Morari Bapu, also known as Bapu, is a renowned exponent of the Ram Charit Manas and has been doing Ram Kathas for over fifty years. During the nine-day recital of the scripture, Bapu takes one chaupai or couplet, and expands upon that particular subject. The overall ethos of the Katha is of universal peace and of truth, love and compassion; and while the focal point is the scripture itself, Bapu draws upon examples from other religions and invites people from all faiths to attend Kathas.
Bapu has done over 700 Kathas to date; they have been held all over India and in various parts of the world from cities like London, New York and Dubai to a Mediterranean cruise, the rainforest of Brazil, Bhutan and in Kailas, Tibet. Over the nine-day period, Bapu usually speaks for three hours of the morning, and the number of attendees vary from country to country; anything from a few hundred in a country like Bali to over a million within India.
Bapu’s love and knowledge of the Ramayana started at the early age of five, when Tribhovandas Dada or Dadaji, Bapu’s grandfather and Guru, would teach Bapu five chaupais of the Ram Charit Manas each day and Bapu would memorise these while walking to and from school, often singing to the trees and plants along the way. After school, Bapu would then recite the chaupais to Dadaji, and in this way, Bapu was able to recite the entire Ram Charit Manas by the age of twelve.
Bapu was born to Prabhudas Bapu and Savitri Ma Hariyani on Maha-Shivratri in 1947 in the village of Talgajarda, close to the town of Mahuva in the District of Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Bapu still lives in Talgajarda today with his family. Born into the Vaishnav Bava Sadhu Nimbarka lineage where every boy is called Bapu from childhood, Morari Bapu is now commonly referred to as Bapu. Bapu spent much of his childhood with his grandparents; under the care of his grandmother Amrit Ma, he spent hours listening to her folktales, while Dadaji shared with him his knowledge of the Ram Charit Manas.
After graduating from secondary school, Bapu started a teacher training course at Shahapur College near Junagadh. Upon completion, he returned to Mahuva, where he became a teacher at the J. Parekh High School teaching various subjects including English. During his ten years as a teacher, Bapu often took time off to listen to prominent speakers and to meet some of India's most revered spiritual leaders. At the same time, Bapu's interest in Indian literature and poetry inspired him to regularly attend sessions on various literary subjects.
Bapu’s first Ram Katha was held at the Ramji Mandir in Talgajarda in 1960, when he was just fourteen. Thereafter, it was in 1976 that he held his first Katha abroad in Nairobi. Last year, following many years of planning, Ram Katha took place by the sacred mountain of Kailas located in Tibet. , one of Bapu's most significant Kathas.
Bapu also attends and hosts conferences on peace, bringing together saints and experts of different religions. In 2009, the Dalai Lama inaugurated the World Religions Dialogue and Symphony conference organised by Bapu in Mahuva. It is Bapu’s oratory power, his efforts to unite different faiths of the world by giving respect to each, and his open approach to religion and to life that conforms neither to rules nor to regulations, that has pulled diverse audiences and followers from every corner of the world.
