Dada JP Vaswani, the spiritual head at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, passed away on Thursday at the age of 99.

The spiritual leader would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 2 August. The mission was planning a centenary celebration from July 31 to August 2 in 2018.

Sadhu Vaswani Mission announced the news of his demise on Thursday through Dada Vaswani’s official twitter handle.

“0901hrs IST July 12 2018, on sacred Guruvaar day, our Beloved Revered Dada J.P. Vaswani passes on, from the seen to the unseen. Ever-loving, ever-giving, may he continue to bless us from the beyond – Sadhu Vaswani Mission,” read the tweet posted on Dada Vaswani’s Twitter handle.

Dada Vaswani, who was born in the year 1918 in a Sindhi family at Hyderabad-Sind, was a universally acclaimed humanitarian, philosopher, educator, writer and orator. A proponent of non-violence, he was also known for his work in the field of promoting vegetarianism and animal rights.

Sadhu Vaswani Mission was founded by Dada Vaswani’s guru, Sadhu TL Vaswani. The mission is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.

Dada Vaswani’s 99th birthday was celebrated as a mega five-day event in Pune.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wished the spiritual leader on the occasion via a video-conference. Addressing the crowd during the event, the PM had said, “We are fortunate to receive the blessings of Dada Vaswani on his birthday.”

The message was broadcast at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, as part the spiritual leader’s birthday celebrations.

“Just like his followers, I have also experienced Dada’s calm smile and simplicity. I have had the opportunity of discussing several issues of paramount importance, such as nation building and social responsibilities, with Dada at a religious conference in United Nations. In Delhi, too, we held talks regarding several topics, such as education and health,” Modi had said.

In his speech during the celebrations last year, Dada Vaswani had said, “To be able to make the right choice, you must quieten the mind, calm your senses, open your heart. You must practise the presence of God. Every experience in life teaches us either to be bitter or better, it is up to us.”