What is Lalkitab Uniqueness Author of Lalkitab His Siddhis Next Generation FAQ's Contact Us

PT ROOP CHAND JOSHI - THE ORIGINATOR AND AUTHOR OF LAL KITAB

The late Pandit Roop Chand Joshi, a native of village Pharwala, situated in district Jalandhar, Punjab is the originator and the author of the Lal Kitab system. He was inarguably, one of the greatest seers of all times. Pt. Roop Chand kept an extremely low profile and avoided publicity at all costs. That is why his name is not well known outside his native area. Pt. Roop Chand Joshi (January 18, 1898 – December 24, 1982) was the son of Pt. Jyoti Ram Joshi, a revenue official with the Punjab government. The family did not have a history of the traditional Brahmanical profession. Pt Roop Chand was a brilliant student who was endowed with beautiful handwriting (Parts of the Lal Kitabs are written in his own handwriting ) and a sharp intellect – he obtained merit scholarships in the fourth and eighth grades. After matriculation, he became a schoolteacher. A few years later, in early 1920’s, he joined the then British Indian government in the Defense Accounts Department from which he retired as a gazetted officer in 1954.

Pandit Roop Chand had lost his mother as a child and therefore, had faced numerous hardships. Despite the fact that he was a very serious, hardworking person, yet he continued to struggle. Why did he have to struggle so much, is the question that he used to ask himself. Some of his peers having far lesser merit than him, got all the good things of life handed down to them in the proverbial silver platter. It would be interesting to find an answer to this hidden mystery of nature, he used to think. Gradually, he started noticing that by looking at the facial features of a cow, he could describe the characteristics and, to some extent, the life events of its owner. Next, he intuitively got into human physiognomy, that is, the ability to judge one’s character and fate by merely looking at one’s face and the lines on the forehead. Soon, he was able to decipher the lines on the hands and sole of the feet. By this time, he was able to tell about the current happenings and the past events quite successfully. The ability to foresee, however, eluded him. In any event, he was not very serious about all this. It was merely a hobby. It must be pointed out that his knowledge of physiognomy and palmistry came to him from within, he neither studied a book on this subject nor was he tutored by anyone.

All of a sudden he became interested in astronomy (not astrology) - he decided to read about stars and the universe, as his curiosity increased.

Just about then, one night, something extraordinarily amazing happened. The history of traditional astrology was to change. In a dream, he saw an unseen person (Panditji described this “Power”as a “Divine Being”) who told Pt Roop Chand that he had been “picked” to modify and bring to the world, a revolutionary system of astrology. His entire knowledge of physiognomy, palmistry and the prevalent surroundings was to be amalgamated into one discipline. Further, he would have no choice but to follow this path wholeheartedly. He will have to learn and develop the basics of the system, and help others with it and disseminate this knowledge.

Panditji’s training started that night itself. Every morning, he would be made to write down in a notebook, whatever he had learnt in his dreams the night before. Despite his initial reluctance, he found himself unable to resist this “Power” or the “Divine Being.” For months, he would lit his hukkah (A smoking pipe), go into a sort of a trance (semi-conscious state) and write down what was being dictated to him. At times, he would find these notes hard to decipher. At this pint in time, Pandit Roop Chand was already married and had children. Every once in a while, when Panditji would be baffled by the complexity of these lessons, his three year old son (Pandit Som Dutt Joshi, now a retired Land Revenue officer from Punjab government and arguably the foremost Lal Kitab expert) would come up to him and explain to him what the pages meant. Initially, it scared Pt. Roop Chand, “Oh now this Divine Power is taking over my children, too,” but he understood the responsibility he had been entrusted with and he took it as a way of nature to get the knowledge to him.

The “Divine Being” would deliver the knowledge to Panditji who termed these as “farmaans” (an Urdu word for directives or edicts.) The preface of 1941 edition of Lal Kitab states:

“Kya hua tha, kya bhi hoga, shounk dil mein aa gayaa,

Hast rekha ya ki kundali, haal sab farmaa gayaa…..
Ishaaraa hee baat kar ke, haal sab padhvaa gayaa

Roughly translated:

“The past and the future, became my hobby.

“He” combined the knowledge of palmistry and the birth chart and

dictated to me the entire knowledge…..

He provided me with hints, and tutored me to understand this facility.”

Panditji continued to receive this knowledge. He was transferred from place to place – Lahore and Quetta (now in Pakistan), Dharamsala, Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Jullunder, Kangra, Simla, and Ambala Cantt, among others.

Pandit Roop Chand Joshi started interpreting people’s horoscopes based on this newfound knowledge. As his expertise and experience developed, his reputation started spreading. People from all walks of life started visiting him. This popularity became a big problem for him. He had a full time government job, a family to raise and at the same time, he wanted to expand on his knowledge of the Lal Kitab system. He also wanted to spread the knowledge he had gained (by authoring the Lal Kitabs.) The purpose behind publishing was not to make money. He just wanted to spread the knowledge and be able to help his fellow human beings the best way he could – through the use of remedial measures of the Lal Kitab system.

Experts agree that the most important feature of Lal Kitab system is to determine the planet or planets causing ill effects in one’s life and the propitiation of these malefic effects through easy-to-perform, low-cost, and extremely effective and easy remedial measures.

While analyzing a person’s horoscope, Panditji would make short, specific, stunningly accurate, verifiable statements pertaining to the person whose horoscope was being analyzed. His purpose would be to confirm the accuracy of the horoscope and to identify planets causing ill effects rather than to dazzle the public with his knowledge (Anyone who studies the Lal Kitab system properly, can do the same.) Following this, Panditji would prescribe one or two remedial measures. A few weeks later, the same people would return to him thanking him profusely because their problems would disappear.

Even more remarkable aspect of Panditji’s reading was that he would neither charge nor accept any money for these services. You just could not pay him, period; Panditji was very specific about it.

As we have said before, making money through the use of Lal Kitab was the farthest thing from his mind. When he authored and published the Lal Kitabs, the selling price was set at no profit, no loss basis. Some of these books were purchased in dozens by his well-wishers to help him recover his money. Only a few books were offered for sale. The rest, Panditji kept for himself for distribution to those whom he considered worthy of it. These books were published anonymously; Panditji did not give his name as the author. There were two reason behind this. First, he was a government official and during those days of the British rule, a “government servant” would almost never get official clearance to publish anything at all. Second, he wanted absolutely no publicity for his own self. He guarded his privacy very jealously. All his life, he would not face a camera (except perhaps twice.) The picture shown on the web page was taken only three days before his death. He used to say jokingly, that he had already gained enough “notoriety”; he didn’t need any more. During his lifetime, he steadfastly refused to be interviewed by the media.

After retirement, Panditji returned to Pharwala. His son, Pt Som Dutt, had just finished his B.A; B.T. For a few hours each day, Pt Som Dutt would sit with his father and prepare horoscopes and Varsh Phals and just listen to what the father was saying. He had helped his father during the family’s stay in Simla, Dharamsala and Lahore by learning to cast horoscopes and, as the books were being written by Qatibs (Urdu calligraphers) he would help in proofing the material. He was there to help Panditji and just watch and learn. However, it was a difficult task to work for the father who was a stern taskmaster and a perfectionist to a fault.

Panditji constructed a separate “Baithak” (Sitting Room) detached from his house, as his library-cum-place for visitors. He would never interpret horoscopes past sunset. Most of the nights, he would get up around two or three in the morning and go to his “Baithak” to write or to reflect. He had already devised an easy way to make annual progressed horoscope (Varshphal) which is in the form of a table - this “Varshphal Chart” is included in most of the editions of the Lal Kitabs. He also formulated a universal Lagna Sarni (table of ascendants) using which one can determine the lagna (ascendant) anywhere in the world for any year – again, all calculations have been eliminated. Panditji used to say that one of the purposes of the Lal Kitab system is to make astrology easy; that is why all types of complex calculations have been eliminated from this system; even a multiplication of ‘2 by 2’ has been replaced. It is ‘2+2’ in the Lal Kitab system.

Panditji quit smoking the hukkah after retirement. The only luxury he ever enjoyed was collecting and using the best in writing instruments and stationery. He owned numerous Mont Blancs, Parkers, Cartiers, Shaeffers etc. If you were ever lucky to see his collection, you would see the best writing pens ever manufactured. Panditji would also use the best quality of writing paper and inks. In order to write Urdu, he would rub the points (nibs) of these Mont Blancs and Parkers on a fine slate very meticulously. Like a great workman, he would produce nibs of varying widths. He would spend hours upon hours perfecting the points. Other than that, everything in his life was centered around Lal Kitab. He lived for it!

NEXT  ( His Last Years)