Nandini mehta first met the philosopher and spiritual
teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti in Bombay in 1948, when she
accompanied her father-in-law, the mill-owner Sir Chunilal
Mehta, to one of his meetings. Over the course of the next
38 years, until his death in 1986, Nandini and Krishnamurti
became good friends and exchanged innumerable letters.
Through the years, Krishnamurti shared with Nandini his
thoughts and teachings, his compassion for her and her
family.
Very little about the life of Nandini Mehta is in the public
domain, apart from what is in her sister Pupul Jayakar’s
biography of Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti: A Biography.
She remains an obscure figure, and other biographers of
Krishnamurti have mentioned her only in passing. Some of
the letters Krishnamurti wrote to Nandini Mehta became
part of Jayakar’s book. An independent booklet, based on
these letters, entitled “Letters to a Young Friend: Happy is
the Man who is Nothing” was also published by the
Krishnamurti Foundation. This booklet was subsequently
translated into several languages, including Hindi, Marathi,
Greek, and Portuguese.
At the time of its publication, it was not disclosed that the
letters were written to Nandini Mehta, though those in
Krishnamurti circles of the time knew that the “young
friend” was actually her. This is how Pupul Jayakar
introduces the letters: “He wrote the following letters to a
young friend who came to him wounded in body and mind.
The letters, written between June 1948 and March 1960,
reveal a rare compassion and clarity…”
The rather obvious question often asked is: Why did he
write these letters? Why did he maintain such a long ands
dedicated PREFACE correspondence? Obviously, Nandini
became a close friend and associate. She was important to
him and he cared about her. Less obviously, he probably saw
in her a spirituality and calmness, of the kind he sought to
develop in all those who gathered to listen to his discourses.
Few understood the complex and beautiful friendship
Nandini shared with Krishnamurti. One needs to
understand Krishnamurti’s concept of compassion and
understanding, only then can one fathom their bond and
respect for each other.
What is relevant and highlighted in this memoir is the way in
which Nandini absorbed and understood Krishnamurti’s
words, how they helped her, how she tried to live her life
according to his teachings. This biography spells out her life,
her struggles, her path to a peaceful, spiritual existence.
This manuscript is based on her diaries, extracts of letters
Krishnamurti wrote to her, which she had copied into her
diaries, and letters and conversations between Nandini and
her daughter Devyani (Devi) Mangaldas. Through these
words, the life and thought of Nandini Mehta unfold, as
does her connection to Krishnamurti.
Three years after Krishnamurti’s death, when Nandini was
72, she wrote him a letter. The letter nostalgically
reminisces about the joys of walking with Krishnamurti in
Bombay, Benaras, Rishi Valley, and Sri Lanka. It also recalls a
distant memory of walking with him in Ooty, and watching
the world through his eyes. The letter ends with a moment
of epiphany, when Krishnamurti’s spiritual presence lifts her
thoughts and mind. It is because of these last words she
wrote to Krishnamurti, and the way in which she personally
and metaphorically walked with him during her lifetime, that
this memoir is entitled “Walking with Krishnamurti”.
