Kamlesh Patel (Daaji)

Kamlesh D. Patel (born 1956) also known as Daaji among his followers, is a spiritual leader, author and the fourth in the line of Rāja yoga masters in the Sahaj Marg system of spiritual practice.[1] He has been the president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, a non-profit organization founded in 1945 and associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information, since 2014.[2]

Kamlesh D. Patel (Daaji)
Born
Kamlesh Desaibhai Patel
कमलेश देसाईभाई पटेल
કમલેશ દેસાઈભાઈ પટેલ

(1956-09-28) 28 September 1956
Kala village, Kutch, Gujarat, India
OrganizationShri Ram Chandra Mission,
Heartfulness Institute,
Heartfulness Education Trust
Notable work
The Heartfulness Way (2018), Designing Destiny (2019)
TitlePresident of Shri Ram Chandra Mission,
Global Guide of Heartfulness Institute,
Founder of Heartfulness Education Trust,
Managing Trustee of Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation
PredecessorShri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari
Spouse(s)Pratima Patel
WebsiteDaaji.org

He regularly conducts workshops and he has written two books on the topics of meditation and spirituality.

Early life

Patel was born in Gujarat in 1956. He trained as a pharmacist in Ahmedabad, and as a pharmacy student he started practicing the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation in 1976 under the guidance of Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur.[3]

Professional life

He moved to New York City after graduating with honours from L M College of pharmacy, Ahmedabad. He lived in the US with his wife and raised two sons. He did his post graduate degree and built a pharmaceutical business in New York. Since 2003 he has mainly been working for the Shri Ram Chandra Mission.[3][4]

Sahaj Marg

Patel started practicing Sahaj Marg meditation in 1976, when he was a pharmacology student, under the guidance of a trainer. He subsequently received training from Ram Chandra.[3] After Ram Chandra’s death in 1983, Patel worked with Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (Chariji), the second president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, holding a number of responsibilities in the organization. In October 2011, he was nominated as Chariji’s successor, and after Chariji’s death in December 2014, he became the spiritual guide and the third President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission. He has conducted various workshops on spirituality in cities across India and the USA.[5]

Awards and recognition

In 2018, he received a honorary doctorate from Sri Venkateswara University.[6] In 2020, the Priyadarshini Academy awarded him the Ramkrishna Bajaj Memorial Global Award.[7]

Books

Patel co-authored a book called The Heartfulness Way with Joshua Pollock in 2018.[8] In February 2018, the book was among the top 10 best selling non fiction books in Hindustan Times' Nielsen chart.[9]

His book Designing Destiny was released in February 2019.[10]

References
  1. "शारीरिक-मानसिक शांति का आधार है 'ध्यान". Meerut: Hindustan. 2 January 2018.
  2. "United Nations Civil Society Participation – General". esango.un.org. UN NGO. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. "Kamlesh Patel (Daaji) Is Honoured with the Award of India's Most Admirable Leader". The India Saga. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. "Being a beacon of light to the youth". The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. "God is within you. Get in touch". The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  6. "'Be calm by positioning in the centre'". The Hindu. Hindu. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  7. "Priyadarshni Academy 36th Anniversary Global Awards 2020 Honoured Stalwarts Including Mr. Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum, Bollywood Actor Ms. Taapsee Pannu" (Press release). Businesswire India. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  8. Nadadhur, Srivathsan (31 January 2018). "The Heartfulness Way: An accessible and effective journey". The Hindu.
  9. "HT-Nielsen top 10: Ashwin Sanghi's Keepers of Kalachakra tops best-selling fiction list". Hindustan Times. 3 February 2018.
  10. "Daaji's new book on how to design one's destiny" (Press release). theweek.in. PTI. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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