I first met Bir Giri Ji at the 1971 Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me. He was at the edge of the Giri’s 13 marhi (lineages) and as such commanded the Bohemian section. If there was a suggestion of arrogant hipness, of what the Frech called “baba cool” – it was his. We became best friends for life, even though he was a Giri and I am a Puri, we founded Hari Puri Ashram together in 1984, and it was there he took his samadhi in 2003. He was a mountain of a sadhu, unshakable, well loved and highly respected by all. He became a sadhu at the age of 3, in an arrangement with his parents by a Naga Baba, so that they may have more children, by his charms, vibhuti, & ashirvad.