Shri Ram Samadhi Ashram, Manoharpura

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Sant Thanedar

March 7, 2022: The Times of India

JAIPUR: He was a rare one, but it's still rarer to see people seek blessings at the samadhi of a 'thanedar' (station house officer) at a small ashram on the outskirts of Jaipur.

Located in Manoharpura near Jagatpura, 'Shri Ram Samadhi Ashram' is dedicated to Ram Singh Bhati. Born in Jaipur in 1898, Bhati joined the police force before Independence and served as in-charge of different 'thanas' (police stations) in Jaipur and Sikar.

"During his lifetime, he (Bhati) was famous for his honesty and service to common people. He never accepted any gifts or favour from anyone," said a devotee, Neeraj Singh Chouhan, adding that every year a fair is held in January in the ashram where people from different parts of the city come.

According to locals, Bhati's honesty was deeply admired by top officials of the erstwhile Jaipur state. So much so, that in his own lifetime, Bhati came to be regarded by many as a 'Sant' (saint).

According to Lokendra Singh, who looks after the ashram, Bhati turned to spiritualism after his retirement. He acquired a holy status following his death in 1971 and came to be known as 'Sant Thanedar.'

"People from different places around Jagatpura and Sanganer come to visit the ashram and seek his blessings," Singh said. Devotees believe that Bhati was committed to justice and never indulged in unfair means.

A book was released in his memory in 1997, which recounted an incident wherein Bhati filed a case against a senior colonial police official for intimidating locals.

"Even today, people come to pray at his shrine, especially because he had served in the Sanganer area too," Singh said.

Another local resident of Manoharpura said that cops like Bhati are now impossible to find. "It is not even possible in modern times to imagine that there was an in-charge like Bhati," he said.