First it is Sri Aurobindo’s birthday, my
guru and the one who has guided me all my life.
Secondly, I started from Paris and drove to Delhi with a caravan of five
cars, crossing eleven countries when I had just completed by 18 th year.
I spent my first night in the sri Aurobindo ashram, Delhi, where I will be
actually today the 15 th August 2021.
There, I had a powerful inner experience:
- 15th That there was an ancient, secret knowledge imbedded in the
very soil of this country, that would help me to discover – who am I?
why life? Why death? & so many secrets of the Divine
Consciousness - That I would spend all the rest of my life in India
- That I would also spend it defending this Knowledge and this
marvellous country, which adopted me from the first day
And this is what I did, first by writing articles, in newspapers like the
Hindustan Times, Blitz, he Indian Express (Ferengi’s Column), Rediff.com
etc
I then became an international journalist for major French newspapers such
as Le Journal de Genève or Le Figaro, always trying to defend India’s point
of view. I have interviewed 8 Prime Ministers of India
Then I came to books. My first editor was Sitaram Goel, a gentleman and a
pioneer in defending Hindus – when it was not fashionable. He asked me to
write a compilation of my articles. Since then I have written 30 books, both
in English and French, mostly trying o correct the wrong depicting of Indian
History, but also attempting to enlighten the French speaking people about
pranayama, yoga or Ayurveda.
But I felt that articles and books were not enough, as both have a limited
life, in spite of the Internet. Thus I decided to build a museum, to depict
Indian History as it happened – not as it has been written. Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar gave our trust FACT, 5 acres of land near the Pune airport and
this is where, my wife Namrita and I started building this Museum, thanks to
the Natchiketa Award of Excellence in Journalism given to me in 2005 by
PM Vajpayee, with a cheque of 50.000 Rs. First with a shrine, dedicated to
Mother India, She who has guided me all along, in spite of all my faults.
Then erecting building after building, designing exhibition after exhibition –
first depicting tyrants as they were, such Aurangzeb or Tippu Sultan
(according their own records); then glorifying heroes and heroines of India:
Shivaji Mahjaraj of course – thanks to him, Indians from Mumbai to
Kanyakumari, have a better preserved culture, more safety for their
women, softer social environment; but also Maharana Pratap, the only
Rajput who fought the Moghols (and actually defeated Akbar’s army in
Hadilghati), to Ahilyabai Holkar, Tarabai or Rani Kittur Chennama, glorious
queens who incarnated the Shakti’s eternal power of India. We have also
exhibitions on the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, or the four ashramas of life
Today we have 20 pavilions and are in the process of making 5 new
exhibitions, as well as a mega new ac hall.
So on this 15 th August 2021, I render homage and bow down to Mother
India.
Please support us: we are the ONLY Museum of true Indian History in the
world, but we are entirely dependent on donations, as both myself and my
wife continue with our respective works, she as a textile designer and
myself as a journalist and writer, doing this Museum as a sewa. We are
building his Museum FOR YOU. We are a registered trust with FCRA and
tax exemption, both India and USA. If you wish to help you can
electronically donate to this trust (below) and send me a mail at
fgautier@rediffmail.com for your receipt
Namaste
Namrita & Francois Gautier Trustees FACT
Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT)
Account No: 04071450000237
IFCS code: HDFC0000407
Bank Address: HDFC Bank Ltd.