Pashi Ji left his body on the night of 20th October 2023, at the age of 91. Prakash Chandra Kapur (Pashi) was born on 27th March 1932 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan (then in India). He left High School in Rawalpindi in 1946 and did his college education in Dehradun, India (1950-53). After completing higher studies in mechanical engineering in the UK he returned to India, worked as a lead engineer in a British firm, and lived in Calcutta where he also began a family. As he didn't want his children to have a conventional education the search for a suitable institution led him to the Centre of Education, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. He had many interviews with the Mother and she approved a project presented by him and named it Auroservice which he managed from Calcutta. When he asked her permission to shift it to Auroville, the Mother told him, "Here, perhaps they would kill the project."
During the centenary year of Sri Aurobindo in 1972, when the national celebration committee headed by the Prime Minister of India Smt Indira Gandhi advised all the states of India to organise programs to commemorate the occasion, Pashi had the opportunity to organize it in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. On its successful accomplishment came his way opportunities to organize it in other Himalayan States and Andamans in India and in the neighboring countries Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Burma, and the newly formed Bangladesh. He received the Mother's Flag (which was declared by the Mother as the flag of India's spiritual mission at the time of India's independence in 1947) from the Ashram and it was hoisted by the Chief Guest of the functions. In between the events he visited Pondicherry, prepared a report on an A4 sheet and read it out to the Mother who gave him her blessings.
Pashi repeatedly requested the Mother's permission to join Auroville. In a meeting in December 1972, she gave him three flowers with the following significances: surrender, patience, and aspiration. He then asked advice from Nolini Da, a senior disciple, who told him to go by his heart. His heart wanted to join and he met the Mother again and offered all that he owned, the insurance policies of his family members, and what he may get as compensation for resigning from his company. The Mother agreed to all except the policies and said she would leave with him in trust the money to pay the premium for the policies and accept the balance. He went back joyfully to Calcutta and resigned from his job but as his company wanted a year's time to find a replacement, he with his family joined Auroville only in 1974. The Mother had left her body in November 1973. He worked in Auroservice d'Auroville with Roger Anger, the Chief Architect of Auroville, and his team. He then left Auroville in the 1980s and worked as a consultant in Pondicherry. He rejoined in the year 2000 and worked in Aurofuture which did the planning and development works for Auroville city under the guidance of Roger.
Later he made efforts to bring about a change in Auroville's economy along the lines envisaged by the Mother. Even just a few weeks ago he proposed on Auronet (Auroville's internal online community forum) a six-month course for those interested in realizing the economic ideal. During the last years, Pashi served as one of the Executives of CIRHU (Centre for International Research for Human Unity) "A project focusing on study and research into the themes of human transformation, and the conditions favorable to evolution in consciousness and the realisation of human unity."
For Auroville's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2018, when requested, he supported the initiative by a few residents of Auroville to present the full Vande Mataram in band tune (played by Sri Aurobindo Ashram) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Auroville. He wrote to the Working Committee strongly recommending the proposal, and joined the organizing residents to meet the Secretary, the Auroville Foundation to get his support for it, attended the final rehearsal at the venue and asked the Secretary to grant funds requested by the organisers (regrettably never granted). A 23-member choir consisting of residents in Auroville successfully presented the song in the presence of the Prime Minister and it was telecasted live by DD News.
I first met Pashi in 2002, the year I joined Auroville, as a volunteer project engineer working in Auroville Electrical Service. He asked me to prepare a preliminary electrical master plan for the city which I completed in a few months. Fifteen years later in 2017-2018, as an organiser of Vande Mataram for the PM Visit, I had the pleasure of interacting with him again. I found him always good-hearted, indefatigable, and a hero-son of the Mother. I hope Pashi Ji in his next birth also works for the realization of the Mother's vision for India and Auroville.
Sources: Interview with Pashi Kapoor Parts 1&2 (videos by The Mother & Sri Aurobindo: E-library), Mass Bulletin Auroville, Facebook Pashi Kapur & Auroville dot org