Swanwick Star Issue No. 7 (2014)

Another Interview with Roerich

The two sisters, Jagdis and Sarjit Siddoo, had first come upon Theosophy in their college days when a friend of their father’s, a Theosophist, had arranged for their lodgings in Toronto where they both studied medicine. The elder, Jagdis, was interested in the occult even at that age, but it was still a little too early for Sarjit to turn her thoughts to spiritual matters so she encouraged more mundane interests in her sister. That particular quest would commence in earnest in their thirties once they had become the first two Indo-Canadian doctors in the country.

In the meantime, after graduating, they went to India where they built and ran a free rural hospital in the Punjab according to their Mother’s and Father’s wishes.

Then, their thoughts turned towards religious matters and they started seriously seeking a spiritual teacher.  India, of course, abounds in gurus and there was no shortage of them, but they soon realized the special quality they were looking for was “guidance” and not “mental slavery”.

Scattered throughout the Himalayan foothills of India, there was a thriving community of artists which particularly appealed to Jagdis, who was also quite artistic. They talked of “artistic communes” and it was in this same region that Roerich and Devika Rani lived. It was at one of these retreats in the mountains that the two sisters met Baba Sobha Singh, a renowned Punjabi artist, who told them about Krishnamurti and The Theosophical Society. Apparently, K. was meant to be their “World Teacher” but had broken away from them in an act of defiance. Now, he was acknowledged as a great spiritual teacher, even though he denied being a “guru”.

As soon as Jagdis and Sarjit heard K. speak in Delhi for the first time in 1960, they were both convinced they had met an enlightened soul and embarked upon their life-long dedication to his teachings.

Years later, they decided to visit Roerich and Devika on their way to trek in the Himalayas at Hemkunt and the Valley of Flowers. They went up the hill to see them and were first greeted by the film-star wife, who was chain-smoking. Roerich had a white beard by that time.

The grounds around the house were filled with the rather eery idols for which Kulu is famous. Apparently, Devika Rani insisted on a Brahmin coming every morning to adorn them with auspicious tilaks on their foreheads and to pray to them.

Roerich’s main message seemed to be to look within and to know thyself and was very much in keeping with K’s philosophy.

Before the meeting came to a close, they also talked about the sisters’ charitable hospital near Rahon. Devika Rani said it was a very good thing and that they should continue this work.

Chanda Siddoo-Atwal