2] He published several articles on the topics of agriculture and ecology of India.[3] He was also the author of four books, What is Man?,[4] Man, The Measure of All Things,[5] Man, Son of Man[6] and An Open Window.[7] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1992 for his contributions to the agriculture sector in India.[8]

Biography

Sri Madhava Ashish was born Alexander Phipps, on 23 February 1920 at Edinburgh to a Colonel working in the

Dum Dum airport, Kolkata where he is reported to have been engaged in the repairs of Supermarine Spitfire engines.[1]

The turning point in his life reportedly came when, on a vacation in 1944, he had the opportunity to visit

sanyasin.[9] When the war ended the same year, he stayed on in India to continue his spiritual searches. Assisted by Esther Merston, the author of Village Life By the Ganges,[10] he moved to Mirtola Ashram, a spiritual base at the foothills of the Himalayas, near Almora district, in the Kumaon valley.[9] Since then, the ashram, founded in 1929 by Sri Yashoda Mai (full monastic name: Sri Krishna Sevika Sri Sri Yashoda Mai Vairagini) (married name: Monica Devi Chakravarti) (née Monica Roy) (1882-1944) and Sri Krishna Prem (1898-1965),[11] remained his home till his death in 1997.[2]

At the ashram, Phipps submitted to the way of life there, turned into a vegetarian

Vaishnav sanyasin, and practised meditation.[1] He also took up the name of Madhava Ashish. When, Sri Krishna Prem, then head of the ashram, died in 1965, he became the head and oversaw the management of the institution till his death.[1] He also involved himself with ecological and environmental issues and started experimenting with agricultural techniques which he passed on to the local farmers. Under his stewardship, the ashram became self-sufficient with own agricultural, dairy and poultry farming.[9] His work is also known to have influenced the government to introduce agriculture as a subject of instruction in the schools in the region. He wrote several articles on agriculture[12]
Theosophical Society of India.[15]

Memorials of Yashoda Ma, Krishna Prem and Madhav Ashish at Mirtola Ashram

His involvement with agriculture and ecology earned him memberships in many committees of the

Penguin India publication by Satish Datt Pandey (b. 1930), a biographical account of Ashish which includes details about Mirtola and its spirituality.[19]A Way Within - Seven Year's In A Himalayan Ashram by Madhu Tandan published by Speaking Tiger in December 2023 is a personal account of her stay in Mirtola under Sri Madhava Ashish's tutelage, following his 'soil to soul' philosophy, where every experience was viewed as an opportunity to grow.[20]

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary: Sri Madhava Ashish". Independent. 6 May 1997. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1892138050
    .
  3. ^ "Sri Madhava Ashish". Economic and Political Weekly. 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780143065746
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0835600064
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-0835601139
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780143100232
    .
  8. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d "Penguin India profile". Penguin India. 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  10. ASIN B0000CP875
    .
  11. ^ "Testament of faith". The Hindu. 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 18 July 2003. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  12. ^ Madhava Ashish (1980). "Agricultural Economy of Kumaon Hills". Economic and Political Weekly. XV (19).
  13. ^ Madhava Ashish (1993). "Decentralised Management of Natural Resources in the UP Hills". Economic and Political Weekly. XXVIII (35).
  14. ^ Madhava Ashish (1979). "Agricultural Economy of Kumaon Hills-Threat of Ecological Disaster". Economic and Political Weekly. XIV (25).
  15. ^ "Man the Measure of All Things, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhava Ashish Read More by Katinka Hesselink: http://www.allconsidering.com/2009/man-measure-all-things/". Allconsidering.com. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  16. ISBN 9780835631112
    .
  17. ^ "Sy Ginsburg, USA". Katinkahesselink. 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  18. ISBN 978-0143029540
    .
  19. ^ "House of spirit". The Hindu. 4 May 2003. Archived from the original on 18 July 2003. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  20. ISBN 9789354477133.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link
    )

Further reading
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