RK Shitaljit Condoled by ISKCON Fraternity

BY: STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Jun 10, IMPHAL, MANIPUR (FREE PRESS) — The departure of noted scholar and teacher RK Shitaljit was observed with condolences by ISKCON devotees.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness and Pioneer Health Club, Khurai condoled the demise of noted writer, scholar and educationist Raj Kumar Shitaljit Singh today.

R.K Shitaljit was born on August 18, 1913 and died at the age of 95 at his residence at Keishampat Top Leirak yesterday at around 3.15 pm. During his lifetime he was the recipient of many awards including the President`s Medal in recognition of his services as a teacher at the national level in 1967.

Acknowledging his yeoman service in the filed of literature he was conferred the Thoibi Devi Award by the Manipuri Sahitya Parishad in 1999. He was also the recipient of the `Writer of the Year` award conferred by the Naharol Sahitya Premi Samiti in 2000.

He also received the Manipur Journalist Award in 1995 and was offered a fellowship by the Manipur State Kala Akademi in the same year.

Some of the books he translated from Bengali include the Gita Govinda and `Padavali gi Shayan Shaikhan`.

A condolence meeting held today at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)`s Sri Sri Radha Krishnachandra Manimandir in Imphal today evening recalled R.K. Shitaljit`s long time association with the ISKCON. In fact he made some important contributions for the promotion of the organisation and its mission in Manipur.

According to senior devotees of the ISKCON who presented short glimpses from the life history of the noted scholar, the leader of the ISKCON movement in Manipur His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami approached RK Shitaljit in the early days of establishment of the organisation in Manipur, and entrusted him with the work of translating into Manipuri ISKCON literatures like the Srimad Bhagavatam and later the Bhagavad Gita considering his vast scholarship in Sanskrit language and Vaishnav texts.

R.K. Shitaljit had strong feelings about Vaishnavism and stated at a Doordarshan interview that all mundane books written by various writers were useless as they had no relation to Krishna. He was considered a spiritual guru and inspired many to follow the right path.

He was also a strict educationist and introduced the chandan tilak for school children for the first time in the state at the Ram Lal Paul School in Imphal where he was the principal. Even while on his deathbed yesterday he asked a devotee who was present in his bedroom why he had not put on his tilak properly, the devotees said.

He was also very appreciative of the ISKCON devotees for being able to follow the Vaishnava principles openly. He was humorous, deep thinking and spoke only about topics of god, the devotees said.

Former vice chancellor of the Manipur University, Prof I.S. Khaidem, in a condolence message sent to the meeting regretted his inability to be present at the meeting while acknowledging the contributions made by R.K. Shitaljit to Manipuri society.

The Pioneer Health Club, Khurai also condoled the demise of Raj Kumar Shitaljit Singh at his residence on June 8.

The members of the club also paid homage to R.K. Shitaljit while sharing the sorrow of the bereaved family and also prayed to the almighty for the peace of the departed soul.