The Gita in Urdu

Sir, - It was good to learn of the Urdu version of the Bhagavad Gita in Devanagri script written by Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakeem and released by the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee.

Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1895-1982) once remarked that the Gita had given him more nourishment than his mother's milk. During his permitted visit to Pakistan in 1961, Vinoba received a warm welcome from the people there, and said that he saw no difference between India and Pakistan. It was the same air, the same earth, and the same people with warm hearts. While in Pakistan, Vinoba attended many prayer meetings and quoted freely from the Koran and recited also to smaller gatherings in his melodious voice. People were amazed to hear his faultless pronunciation and intonation of the Arabic language.

In 1996 it was a privilege to visit Bramha Vidya Mandir, Paunar, Saint Vinoba's last home, and receive a copy of Vinoba's book Talks on the Gita.

Bryan J. Osborne,

Avon, U.K.

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