A Retina Surgeon, Four Architects and an IBM Consultant: Why 11 Young Achievers Chose to Become Atmarpits

One wanted to be a professional footballer. Another dreamed of Silicon Valley. A third was on track to become an equity partner. On September 26, all 11 chose a lifelong vow of celibacy, spiritual practice and seva, and they insist they have lost nothing

Ask them what they once wanted from life and the answers sound like a list from any ambitious college batch. Head of an ophthalmology department. Chief architect. Marketing director. Chief innovation officer. A tech job in Silicon Valley. A professor's chair in art and design. A career as a professional footballer.

These were not idle dreams. The 11 people who held them had the degrees, the jobs and the track records to get there. Between them, there are four architects, a retina surgeon, a paediatric dentist, a software developer, an IBM consultant, a visual artist, an innovation consultant and a digital marketer. They are aged between 25 and 39, and they come from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Surat, Kolkata and Dallas.

On September 26, the birthday of their spiritual guide, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, they took Atmarpit Diksha at Mumbai's Jio World Convention Centre. It is a lifelong vow of celibacy, sadhana and seva. The question most people ask is why. Their stories offer a surprisingly convincing answer.

What They Were Building

On paper, Dr Sanchit Bhalgat, 36, had already arrived. A vitreo-retinal eye surgeon with MBBS, DNB and FVRS qualifications, his next goal was to head an ophthalmology department.

Halak Shah, 31, an architect and MBA, had a shelf of honours that included a National Youth Award and a Young Researchers Award, among others. He was aiming to become a global consultant in digital and energy transition.

Malaika Jhaveri, 25, had a business degree from the University of Texas and a consulting job with IBM in Dallas, and she was working towards an equity partnership. Drishti Doshi, 29, a computer science postgraduate from Kolkata, imagined a career in Silicon Valley.

So why would people with this much ahead of them choose a different road? For each of them, the answer lies in a single moment.

The Ones Who Knew Early

For some, the conviction of the path felt almost innate, having been raised in families already devoted to Gurudevshri. Thus, they appear to have grown up hearing his wisdom and participating in Mission activities, which naturally shaped their ambition. For instance, Shreni Shah, 28, an architect from Surat, and Mahek Virani, 27, a management graduate working as a digital marketing freelancer, dreamt of an Atmarpit life while attending Atmarpit Dikshas in their childhood.

However, being acquainted with Gurudevshri since childhood was no qualification by itself. Ruvik Kavedia, 27, an innovation consultant from Pune with a master's degree in Jainology and comparative religion, first asked to become an Atmarpit when he was just ten. His wait would eventually continue till 2026 “Years kept passing; I had to keep giving him more and more reasons every single year as to why I want this life.” Gurudevshri insists that an aspirant understands what they are actually choosing.

The Ones Who Were Surprised

Others never saw it coming. Nimit Batavia, 27, an architect from Bengaluru who studied at the University of Sydney, describes football as having once been his religion. In 2018, he came to Dharampur for a tournament run by the Mission's football club, determined to win. His team did, and he took the Golden Boot.

 But between games, another play was silently afoot. Nimit found himself drawn to the Master’s innate wisdom on leading a better life and found purpose in offering seva. Nimit smiles at how things transpired. "I had gone to win a game," he says. "Instead, He won my heart."

Dr Pooja Khakhar, 35, a paediatric dentist, grew up in a Vaishnav family and had never met Gurudevshri until as late as 2021. During the lockdown, going through a difficult phase, she clicked on a Facebook link to one of his talks on the karma theory that changed the course of her life. "While scrolling online purposelessly," she says, "I found the purpose of my life."

Malaika's turning point came during the pandemic too. She describes herself as a typical American college girl, ambitious, fashion-conscious, very social and plagued by "terrible FOMO". She came to the Dharampur ashram for three weeks and stayed nine months. She credits seeing the celebratory dimension to spirituality, the joy of being in seva and satsangs during this prolonged stay, as the key to deciding to live a life for the divine.

The Choices Along the Way

For several of them, the decision grew through small choices that revealed what mattered.

As a student, Dr Bhalgat wanted to drop out of medicine to spend more time in seva. But it was Gurudevshri’s guidance that encouraged him to complete his studies. Dr Bhalgat, fondly recollects Gurudevshri’s support, stating that it is what made him a doctor, a retinal surgeon, but, more importantly, he learnt to stay on the path, no matter what. With Atmarpit Diksha, he isn’t throwing away his years of studies, but will now simply use them for the higher purpose of seva.

Aneri Shah, 29, a Mumbai architect and college topper who dreamed of becoming a chief architect, found that his wisdom stayed with her long after it was delivered. She recollects that once, a class trip to Spain and Portugal clashed with the Jain festival of Paryushan. She moved her flight to after the festival, but even on the trip, while her friends were partying, smoking, drinking, and she felt some peer pressure to fit in, she could withstand it all, saying, ‘His wisdom from Paryushan rang in my ears’. ‘I don't measure my life anymore by what the world applauds’ she says.

Drishti remembers asking Gurudevshri what she should study after school, and him refusing to decide for her. "Surrender doesn't mean giving up my freedom," she says. "It means using that freedom to make the most important choice of my life." She remembers how Gurudevshri asked her to map her entire life backwards from the date she chose to become an Atmarpit, and check her progress through intense introspection.

Karishma Doshi, 39, a visual artist who aimed to teach art and design, learnt a beautiful message of selfless seva. She once tried to offer a painting to Gurudevshri, which, for some reason or another, was not accepted. The third time, she left her name off, and he accepted it. It was a lesson in letting go of ego that she has never forgotten.

And then there is Halak Shah, with a shelf full of awards. He was inspired by Gurudevshri to learn that everything external, even the people around him, should not be the source of his dependence, for it is all temporary, and so is the happiness it brings.  Years earlier he had been given a single line to live by, "Nirbal ke bal Ram" (Ram is the strength of the weak), which over time he made it his own: "Halak ke bal Bapa," Bapa being the name devotees affectionately use for Gurudevshri.

Talent That Stays at Work

The common assumption is that renunciation means stepping away from the world. In practice, these 11 are bringing their professional skills into the Mission's service.

The architects already work on the Mission's multiple construction and design projects. Dr Bhalgat serves through Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care, the Mission's humanitarian arm, and Dr Khakhar treats children at Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre in Dharampur. Malaika contributes to the multilingual team that translates Gurudevshri's teachings for global audiences, and Ruvik works in programme management. Mahek and Drishti serve in SRMD Wellness, and Karishma brings her creativity to the Mission's audio-visual work. She also teaches ceramics to rural women, which provides them with a source of livelihood.

As Atmarpits, they join a group of 131 who, between them, run much of the Mission's work, including the administration of its Dharampur ashram. The Mission likens an Atmarpit to the flame of a lamp, which always points upwards, towards the sky, striving for union with the sun.

The Families Who Said Yes

None of this happened without their families. Before the ceremony, each set of parents stood on stage and gave their consent in front of thousands. Nimit's parents said they were placing the responsibility for his spiritual growth in Gurudevshri's experienced hands. Ruvik's parents spoke of handing the reins of their son's life to a capable charioteer.

Some went further still. The parents of Malaika, Nimit and Dr Khakhar took a lifelong vow of celibacy themselves on the same stage, choosing to take a step on the same path as their children.

Silent Falling: Explaining the process as one arising from true understanding, Gurudevshri says that after reflecting on many of life’s incidents, a conviction arises to live for a higher purpose and a willingness to pay the price of giving up anything for what truly matters. “If the understanding is right, then with little effort and little striving the world falls away, like silent falling”, he says.

To many outsiders, the choice still looks like a sacrifice. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan, who left Los Angeles for Rishikesh 30 years ago in the middle of a Stanford PhD, sees it differently. Speaking at the ceremony, she said universities give degrees, but a life is not built by degrees; it is built by diksha. She added that she had never heard anyone on their deathbed wish they had earned more money. What people wish for at the end, she said, is a life with more meaning.

That, in the end, is what these 11 young people say they have found. Gurudevshri has given this initiation every year on his birthday since 2002, and this year marked its 25th edition. For the newest Atmarpits, the ceremony was not the end of their ambitions. Their goals have not shrunk; they have changed direction. As Drishti put it, they are simply "switching gears to move faster on the path."

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