TRUST CIRCULAR

New Email Address for Pilgrim Reservations

Dear Baba family,

Jai Meher Baba.

Announcing a slight change in our reservation system for Meherabad accommodations. Pilgrim reservation requests are now being received and processed in the same office for all our facilities: Hostels, Dharamsala, MPC, and MPR. Therefore our email addresses have changed. *Please use reservation@mail.ambppct.org for your requests in any of the facilities.* If you have any queries, please reach us at 0241-2548733 / 2548736.

We require the following information in order to consider your reservation request. Please fill the following form completely, for each person coming:

Surname/Last Name:

First Name, Middle Name:

Male/Female:

Date of Birth:

Nationality:

Residential Address:

Phone/Mobile Number:

Facility Requested: (Hostel D/MPC/ Dharamsala/MPR)

Date of Arrival:

Time of Arrival:

Date and Time of Departure:

Emergency Contact Name and Number:

Pre-existing Medical Conditions:

Yes/No (If yes, please specify):

Govt issued Photo ID (Attach a copy to the reservation request):

In Beloved Baba's Love and Service,

Pilgrim Reservations Office

Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust.

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A Meher Baba Sahavas is being held in Germany from 29th August until 30th August.

It will be conducted in German and English, and all are welcome

To Register or for further information email: info@avatarmeherbaba.de

> Click Here to download PDF flyer with booking form

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10th July 2023

Sandi Toksvig: Sssh, it's Silence Day

We find silence uncomfortable. It's a shame, because it can be life-enhancing

By Sandi Toksvig 10 July 2011 • 7:00am

Sssh. It’s Silence Day, so do stop now if you are reading aloud. For someone whose job requires endless broadcasting of sound, I am a huge fan of silence. Counter-intuitively, I seek it out as if I were an alcoholic thirsting for water. The Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist Seneca (who died in AD 65) said: “It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.” And who among us has not sat in a railway carriage wishing they might impart such stoic wisdom to a fellow traveller shouting into their telephone?

Finding silence is not easy. I don’t know who is responsible for deciding, for example, that the public are incapable of rising a couple of floors in a lift without hearing a tinny version of an already bland composition being played. I have holidayed in the Arctic just to get away from planes flying overhead, lorries beeping their intention to reverse and the mass failure of the electronics industry to produce a set of cheap headphones that make music private. Silence, when you can find it, brings the most wonderful sense of calm.

Silence Day is held each year in tribute to a spiritual master called Meher Baba. Baba went further than most in his quest for quiet, as it was on this day in 1925 that he decided to stop speaking. For the next 44 years up until he died, he never said a word. I think it helped that Baba was an Indian mystic. People in the mystic line of work can probably get away with minimal conversational output while someone working, for example, in telesales wouldn’t do all that well.

Meher was born in India in 1894; a perfectly ordinary lad with a penchant for cricket. When he was 19 he briefly met a Muslim holy woman called Hazrat Babajan. Baba said the meeting led to him experience visions. He began beating his head on the stone floor of his room and refusing food and drink, a development that initially would worry any parent.

Baba, however, was on a spiritual path. By 1954 he had many followers and declared that he was an avatar. Here I show my spiritual shallowness for I thought an avatar was a blue person with pointy ears who flew about forests looking for Sigourney Weaver. In fact it is Sanskrit for “descent” and refers to the deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth. Baba then and his followers today believed that he was an incarnation of God.

I’m not wise enough to know either the impact on one’s visions from head banging or how avatars are selected, but the effect of enforced silence seems to have done wonders for Baba. He carried on silently travelling the world spreading a sensible “stay away from drugs” message and looking impossibly cheerful. Look at any picture of the mute fellow, often subtitled with his famous phrase “Don’t worry, be happy”, and he looks one of the jolliest men imaginable.

I suppose the impact of silence is rather dependent on why the individual chooses to stop communicating. Rather pleasingly, Silence Day also marks the death in 1584 of William the Silent, or as the Dutch prefer, Willem de Zwijger, which leads one to suppose Holland today celebrates Zwijger Dag. Will kept occasional silence for political reasons, although it may also have been prudent seeing as how he was a Netherlands national hero born in Germany who mostly spoke French.

Keeping quiet to keep your head seems sensible. Others in history famed for their failure to communicate, like the famous recluse Howard Hughes, may just have needed help. Hughes had once been a bit of a goer. It was on this day in 1938, for example, that he set a new record by flying around the world in 91 hours. His devil-may-care attitude did not last. In December 1947, Hughes told his aides that he planned to watch some films in his studio screening room. He went in and stayed in the darkened room for more than four months, eating chocolate and relieving himself into empty milk bottles.

Hughes’s life wasn’t entirely silent. He didn’t speak but he spent his time watching movies. I prefer total peace without even incidental music. It is ironic therefore to discover that the fantastically loud rock opera Tommy was both inspired by and dedicated to the silent Meher Baba.

If people must listen to something then why not John Cage’s famous composition 4’33’’, which consists of four minutes and 33 seconds of music not being played? There is also You Can Make Your Own Music by Covenant, an equal length silent track which for all I know sounds entirely different.

I think we worry about silence; find it uncomfortable. It’s a shame because it can be life-enhancing. I suppose we worry that in the quiet we might make a mistake, as occurred in the lovely story about the Russian-born violinist Mischa Elman. Elman was an astonishing prodigy and one day, aged seven, he was asked to play for some family friends. He chose Beethoven’s Kreutser Sonata, a demanding piece that he could play easily and knew well. The piece has many pauses, during one of which, one of Elman’s listeners, an elderly lady, tapped the boy on the shoulder and whispered helpfully, “Dear, play something you know.”

I wish you the quietest of days.

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15th June 2023

UNEXPECTED RESTRICTIONS AT LOWER MEHERABAD

Dear Baba Family,

Jai Meher Baba!

I am writing to inform you of the significant changes affecting Beloved Baba's lower Meherabad. It may seem like a sad day to us, but we cannot fathom His Will and the good that always comes from it.

Due to security concerns of the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding Lower Meherabad's proximity to military installations, VRDE, the Trust is directed to maintain highly restricted and monitored activity for Non-Indians at Lower Meherabad.

The following rules for Non-Indian Baba lovers are effective immediately:

• No non-Indian citizen may reside at lower Meherabad.
  

• No non-Indian can visit Lower Meherabad except on a guided tour twice a week; this includes staying at Hostel D and eating in Hostel D or Savage's kitchen.
  

• Do not shop or use vendors near VRDE or within 1 km of its gates. Driving through this area is acceptable.
  

• Do not use the ATM by the VRDE gate.
  

• Non-Indians who stay in private homes or hotels must sign-in once with their passports on their first visit to the Samadhi. A security guard posted at the Sabha Mandap by the Samadhi will record details of passport number, visa type, arrival date, etc.

We do not know whether these current conditions will change or improve or may be permanent changes that we must adapt to. But we know the Government is very serious about these measures and will monitor our compliance. It is the Trust's responsibility to follow these directives diligently.

We request that all Baba lovers from abroad understand and cooperate fully with the Government's security concerns and measures to address them.

As I was searching through Baba's writings for some inspiring quotes for this letter, I was struck by how often, throughout the years of Baba's advent, He repeatedly called on His lovers to be resigned to His Will, how often He gave assurances that He will solve all predicaments, and how many times He would ask that we not worry, but have faith in Him, our Master. One lustrous pearl that caught my eye and best mirrors the trial we face today is a poem He composed:

"Life on my sources

First drifted and swam.

Out of me all the forces

That save it or damn!

Out of me, men and women,

And birds and beasts.

Before God, was I.

Beside and above me

Nowhere is there to go.

Love or unlove me,

know me or know.

I am that which unloves me and loves.

I am that which is stricken,

And I am the blow!"

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai !

Framroze Mistry (Falu)

Chairman, Avatar Meher Baba P.P.C.Trust.

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14th December 2022

India Donations

We recently wrote to you concerning the ongoing suspension of donations to AMBPPCT in India. We have been looking at alternative options for those who still want to support work in Baba’s name and closely related to the Trust.

We have found that it is now possible to make donations again to https://www.meherfund.org. They too had a suspension of funds imposed for a period of time but it has now been lifted.

Many of you will remember Dr Goher, Baba’s doctor, who established a free dispensing clinic at Meherazad and worked throughout her life serving local communities who had no other access to medical care. Her foundation continues to this day and 100% of all donations to Meher Fund go entirely to upholding her model of loving service.

Meher Fund is a registered charity founded by Baba lovers in America, and you can make donations directly to them online via Paypal. We offer this purely as a suggested alternative while we are unable to send donations to the Trust ourselves.

If you have previously made a donation to us for AMBPPCT India and would like us to now forward it on to Meher Fund, you will need to formally notify us mbaboard@meherbaba.co.uk. Otherwise, we will continue to hold your donation until such time as we are allowed to forward it on to the Trust.

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5th December 2022

Donations to AMBPPCT India

For some time, owing to changes in Indian Government policy, the MBA has been unable to forward donations sent to us for passing on to AMBPPCT, India.  Initially we understood that this ban on sending donations to India from abroad was  a temporary suspension, and we have held donations ‘on account’ in the hope that the restriction would be lifted. Sadly, there is no clear sign that this will happen any time soon, so we suggest that Friends do not send us any more donations for India until further notice.

Anyone wishing to discuss previous payments, please email mbaboard@yahoo.com in the first instance and label the subject as ‘India Trust Donations’ in the header, requesting contact with our Treasurer, Om Vasudeva. We will forward your message to him. Please do not put any personal or financial details in your email. Meanwhile we will explore alternate ways of supporting projects in Meher Baba’s name, and whether donations to these seem viable.

As always, on behalf of AMBPPCT, we appreciate your support and hope the situation may resolve before too long.

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8th August 2021

Mehera Arjani returns to Baba

We have heard word today from Meherabad that Mehera, sister of Dolly Kerawalla and daughter of Roshan and Sam Kerawala passed away around 4.25 this morning 7th August 2021.  By Baba's grace, Dolly was unexpectedly staying with Mehera so was first at her side.  Many of you will know Mehera from her many years living in the UK, she was a regular attender at the London Baba Centre and shared wonderful stories of her life growing up under Baba's nazar.  Mehera was cremated today in Meherabad.

Here is a remembrance from Mary and Richard Turner reflecting on Mehera:

We had the great privilege of knowing Mehera when she lived in Bury St Edmund’s, having met her at one of the Norwich Sahavas in the 80’s just after she arrived to live in England. Sometimes, at  weekends we would visit her, and Sheriar and Kavas, and Mehera always made delicious meals which my children would eat with relish. She often stayed with us and we always had a lot of fun when she was around as she had a great sense of humour and an unfailing joy in life. We visited Sam and Roshan in Pune where we were again  treated to delightful hospitality and delicious food cooked by Roshan, as well as  a tour of the city with a visit to the Bhund gardens, by motorcycle! Latterly it was wonderful to re-connect with Mehera when we were able to visit Meherabad more frequently.

I say it was a privilege to know her because her great love for Baba always shone so brightly and it was indeed self-communicative, as Meher Baba describes true love. Through that experience we were brought ever closer to Beloved Baba and we are so grateful to Him for this contact with one of His dear ones. Mehera was a loving, supportive friend whose strength in Beloved Baba was an inspiration to those who knew her. We will always remember her with love and gratitude for a very dear friendship.

Mary and Richard Turner

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

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18th February 2021

News from the Chairman of the Meher Baba Trust India

Dear Baba-lovers,

Jai Baba!

The numbers of covid-19 cases in India were declining, which was a great relief for all. Because of this, the Government of India has now allowed many public places, including temples and hotels, to open for the public.

However during the last few days, the declining trend is reversed and in several places in Maharashtra, including Pune and Mumbai there is a slow but steady increase in number of new cases. Though the number is not yet alarming the authorities have attributed this increase to people not following the basic norms like wearing mask, not observing social distancing etc. In Mumbai the authorities have announced that if the increase in number of cases continues there may be another ‘lockdown’.

We do not look at Meherabad as just a place of pilgrimage. Here the visitors are not just pilgrims but they are more like people visiting their family. We feel responsible for their well-being.

We presently lack the volunteers necessary to take care of the health and well-being of Baba-lovers.

We have a number of carefully composed guidelines from our medical staff of what would be required for us to open. It is our full responsibility to ensure that we provide the safest possible environment to accommodate Baba pilgrims here, under the conditions imposed by coronavirus-19 and the newly discovered variants.

Even if we open the facilities now, we will have to close the same on 15t March, our usual closing time.

When we also consider that the current situation regarding vaccines has just begun, it seems most responsible and prudent for the Trust to open all our accommodation facilities on 15th June 2021. Baba willing, by then, covid-19 and its variants will be much more controlled by vaccines.

In His Love,

Shridhar

REPLY TO: Shridhar Kelkar shridharkelkar7@gmail.com

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28th November 2020

Trust Family Bulletin - Selection of Amrit Irani as Trustee

Jai Baba!

On 28th November 2020, the Board of Trustees appointed Amrit Dara Irani as a trustee of the Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust, the Avatar Meher Baba Trust (“Firstly”), the Meherazad Public Charitable Trust, and Meher Free Dispensary (Meherazad).

Born in November 1949 to close Meher Baba disciples Shatrughan and Subdhara Kumar in Dehra Dun, India, Amrit was given her name by Mehera. She met Beloved Baba as a newborn during His New Life, and along with Baba’s women mandali and her mother, accompanied Baba to Hardwar for the Kumbh Mela at that time. She lived under Baba’s orders from childhood, and at His wish, on 23rd December 1968, she married Baba’s nephew, Dara Irani, in His presence at Meherazad. Their sons, Meherwan and Jamshed, are also Baba-lovers.

Amrit has lived in Ahmednagar and Meherabad since 1973 and is actively involved with Beloved Baba’s Samadhi and Baba’s pilgrims. She serves as a trustee in place of Jal Dastoor, who retired from the Board last year.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

The Chairman and Board of Trustees

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15th November 2020

Beloved Baba's Samadhi to re-open for Darshan

Maharashtra Govt. has announced yesterday that the places of religious worship can be opened for devotees from Monday the 16th November.

All Trust staff are on Diwali holidays till Tuesday 17th of November. We have to prepare the necessary railing etc. for the Darshan line. We have also to arrange for volunteers to be at the Samadhi during the time Samadhi is open for Darshan. As such Beloved Baba's Samadhi will be open for Darshan from Thursday 19th of November onwards.

The Samadhi will be open for Darshan from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There will be no Prayer and Aarti either in the morning or evening.

Nobody will be allowed to enter the Samadhi.
Darshan should be taken from the door by folding hands.
Please do not bow down near the threshold or any other place in the portico.
Wearing a mask is compulsory.
Please use hand sanitizer before entering the Samadhi portico.
Please quickly have the Darshan and leave the portico.
Nobody will be allowed to sit anywhere in the portico.
Please do not unnecessarily linger in the Samadhi area.
No prasad will be distributed. If anybody brings prasad it should be taken back.
Please do not bring any flowers or garlands.
Please follow the social distance by standing 6 feet away from each other while in the Darshan line.

All are requested to co-operate by following the instructions given by the Samadhi volunteers.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai !
Shridhar
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30th November 2019

We are sad to announce the passing of Franey Irani, wife of Meher Baba’s brother Adi, who lived in Barnes, London for many years with her family.

(Left to right): Mehera J. Irani, Franey Irani, Shireen Bonner née Irani (Photo: Shireen Bonner)

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Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai

Jai Baba dear ones,

My beloved, sweet mum passed away this afternoon, 22nd November, 2019 at 12.45 pm, New Mexico, USA time. Our hearts are broken, yet we feel so incredibly blessed to have been with her during this extraordinary time, when our Beloved Baba's presence was all around Mum.

Mum went to Him as she had always wanted: in her sleep, and with us by her side. We feel so very grateful that we were present as she passed away, and could tell her how much we loved her, saying Baba's name all of the time. Her passing was gentle, peaceful and not prolonged; again, we're so very grateful for this.

Thank you all, so much, for your love and comfort throughout this very sad and distressing time. We've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, compassion, care and generosity that we've received from so many. Most of all, we've been deeply touched by so many heartfelt and lovely remembrances of my darling mother, in many cases, going back several decades. Thank you all, so much.

I'll keep you posted with further details.

AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI!

With much love,

Shireen and Jay, Mehera, Jimmy, Ollie and Iris

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Anyone who knew Franey Irani personally, from her many years in London, and would like to make a donation to her funeral expenses, can make a donation through PayPal >click here and then follow the instructions for a one off donation, marking it Franey Irani. We will ensure donations reach her daughter Shireen Bonner.

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23rd October 2019

Avatar Meher Baba Trust Draft Master Plan 2019

Meher Baba has said that in the future Meherabad would become the greatest place of pilgrimage in the world. He created the Avatar Meher Baba Trust to assume primary responsibility for ensuring the availability of the sacred sites associated with His advent as Meher Baba to pilgrims. Since it was established, the Trust has worked continuously to make available facilities and programs to accommodate the growing interest in Meher Baba. Indeed, the years since Beloved Baba left His physical body have witnessed steady increases in numbers of pilgrims coming to Meherabad from around the world...

...to read all of this plan >click to download the full PDF document

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8th January 2019   MBA Poster Campaign 2019
28 January - 10 February   To coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Beloved Baba dropping His physical form, MBA is launching a national poster campaign, with Baba’s face and words, in celebration of His incredible life on earth.   These will appear on giant billboard and posters in London mainline railway stations and on bus sides for a period of 2 weeks from 28th January 2019.   We urge you, your friends and family to try and track down any within reach of you. Please photograph any sightings and post them on Facebook, or Twitter and share them with our Baba family worldwide. So, let’s see how many we can capture, and please send your photos to mbaboard@meherbaba.co.uk. Thanks! ________________________________ Posters: Kings Cross, Victoria and Waterloo Mainline Stations   Buses: Bristol, Cardiff, Falmouth, Glasgow, Kensington and Greater London, Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham   Billboards: Birmingham, Hagley Road, B66 4AX Manchester, Chancellor Lane, M12 5FX Salford, Claremont Rd, M6 7QF Southampton, West Quay Retail Park, SO15 1BA Reading, Southampton St, RG1 2QL	48 Sheet Poster Billboard 4 Sheet Poster for London Train and Tube Stations
Superside for UK Buses T Side for UK buses

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8th May 2018

Don E. Stevens
A life dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba

Don Stevens was born on a small homestead in Nevada, USA, in 1919.  5 years later he moved with his family to California. Although Don’s father died when he was just 7 years old, his mother encouraged a strong work ethic in Don and his two elder brothers, with education being paramount for them all. Don graduated from John Hopkins University in 1940 as a research chemist, leading to a long career in the oil industry.

It was around this time that Don was introduced and initiated into Universal Sufism, brought to the West by Hazrat Inayat Khan. Don’s teacher, Murshida Rabia Martin, appointed by Inayat Khan, who, after his death in 1927, fulfilled her duty, as the Murshida, to find a new master to lead the order. After an extensive search she discovered and contacted Meher Baba who agreed to guide this order, and renamed this as Sufism Reoriented. Meher Baba also created a new Sufi Charter, assisted by Don and Ivy O Duce, Don requested and Baba agreed to new  democratic principles be incorporated into this charter, which Baba said was to be relevant to all Sufis, everywhere.

Don first met Meher Baba in New York, 1952. Thereafter Baba would refer to Don as ‘my spiritual son’, close mandali (disciple) and that he had an ‘almost perfect balance of head and heart’.

Soon after this initial meeting Baba requested Sufism Reoriented, specifically both Ivy Duce and Don, to edit and publish ‘God Speaks’.  Don was then asked by Baba to re-edit ‘ Discourses’ for Western seekers  and ‘Listen Humanity’, this included new discourses by Baba and Don’s own experience at the Four Languages Sahavas in Meherabad in 1955.

Baba also requested Don oversee translations and publication of ‘God Speaks’ and ‘Discourses’ for European readers, this work was then extended to international translations of these books, including various Indian languages. Don also wrote and collaborated with others to produce many more Meher Baba inspired publications.

Meher Baba with Don, Bhau and Pendu, Meherabad

Don was given an open invitation by Baba to visit him if he was a day’s journey from Meherabad. His frequent travelling, due to professional work in the international oil business, particularly in the East, enabled Don’s ongoing close contact with his master.
Working with small, focused groups became a key element for Don’s spiritual work. These groups first began to take shape in the USA, at the request of Ivy Duce, to help the young and spiritually curious knocking at her door, interested in discovering more about Meher Baba.

When Don relocated to Europe in the late 1960’s, with residences in London and France, he continued to lead many study groups on a regular basis, in both locations and the USA. The structure for these groups was an evolving process, a departure from the traditional teacher/student format; Meher Baba’s New Life and Companionship became a model, spirituality within daily life an essential ingredient.

Don’s work for Meher Baba also continued to remain international, to include more worldwide groups, seminars and workshops, as well as his many publishing projects, often written whilst on the move and in collaboration with other Baba lovers.

Don would often retell stories of his time with Meher Baba. His London Group intrigued by the story of Baba sending Don with another close disciple, Eruch, to visit various holy sites in India and to take with him the small movie camera he had brought to India. At the time Don had no inkling as to why Baba had sent him to these places, a revelation came many years later, after Baba had ‘dropped His body’ in 1969;

‘ One day out of the blue I had a telephone call from Eruch telling me that he had finally seen the video-cassettes showing the places Baba had me film, and that Eruch was surprised to find that the filmed sites were identical with places Baba had asked Eruch to take him to, repeatedly and anonymously. …….now for the first time after all these years, he had discovered that they were identical to the places Baba visited repeatedly with Eruch and never explained to Eruch why he had done this so many times, never telling even the closest mandali a word about the visits. Always, when Baba arrived with Eruch, Baba would go, Eruch said, into a profound meditation for some time. Then, when he had finished, without any discussion they would leave and return home. Eruch had never discussed this with anyone, but when he saw the identity with the places filmed by Don under instructions from Baba. Eruch realized that I had a right to know about the visits with Eruch.’

In 2004, the London group persuaded Don to lead them, with other companions from France and America, on an extraordinary journey through India to revisit these important spiritual sites.

The trip included the remarkable Kailash Temple in Ellora, the exquisite Jain Temple, Dilwara, on Mount Abu, Rajasthan, The Sufi Shrine of Moennidin Chisti in Ajmer, the impressive Maharastra fort of Shivaji and the humble mosque where Meher Baba stayed with his Companions in The New Life. The journey culminated in the group’s destination at Meherabad.

It had occurred to Don whilst on this trip that, by his presence at these holy sites many years earlier, Meher Baba had imbibed each with a profound and powerful spiritual energy and significance, to the great benefit of future pilgrims.
On his return to London, Don was admitted to hospital with acute dehydration and salmonella poisoning. He again recounts;

‘As I came out the hospital doors in London, it hit me suddenly and very clearly that what I was involved in was clearly the fulfilling of a statement made by Meher Baba to the London press in 1932, that he had not come into the world to start a new religion nor build cathedrals and such like, but to help revivify the world’s existing great religions, and to make their Truths more readily available to the sincere seeker after truth, and to gather the (warring) religions together like beads on one string.’

Inspired by this revelation Don encouraged many others to accompany him on four more of these pilgrimages across India (the last in 2009 with over 50 people), enabling many to share this arduous, eventful and often profound journey.

In 2006, Don led a European pilgrimage to Spain and Italy, once again travelling to places visited by Meher Baba; Avila, Madrid, Barcelona, Assisi and Portofino. This journey also included the Alhambra in Granada and the 12th Century Synagogue and Mezquita Mosque/ Cathedral in Cordoba. All architecturally beautiful and crucially marking the relative harmony between Muslims, Jews and Christians in 8th to 13th Century Andalusia. Integral to the European Pilgrimage was a seminar in Marseille, to include participants from different spiritual paths; Sufi, Christian, Zen Buddhist and Meher Baba devotees. Another seminar with similar intentions and broad spectrum was held in Berlin (2010).  Don was now unfortunately too unwell to attend.

Before his death in 2011 Don assembled a steering committee, comprising of key organisers from these pilgrimages, to work on establishing them for posterity. This was the framework for the Beads on One String Foundation. To all those that knew Don, as a wise, generous and tireless companion and mentor, his leaving was a tremendous loss. It is now heartening to note that, with God/Meher Baba remaining the pivotal focus, this work Don undertook internationally with many groups and individuals continues to thrive.

Notes

1- ‘Message to the West’, Meher Baba with Charles Purdom, London, 1932, Paramount Pictures Newsreel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt4xVI2odKw

Excerpts from two 1932 newsreels: "Meher Baba's 1932 Message to America", and "Meher Baba at Harmon-on-Hudson 1932". The first film, discovered in 1993 in the archives of the University of South Carolina, was recorded in May 1932 by Movietone in New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBOuFcpMdAY 

2-‘Manonash’-for in depth description of this phase see; ‘Lord Meher’, Bhau Kalchuri, Chapter 21, pgs 2927-3032p, Online Edition.

3-For full story of these groups and as an excellent guide for spiritual groups of all traditions; ‘The Inner Path in the New Life’, Don E. Stevens, Companion Books, 1989.

4-From the unpublished ‘Journeys to the Source’, Don E. Stevens, 2010

5-Ibid

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Meherabad Young Adult Sahavas 24th - 30th June 2018

Dear Baba Lovers,

We are delighted to announce, with Beloved Baba?s Love Blessings, that the Meherabad Young Adult Sahavas - 2018 will be celebrated from 24th June 2018 afternoon through 30th June 2018 afternoon in Meherabad. Kindly visit AMBPPCT website for full details

AMBPPCT website link: http://www.ambppct.org/yas18.php

For questions or further information, email: mbyas@ambppct.org (mailto:mbyas@ambppct.org)

Sahavas Quick Facts:

What: In June, 100 young adults will gather at Meherabad to spend seven days together in the company of the Ancient One. The keynote of the "Sahavas" is the celebration of Meher Baba's love through sharing, creative expression (such as art, music, and drama), and service at Meherabad. This year the Theme of Sahavas is Don?t Worry Be Happy.

Who: Young Adult Baba Lovers from ages 18 years to 35 years.

When: The Sahavas starts on 24th June, Sunday and continues through lunch on 30th June, Saturday. Registration for the Sahavas is scheduled for 24th June, Sunday from 2.00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Where: Sahavas participants will be staying in Hostel C.

Please note! Sahavas participation forms will be available on the Trust website http://www.ambppct.org/yas18.php from 1st April 2018.

Baba lovers from outside India may contact us at mbyas@ambppct.org (mailto:mbyas@ambppc.org) for advance intimation to participate in the Sahavas and making their travel reservations.

We look forward to seeing you at the Sahavas!

In His Love and Service,

Meherabad Young Adult Sahavas Team,

Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust, Ahmednagar.

https://mailchi.mp/d3b6c0006258/meherabad-young-adult-sahavas-2018?e=db2be6f955

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Sunday 20th May 2018

Don Stevens’s remarkable long life, entirely dedicated to his Master and Beloved Avatar Meher Baba, is to be celebrated at the Meher Baba Centre in London.

All are welcome - more details to follow.

To be involved with planning this celebration and/or helping on the day, please contact Jane: hoskinjane77@gmail.com or 07484808207

An archive exhibition will accompany this celebration, so if you have any photos of Don (with friends too!) that can be lent or copied, please get in touch.

Although many knew Don Stevens, for those less familiar with his name and life here is a very brief introduction…...Born in Nevada, USA in 1919, Don first met Meher Baba in New York, 1952. Thereafter Baba would refer to Don as ‘my spiritual son’, close mandali (disciple) and that he had he had an ‘almost perfect balance of head and heart’.

Soon after this initial meeting Baba requested Sufism Reoriented and specifically Murshida Ivy O Duce and Don Stevens to edit and publish ‘God Speaks’. Don was next asked by Baba to re-edit The Discourses for Western seekers and then ‘Listen Humanity’, containing new discourses and Don’s experience at the Four Languages Sahavas, Meherabad, 1955.

This then led to Baba’s request for Don to oversee translations and publication of God Speaks and Discourses for European readers. This was then extended to international translations, including Indian languages.

Don also wrote and collaborated with others to produce many more Baba related publications.

An open invitation was given by Meher Baba for Don to visit him in India, if a day's journey away. So Don’s frequent travelling due to his professional work in the international oil business, particularly in the East, enabled ongoing close contact with his master.

Working with small focused groups was a key element for Don. Originally in the USA at the request of Ivy Duce, to help the young and spiritually curious knocking at her door and interested in discovering more about Meher Baba.

When Don relocated to Europe in the late 60’s he continued to lead many groups in London and France, although his work for Meher Baba still remained international, facilitating globally located groups, seminars and workshops.

He lived in the flat above the Meher Baba Centre for many years; this was then given by him to The Meher Baba Association and now houses the new archive facilities and beautiful quiet room with Baba’s pink jacket.

Towards the end of his life Don instigated the ‘Beads On One String Project’ and Foundation. He passed away in London in 27th April, 2011, many projects and groups initiated by him and inspired by Meher Baba continue to this day, connecting people all over the world.

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2nd June 2017

The Meher Baba Association has been aware for a few weeks that there is a serious situation developing in regards to the entrance road to Meherazad, which has always been a tranquil, private, tree-lined lane leading to Meher Baba's home.

We are forwarding a letter received from the AMBPPCT, so that you get the full information.

To download the letter > click here

Please help in any way you can.

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9th July 2016 at the London Meher Baba Centre

"If God exists and we are unaware of it, then we are living without knowing the most fundamental truth in the Universe". (Awake Magazine, March 2015, Page 4)

Those present on Saturday at our Centre, and on the ensuing two - three days were blessed to recognise ‘the one fundamental truth in the Universe’ that they were in God's presence, albeit by proxy through Dara and Amrit with their endearing stories and experiences of life with Baba!

lt felt as if the day was filled with Beloved Baba’s presence, with music, poetry, singing, dancing all flowing and enveloping Baba’s Centre at 228 Hammersmith Grove, and who can deny the peace and quietude that enveloped us when we retreated or took refuge in the quiet calmness of Baba’s ‘Pink Coat Room’ on the ground floor! The stories that Dara and Amrit shared with the many gathered in the basement seemed at times stories they were sharing of their close friend, and Baba indeed was a Friend to His lovers and to those who sought Him. Both Dara and Amrit took turns in narrating episodes from their life together, with one taking over from the other, helping each other, coaxing a thought out from their collective memories of their life with Baba.

The story of how Dara and Amrit’s marriage came about is a rather interesting one. When Dara returned to India from London in December 1964 for the first time, after he had gone to the UK ten years previously, Baba told Dara that He had selected a wife for him; that was it, nothing further was said on the matter. Dara returned to London in March 1965 to work in an engineering firm in Richmond, hearing nothing further from Baba, until out of the blue a cable arrived in September-October 1967 asking him if he was ready to get married. Dara cabled back that he would do whatever Baba wished at any time Baba wanted him to. Large studio scale photos of Dara were taken in London and were delivered to Baba personally by Dara's father Adi lrani Jnr, who went to India to discuss what Baba had in mind about the marriage plans for Dara.

In the meantime, one fine day in early 1968, a large thick envelope addressed to Amrit, landed at Amrit's family home in Dehra Dun, at the foothills of the Himalayas, where her family had a farm. In this envelope were the photographs and a question posed by Baba: would Amrit consider marrying this man called Dara lrani? She was asked by Baba to consult with her family and then cable her reply to Him. Amrit looked at the photographs of this handsome man and not knowing what made her do it, she cabled back to Baba her acceptance of the marriage, without first consulting her family as Baba had asked her to do!

Amrit knew of Meher Baba through her father Shatrugan Kumar’s allegiance to Him, but other than being a religious Hindu family, they were unaware of who Meher Baba really was — God Himself, the Avatar of the age. Baba then asked Shatrugan to bring Amrit to Ahmednagar to discuss the wedding plans, and they embarked on the very long train journey from Dehra Dun to Ahmednagar. As the train neared its destination, Amrit began to feel incredibly nervous with the thought that she would be meeting ‘God’ Himself for the very first time.

Amrit recollected being ushered into Baba’s bedroom at Meherazad, standing at a distance looking at this old man sitting on His bed, bent over looking tired; but when Baba looked up at her, she began to weep, looking at His radiant face with those wonderful eyes raised to greet her. Baba held open His arms, and she rushed up and fell into His embrace weeping! Oh, how wonderful and happy Amrit must have felt to be embraced by God Himself! Lucky Amrit! She was then put in the care of the women Mandali who tried their best to make her feel at home and relaxed in their company, knowing she had never before ventured away from her own home.

During conversations about the wedding, Baba asked Amrit what colour sari she would like for her wedding and looked doubtful when she said red, as that was the traditional colour Hindu brides wore at their wedding. However, Baba indicated with His hands that white is worn by Parsi & Iranian brides and in the Western world they always wear white. He wanted to blend them, and asked her to get a pink sari to bring them together. Arnavaz Dadachanji was asked to take Amrit shopping in Bombay for her wedding, where they bought a lovely pink sari.

The next visit to Ahmednagar from Dehra Dun for Amrit's entire family and relatives was for the engagement and wedding which took place in December 1968. Dara and Amrit briefly met each other for the first time on their engagement day at Meherazad in Baba’s presence. Later when they were asked by Arnavaz to sit together to get acquainted, they were both at a loss as to how to communicate with each other! Dara with limited knowledge of Hindi and Amrit with a limited grasp of the English language could not converse easily, till Arnavaz intervened and took on the role of being the go-between for the couple! The wedding took place on 22nd December 1968, the day of Mehera’s birthday, with a lot of jollity and happiness with Beloved Baba overseeing their marriage vows and spreading His benevolence on the entire gathering.

Another interesting story was then narrated by Amrit. The men Mandali were sitting with Baba to discuss the wedding preparations and the conversation turned to the refreshments to be served at the wedding. Baba saw in the distance Sarosh and Villoo having an animated conversation, in fact it looked like a heated argument was taking place between the two! Baba enquired what they were arguing about, and Villoo said that serving orange squash would be a cheaper alternative than serving any other cold drink, especially Coca Cola. Sarosh piped up saying that a wedding celebration could not serve orange squash to the guests, as this was not a school picnic for children! He insisted that Coca Cola would have to be served as that was suitable for the occasion. Baba looked on amused by their to-ing and fro—ing and finally suggested a simple solution. Why not serve both orange squash and Coca Cola, that way both the warring parties could be happy? Both Sarosh and Villoo had to reluctantly accept the perfect logic of Baba’s solution, although their mutterings continued as to what if the guests preferred the Cola to the squash, and no one touched the squash! Baba responded by saying that of course the Cola would be drunk first, but then the guests would have to finish the squash!

There were other stories and episodes from their life together, some comical, some endearing but all told to regale us, and regale us they did! I personally felt I was living my life vicariously with Baba through the stories that Dara and Amrit narrated.

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Meherwan Jessawala (1930-2016) - by Sara McNeill

In his eloquent foreword to the major work, 'Infinite Intelligence', published in 2005, Meherwan writes,

" To those fortunate few privileged to spend their lives in close association with Him, Meher Baba simultaneously personified unlimited Knowledge — the hallmark of divinity — and profound ignorance, which characterizes the state of the ordinary human steeped in illusion. The role of the Avatar is to unfold divine knowledge through the limitation and frailty of human ignorance in a most natural way. This very simplicity and naturalness that He exhibits in His life makes the Avatar universally approachable and acceptable to humankind itself, beset with frailties and weaknesses."

As one of those ‘fortunate few privileged to spend their lives in close association with Him’ Meherwan's departure to return to The Beloved must leave an emptiness at Meherazad felt by all who knew him. His quiet presence around that place made sacred by Baba and his close ones, camouflaged the weight of the role he shouldered after Eruch left the scene.

Meherwan's close association with Meher Baba began when he was six, shortly before the family left everything they owned to spend the rest of their lives with the Avatar. So Meherwan himself had early experience of Meher Baba’s approachability and he recounts a touchingly simple childhood memory of that time which brings his devotion, even then, into sharp focus:

"I had first met Baba in 1937 at a public darshan in Nagpur held at our house, where Baba frequently visited. My first recollection of Baba was of my going into the garden and making Him a tiny garland; then, being shy and embarrassed when I entered the full hall, pocketing it. But Baba, who was seated at one end of the room, ordered me to be brought to Him and asked me what I had in my pocket. The garland just fit over His head, then He embraced me. I could feel the love in His embrace. Nothing could be more loving than that. I felt I was drowning in that embrace." (Epilogue, Donkin's Diaries.)

The family’s departure from Nagpur took them to Lower Meherabad, Panchgani, Bangalore and then Ahmednagar. Merwan remembered the Blue Bus travels and also schools he attended in Bangalore and Dehra Dun. It was not until 1942 that Baba arranged for the family to have a settled home, Bindra House in Poona. It was there Meherwan grew up, perfectly placed to act as messenger, fixer, go-between, scout or whatever Baba needed, whenever it was needed. But in the late 1950s, after Baba’s second automobile accident, there was a time when Meher Baba was brought to Poona from Satara to be nearer the specialist facilities needed for His care and Meherwan found himself playing a very different role.

”One day Donkin came to Bindra House to find me, saying he was going to construct a special bed for Baba and I was to help him. He went to the flea market in Poona, where he found what looked like a piece of junk — an old hospital bed, lying dismantled amongst the scrap metal. Don brought the bed to Bindra House and told me to assist him in re-constructing it. Of course he knew how to do it because he'd worked in an orthopaedic hospital. It was a wonderful bed, with removable parts which slotted together, really beautiful. My job was to scrape off the old paint before we repainted it and made the whole thing good.

Then Donkin designed a special mattress for Baba. He would make me lie down on the bed and while I was lying there in the full sun, Don would go into a reverie about the design. It was a perfect mattress, in four separate pieces so Baba never had to get up: one piece from the head to the top of Baba’s hip, another from the hip to the feet, and in the middle two sliding pillows. I got some good cotton and my aunt stitched the four-piece mattress at home, all by Don's instructions. So we got the whole bed ready and it looked very beautiful when it was all painted and finished ...and Baba at last felt comfortable as he rested on it." (Epilogue, Donkin's Diaries.)

When Guruprasad became an annual centre for Baba’s work, the activities Meherwan was involved in increased enormously. He was often so busy there was no time to be present at Baba’s large darshan events. He was one of the ‘back room boys.’ When I eventually made the journey to India myself in the late 1980s Baba had dropped his body and the time of transition was well underway. In 1993, on my second visit, in fact on the day before I was due to leave, I received a message to be at Meherazad at 08:00 AM the following morning. A rickshaw got me there on time and Davana met me, bearing three large floppy sun hats. She took me straight to Eruch who smilingly told me to choose a hat saying, "My brother is taking you up Seclusion Hill.” I didn't even know Eruch had a brother! Meherwan appeared and, suitably hatted I was led away across the field towards the hill. I had complained the previous day about not wanting to leave because I hadn't been up Seclusion Hill! Every little thing they attended to, these loving Mandali, and Meherwan was a most patient and courteous guide. Halfway up the steep ascent, at a I— bend in the narrow pathway, he paused and said, ”This is where Meher Baba used to stop and indicate the view, and he would say, ‘The only reason to look back is to see how far you've come."

In recent years at Meherazad, while working on a history of his family's decades of close association with Avatar Meher Baba, Meherwan must have been looking back at a vast panorama of incredible events. The much- anticipated publication of his book The Jessawala Chronicles will be a wonderful opportunity for us all to share that view.

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