Valk & Bowman/Vernacular Knowledge, 4. Blessings beyond Time and Place

The popular Gujarati saint Jalaram Bapa physically passed away nearly a century and a half ago and there is no one alive today who could speak of having any kind of direct recollection or memory of him or his wife Virbai Ma. His life, miracles, healings and teachings have not been forgotten, however and since his death the Jalaram tradition has developed into a substantial expression of globalized Hinduism in the contemporary world. Furthermore, the authoritative literature on his life, Bhakta Shree Jalaram (Rajdev 1958) has been expanded and stretched, added to, interpreted, translated, reformatted and re-contextualised, culturally, socially, geographically and materially. This article examines these strategies of recollection and considers the ways in which memories of Jalaram have been preserved, transmitted, multiplied and transformed as they have travelled from Gujarat to East Africa, back to Gujarat and out into multiple diasporic contexts simultaneously. Furthermore, I also suggest that the manner in which the memories of Jalaram Bapa have been preserved and transmitted are as contested as they are diverse.