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=                           A._K._Mozumdar                           =
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                            Introduction
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Akhay Kumar Mozumdar (July 15, 1881 - March 9, 1953) was an Indian
American spiritual writer and teacher associated with the New Thought
Movement in the United States. He became a naturalized American in
1913 and in 1923, following 'United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind',
Mozumdar was the first Indian after Bhagat Singh Thind to have his
United States citizenship taken away.


                             Biography
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The son of an attorney, Mozumdar was born in a small village about
twenty miles north of Calcutta, India. He was the youngest child, with
eight older brothers and one sister. The Mozumdars were a high caste
family. Mozumdar's mother was very devout and named him Akhay Kumar,
meaning "Son of God." Mozumdar was a teacher, lecturer, and writer of
the New Thought Movement in the United States during the first half of
20th century. He exhibited a deep knowledge of God and taught what he
called, the "'Creative Principle'." After leaving his family home, he
spent time traveling throughout India, and said that he traveled to
Bethlehem to learn about Christianity. He spent several years in China
and Japan and decided to teach in America.

Mozumdar immigrated to the United States, arriving in Seattle,
Washington, in 1904. In 1905 Jennie and Charles Clark, leaders in
Seattle's Queen City Theosophical Society, reported in the
'Theosophical Quarterly Magazine' that Mozumdar, 'a Hindu Brother ...
has spoken for us for several weeks to full houses.' The Clarks wrote
that Mozumdar "calls his teachings 'universal truth.

Mozumdar delivered lectures primarily in  Washington, Oregon, and
California, based on his teachings that combined Christianity,
Hinduism which he referred to as "Christian yoga."


                   United States immigration law
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In 1913, Mozumdar became a US citizen after having convinced the
Spokane district judge that he was in fact Caucasian and thereby met
the requirements of naturalization law then restricting citizenship to
"free white persons." On February 5, 1917, the United States Congress
passed the Immigration Act of 1917 also known as the Asiatic Barred
Zone Act. Along with many other 'undesirables' it banned Asians from
immigrating to the United States.

Ten years after being granted citizenship, however, as a result of the
US Supreme Court decision in 'United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind',
stipulating that no person of East Indian origin could become a
naturalized United States citizen, Mozumdar's citizenship was revoked.
A decision on his appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld
the revocation. The Luce-Celler Act of 1946 provided a quota of 100
East Indians to immigrate into the US and permitted East Indians to
apply for and be granted citizenship. Mozumdar reapplied under the new
statute and was granted US citizenship in 1950. He remained in the
United States until his death in San Diego in 1953, and he was buried
at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Mozumdar was
very close to several leaders in the International New Thought
Alliance. Reverend Ernest Holmes, an American spiritual writer,
teacher and founder of a Spiritual movement known as Religious
Science, and author of "Science of Mind" was a close friend and
admirer.  Holmes officiated at Mozumdar's large and well attended
memorial service.


                            Major works
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* 'The Triumphant Spirit'
* 'The Conquering Man' (also translated into Swedish by Eric O. G.
Olson, 'Den segrande människan')
* 'The Mystery of the Kingdom'
* 'The Commanding Life'
* 'Christ on the Road of Today'
* 'Key to the New Messianic World Message'
* 'Christ Speaketh'
* 'Today and Tomorrow'
* 'Open Door to Heaven'
* 'The Life and the Way'


                              See also
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* Church of Divine Science
* Ernest Holmes
* Religious Science


                           External links
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* [http://www.mozumdar.org A. K. Mozumdar biography and online books
website]
* [http://www.sno.org School of the Natural Order founded by Ralph
deBit, one of Mozumdar's students/acolytes]
*
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160307051555/http://www.vitvan.education/
A contemporary approach to Vitvan]


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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._K._Mozumdar