Harilal Munje
Dr. Harilal Munje | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 27, 1911 Mumbai, India |
| Died | June 19, 1989 Kanpur, India |
| NSA member | India 1960 - 1965 1967 - 1977 1978 - 1986 |
Dr. Harilal M. Munje (November 27, 1911 - June 19, 1989) was an Indian Bahá’í who was a prominent teacher and scholar in the Indian Bahá’í community and served on the National Spiritual Assembly.
Biography[edit]
Munje was born into a Bahá’í family in Mumbai in 1911. His father, Meher Ali, was of a Hindu background but had converted to Christianity and then Islam before becoming a Bahá’í, and his mother Mariam was a Muslim before becoming a Bahá’í. Both of his parents actively taught the Faith. In his youth Munje's father encouraged him to study languages and he became fluent in fourteen languages and he eventually translated the Hidden Words into Sanskrit. He also studied the scripture of several religions with his fathers encouragement.[1]
In 1937 Munje married fellow Bahá’í Nalini Irani and they had three children. They both studied homeopathic medicine and worked as doctors in Mumbai before pioneering to Benares and then Kanpur where Munje established a homeopathic medical college. He became highly respected in the medical field, establishing a research center and patenting several medicines. In addition to succeeding in his professional career Munje was also successful at teaching the Faith and deepening the Bahá’í community by sharing his knowledge of the teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.[1]
Munje began travel teaching at some point and visited Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Uganda to teach the Faith. He also authored booklets on the Bahá’í Faith which could be used for teaching and composed an essay on the relationship between the Bahá’í Faith and Hinduism which was added to the Indian publication of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era. Throughout his services to the Faith he engaged in correspondence with Shoghi Effendi and received thirty-seven letters in reply encouraging him to write and research Hinduism. He was unable to go on pilgrimage during Shoghi Effendi's lifetime.[2]
In 1960 Munje was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of India and he assisted with efforts to launch mass teaching in Mumbai in the early 1960's.[1] He served on the National Assembly until 1986 often being elected chairman. In 1987 his wife Nalini passed and in 1988 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the first time. He fell ill in 1989 and was hospitalized in Kanpur passing away in June.[2]
Publications[edit]
- 1970 - A Bahá’í Viewpoint, published in The World Religions Speak on The Relevance of Religion in the Modern World.
- 1979 - The Whole World is But One Family[3]
- 1997 - The Reincarnation Mystery Revealed[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 934. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 935. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Whole World is But One Family at stanford.edu
- ↑ The Reincarnation Mystery Revealed by H.M. Munje at AbeBooks.com
