Shirdi Sai Baba's devotee - Amidas Bhavani Mehta

. Sai Mahabhakta Amidas Bhavani Mehta hailed from Bhavnagar (Kathewad, Saurashtra) Gujarat. Amidas belonged to the community of Narasingh Mehta. He was an intellectual poet and a devotee of Lord Krishna. He worshipped Lord Krishna everyday with great devotion. And every time he looked at Lord Krishna’s photograph he saw a Fakir superimposing the Lord in the Glass. Seeing this he was perplexed and his curiosity increased day by day. Thus, he started his journey and finally found that it was indeed Sai Baba of Shirdi. Amidas was a very learned man. He was trained in Indian Classical and Vocal Music. He was very rich and was attached to a small king Dayashankar Revashankar Pandya in Kathewad. During those days, this region was ruled by Gujarati Nawabs. He visited Shirdi very frequently and also rented a room there. He used to stay for longer period in Shirdi. He spent most of his time with Sai Baba. He wrote many articles and Books about Sai Baba in Gujarati and was responsible for spreading Baba’s name in Gujarat State. Amidas was poet and wrote many poems describing the likes, dislikes, characteristics of Sai Baba. He also wrote a Biography on Sai Baba titled PURNA PARABRAHMA SRI SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJNI – JANAVAJOG VIGATO TEMAJ CHAMATKARO. Baba liked the gentle nature of Amidas. Whenever somebody fell sick, Baba used to send them to Amidas Bhavani Mehta. He gladly attended to the patient, took utmost care of that person and nursed him back to normalcy. He wished to die in Shirdi in front of his Sadguru. Baba who knew his Mahabhakta’s desire told him that he may die anywhere but he will ever be with Him. During the later part of his life, Amidas was running a Photo Studio  as proprietor of erstwhile M/s.British Photo Enlarging Company at Kalabadevi, Mumbai. He was also appointed as Member of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan in the year 1923 during the Chairmanship of another Sai Mahabhakta Shri. Ganesh Dattatreya Sahasrabuddhe alias Das Ganu. Shri Sai Baba Sansthan has honored this Great Sai Mahabhakta by doing his Samadhi in front of Parayan Hall in Lendi Baugh next to the Samadhi of Muktaram. (Source: Baba’s Rinanubandh by Vinny Chitluri and  Shri Sai Leela Magazine Chaitra Shake 1923)