Smt.Dhanya Helmi Komarek

Born just after the war, on 16 August 1945 in Ulm, Germany, Helmtraud Komárek^[1] was the daughter of German-speaking parents expelled from Czechoslovakia at the end of the war. Known to all as Helmi, she later received the name Dhanya from Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, a fitting name in light of her boundless generosity and deep commitment to serving those in need.

An artist by temperament and training, Dhanya first came to India overland by car in the early 1970s. She travelled widely—in Greece, the United States and India—pursuing her artwork along the way. In 1983, she settled in Scotland, where she lived at the Findhorn Foundation, acquiring valuable skills in community life and service—managing a child care centre.

Dhanya Helmi

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In the mid-1990s, Dhanya raised funds to establish Sri Sai Vidya Mandir School in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, for disadvantaged children. Within its first two years, the school grew to more than 200 students. Dhanya served there for fourteen years.

During this period, she came to know of Bhagavan Sri Ramana and began visiting Tiruvannamalai. She took up Bhagavan’s teaching with devotion and was fond of quoting phrases from the Ramana literature. In 2007, she settled at Arunachala and, two years later, married Robert Dodds, Jr., a longtime Ramana devotee. Together they made Arunachala their permanent home.

During her weekly pradakshinas, townspeople would call out to her as she walked through the streets, for she was widely known and loved. She made a point of greeting those living on the sidewalks and helped them in whatever way she could, fully present and interested in whoever she met. People from abroad would send her money to distribute to the needy, and she never withheld support because of a person’s limitations or circumstances but met all with equality, warmth and empathy.

In early April, Dhanya fell ill. On 25th April, test results revealed metastatic cancer. Never inclined toward intrusive medical intervention, she chose not to undergo treatment. But on 8th May, she agreed to be taken to Rangammal Hospital for testing. Calm and relaxed, she interacted warmly with the nursing staff and with the many who came to see her. On Monday morning, 11th May, at the age of eighty, Dhanya merged peacefully at the Feet of Holy Arunachala. She is survived by her husband, Robert, and her nephew, Andreas, and will be greatly missed by local children and everyone who knew her.

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@sri-ramanasramam, 2010, sent by Dhanya, 24-1231

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