K. D. Sethna

Who was K. D. Sethna?

Kaikhosru Dadhaboy Sethna was an Indian poet, scholar, writer, philosopher, and cultural critic. He published more than 40 books. He is also known as Amal Kiran.

Sethna studied at Bombay University and was one of Sri Aurobindo's earliest disciples, arriving at the Sri Aurobindo's ashram in 1927, at age 23, to take up the path of Integral Yoga under Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa. He was given the name Amal Kiran, or "Clear Ray," by Sri Aurobindo in 1930. His book of poems Inmost Beauty was published at 1933.

In 1949 he was a founding editor of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram journal Mother India, which he edited for almost 50 years. He retired in 2000, after a career spanning 67 years.

Sethna was born a Parsi-Zoroastrian, but discontinued its practice after becoming a disciple of Sri Aurobindo. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2004. At the time of his death, at the age of 106, he was one of the world's oldest living authors.