Ældre Kosmos og Kontaktbreve

When Mr. Gerner Larsson visited India in 1957-58 he fully surveyed the religious atmosphere of the country by meeting hundreds of people in all walks of life in several important big towns of India. I met him for the first time just after his tour of the country at the Ramakrishna Mission where he was giving a very interesting lecture to a large distinguished gathering of over 1000 highly educated and cultured people. You know perhaps that Ramakrishna Mission is the biggest and most influential religious and cultural organization in India with branches all over the world. It is highly respected because it is free of narrow sectarianism and fanaticism. It respects all religions as true and were celebrating Christmas where Mr. Gerner Larsson was invited to speak. This was only about a month before he was to leave India. His reading and understanding of the spiritual condition in India was wonderfully correct, and on my hearing his views could confirm them to be so. He then talked to me of Martinus Cosmology and if it will be acceptable to India? I and other friends who had heard him through his lectures and group talks did request him to do something to give this spiritual science to India. He left a few books in English with us and these were well read by me and several other friends and relatives, thus creating a keen interest in Martinus Cosmology and we all looked forward to more of this knowledge which he promised to send.

Mr. Gerner Larsson again visited India in 1958-59. He had then come ready with his plans. Contact Letters were started and as you already know were received with great enthusiasm. So by the time he left India again after having worked very hard for about 4 months, a real working and active Centre of the Martinus Institute was established. We had then 189 readers of Contact Letters in several big towns in all parts of India. These 189 were all those who had written to Mr. Gerner Larsson asking for the Contact Letters to be sent to them regularly. The work so well started naturally continued to grow by itself. This is evident from the letters of new readers, writing to the Delhi Centre asking for the Contact Letters, having seen, read or heard about them from their friends and relatives. So by October 1959 the number of regular readers had increased from 189 to 257. This was after we had in July 1959 asked all those who were getting the Letters if they still wanted to continue the study of Martinus Cosmology. Nearly 98 % wrote back showing their keen desire to continue the study. All expressed thanks and appreciation of the noble work, many of them asked for more literature and expressing their happiness and the benefit they had derived from the study of Contact Letters, and some even wrote of the wonderful change and happiness these Letters had brought in their life. Many of them recommended the names of their friends and relatives to whom they wanted the Letters to be sent. The best of it all was that many wrote of their lending their copies of the Letters to their friends and relatives for their study, and that they talk of Martinus Cosmology to their friends. Besides this you know group talks and personal talks continued to hundreds of others and more especially to groups of those ladies and gentlemen who do not know English but are much more spiritual minded. A group of about 25 such people meet daily and listen in Hindi (national language of India) about Martinus Cosmology. They ask questions and discuss, thus showing real deep interest. Mr. Gerner Larsson also addressed them this time too, as during his 2 previous visits, but only such of them who know English. It is a real study group of Martinus Cosmology. Mr. Gerner Larsson will personally tell you of his own impression of the group.

Mr. Gerner Larsson arrived in Delhi on his present and third visit on 8th November 1959. He was very warmly received and garlanded by many at the airport. This time he is an honoured guest of Mr. T.P. Advani, and has a well furnished centrally located house to live, room to work and another room to receive visitors and give personal talks. He had the whole house to himself as only young Mr. Ram Advani who is a bachelor lived in the house, he is a very nice gentleman and very lively company. I know Mr. Gerner Larsson was very happy and comfortable this time.

Mr. Gerner Larsson this time came with new ideas and plans. All the 14 Contact Letters of 1959 were reproduced in book-form. Unfortunately because of my fault it took much longer to produce than he had expected. It came out only in the first week of February. It is proposed to send out about 500 of these to the leaders of art, science, religion, education, literature and philosophy in India. It could not be done at once and just now as Mr. Gerner Larsson has run short of funds. When this book will go out within this and next month we will know of their reactions. About 100 books will go to all the big newspapers and journalists in the country. With each book is a letter from Mr. Gerner Larsson to be sent.

During the period he had to wait for the book some 4000 addresses and names of professors, other educationalists, social workers etc. were collected from big and small towns in India. To about 3800 of them Mr. Gerner Larsson had all the spare letters, lectures and other literature which was spare and lying with us was sent out. This was a huge task but he did it during whole of January and February. Response of this is indeed very wonderful and daily these people are writing for more of this and the Contact Letters. So to a list of 189 in April 1959 and 257 in October 1959 the number has increased to 378 by the end of February 1960. And without the least hesitation it can be safely estimated that by June 1960 we will reach the target of 500 a target I had hoped to reach by the end of 1961. Yes the interest shown in Martinus Cosmology a very serious and difficult spiritual science is indeed a miracle. It is a wonderful testimony to the hard work and planning of Mr. Gerner Larsson I enclose herewith a map showing how thickly Contact Letters have spread to all parts of India, small and big towns, to doctors, prefessors, religious leaders, scientists, lawyers, social workers, poor, rich, high class, middle class and poor class, Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The most wonderful thing is that many military officers are reading these letters. The number of towns has increased 16 times. All the towns are not marked as the map does not show all the small towns.

To sum up the work in India, it can be said that Mr. Gerner Larsson during the first visit studied and surveyed and roused interest through his big lectures and talks with individuals, thus preparing the ground. On his second visit he had sown the seed, watered it, nursed it and saw it come out and grow, and during his present visit has made it grow bigger and stronger – so strong that it will never die and nothing can destroy it. You and his fine co-workers in the Institute who gave him every help can be proud of his great success.

It is true that a small but a strong powerful interest has been created in Martinus Cosmology in India. But our friends in the West who are so well advanced materially and in science and think in terms of thousands and millions will think 378 regular readers of Contact Letters and about another 5000 or 6000 having read or come to know of Martinus Cosmology as "too little" but let them know that in a big country like India with 400 millions inhabitants Mr. Gerner Larsson had no choice but to make a very small and humble start. The funds available to him were limited so we could reach only a very small percentage of English knowing Indians. I know if he had more resources he could have made a bigger start and by now created within a year 2 or 3 thousand people. But this could not be done. So a small humble but a very correct start was made and success is there for anyone to come and see. The resources do not permit us to have more than 500 readers who can have Contact Letters. We have been very strict in giving these Letters out, we have cut off many names where he or I felt the slightest doubt about anyone. We give to only those who have written to us for same and who write to us now and then asking questions.

The work in India is not just sending out. Daily letters come from our readers asking for more information, putting questions, or discussing points from Contact Letters. All these have to be attended to. Mr. Gerner Larsson had to attend to this correspondence too besides his group talks and personal interviews. This correspondence with our readers is increasing daily.

So work of creating interest in Martinus Cosmology by us has ended as our resources which our kind friends in Scandinavia are making available for the work in India is limited. Of course if Mr. Gerner Larsson can get greater help in the form of funds the work can be expanded for which there is big scope. But this is a matter to be decided by these kind friends.

Mr. Gerner Larsson has decided to close the list when we reach 500. We then propose to consolidate the work already and for this he has told me his own plan. This is:

It is true that Indians will be the gainer by this so they should pay and not expect any more gifts. But allow me to clear this point:

Mr. Gerner Larsson has decided not to come to India next year as I know he wants the Institute in Denmark to be very strong because it is no longer going to be an Institute for Scandinavia but an Institute for the World. He wants to work there and not go out. He has been out 3 years. I fully agree with him in this. It is true we in India will greatly miss his visit but he is right. So he need not come next year but we assure you that we will work harder and longer to keep the work progressing just as he wants.

I hope this small brief report will give you some idea of the great work Mr. Gerner Larsson has done during his present visit to India but if you or any of your co-workers would like any other information I have not given please do let me know and I will be happy to give it.

Mr. Gerner Larsson has worked so hard and made me work equally hard that it has not been possible for me to enclose with this report extracts from the letters he received from our readers. I will try to send them in two or three instalments as it will not be possible to do so at once as they are over 200.

I am happy that work is progressing so well. I know God's Grace is there, I know your blessings and guidence is also there, and I very well know too that all your co-workers and friends have helped and fully cooperated with Mr. Gerner Larsson to make his hard work at great personal discomfort and suffering a real success.

I shall feel it a great favour if you will kindly convey to all the co-workers in the Institute and all the friends who helped in making it possible for Mr. Gerner Larsson to visit India thrice and made funds available to make such a wonderfully noble gift of Martinus Cosmology to India our sincerest and grateful thanks not my thanks alone but of all our readers who have repeatedly written to the Delhi Centre their gratitude and thanks, and please accept yourself too our grateful thanks for the great knowledge you are giving out to us in India and the humanity all over.

With my most respectful regards and best of good wishes.