[Tavern-Talk] Trust Talk - Trust Objects and Purposes: Part One

[Tavern-Talk]

Dear Lovers of Beloved Baba,

Beloved Baba has given us all a precious gift - His Trust Deed. It is 
His legacy to His lovers now and in the future. It gives us all a way to 
serve Him, and what better legacy is there than this? In order that you 
may have a better understanding of Beloved Baba's Trust Deed, we are 
going to present a series of articles about the objects of the Trust, 
which Baba prioritized. We will present them one by one as He gave them. 
This series of articles is called: *Trust Objects and Purposes.* We know 
you will find it interesting to see the progress which has taken place 
since the work of fulfilling Beloved Baba’s wishes began in 1969. The 
articles will be written by Baba Lovers who serve here now and have for 
decades dedicated their lives to fulfilling His wishes. The following is 
Part One of the opening article, in which I will give you some 
background of how Meherabad, Meherazad and Meher Nazar Trust
Compound came to be Trust property.

Brief History of Trust Property

I am not going to tell the story of the establishment of Meherabad, 
Meherazad or Meher Nazar; you can easily find the details in Lord Meher 
and Let's Go to Meherabad. I will simply tell you how land at Arangaon 
became Meherabad, how land at Pimpalgaon became Meherazad and how a 
compound in Ahmednagar became Meher Nazar.

In April 1923 Baba and the Mandali left Manzil-e-meem in Bombay and 
traveled to Ahmednagar. When they arrived, Baba stayed at Gulmai K. 
Irani's residence in Khushru Quarters. Much later, it was renamed by Adi 
K. Irani as "Meher Nazar." This property would come to be used as Baba's 
office during his lifetime and after he dropped his physical form, it 
became the office of Avatar Meher Baba Trust.

On the morning of May 4th 1923, Baba, followed by the mandali, walked 
from Khushru Quarters to Arangaon. Gulmai's husband, Khansaheb, had 
already bought property there, thinking it might prove useful in the 
future. One day the saint, Gilori Shah, accompanied by some of his 
devotees, came to this property in Arangaon. There he selected two 
meters of land, and told them, "Prepare my tomb here." His followers 
could not understand why he selected such an out of the way spot. He 
told them, "In a short time, this place will turn into a garden of 
pilgrimage. A great one will come here, and this land will one day 
belong to the people of the world! Only then will you understand why I 
am buried here."

The twenty-six acres Khansaheb bought had been a British military post. 
The few buildings left by the military remained unattended for a long 
time and became dilapidated. In 1924, Khansaheb transferred the land he 
bought to Meher Baba. Baba renamed it "Meherabad" - "Abad" meaning a 
prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony. The place that a worldly 
army abandoned became inhabited by a new army whose mission was not to 
fight against a foreign enemy but against the false self that lies within.

In 1927, Baba twice visited some acreage near Pimpalgaon Lake. About 
Pimpalgaon Baba remarked, "This place is really good, and the climate is 
good." Eventually, this land became available through an auction which 
was held on 11 November, 1940. Again, Khansaheb played an important 
role. He was a member of the Ahmednagar Municipality Executive 
Committee, and he intervened to make certain that Sarosh and Pendu won 
the bid. In 1944 Baba moved to Pimpalgaon which He later named Meherazad.

But, when Beloved Baba went on New Life, He disposed of all the land 
that was in His name. Since He was selling it off, His own mandali 
stepped forward to purchase it in case He ever wanted the land again. 
Meherjee A. Karkaria purchased Lower Meherabad, Sarosh K. Irani 
purchased Upper Meherabad, and Nariman Dadachanji purchased Meherazad. 
Baba only kept a very small piece of land in His name; about this, Baba 
said: "Nothing is to remain as my property and in my name except the 
piece of land on Meherabad Hill where the Tomb for my bodily remains has 
already been built by me - and you all should always remember that when 
I leave my body, it has to be buried here."

When Baba returned from the New Life, He remained at Meherazad as if He 
was a guest because He no longer owned the land there. And when He went 
to Meherabad, He came as a guest because He no longer owned the land 
there. We mandali, too, were like guests.

After the New Life, Sarosh gave the land of Upper Meherabad back to 
Baba, and that land was in Baba's name at the time of the execution of 
the Trust Deed along with the land of the Samadhi. On 6 April 1959, the 
Trust Deed, which outlined the purposes and objectives of the Trust, was 
registered at Meherabad. Baba was driven to Meherabad from Poona on this 
day to approve the Trust Deed, which He signed on Meherabd Hill, under 
the tin shed opposite the kitchen where the Gaadi is now located. Then, 
in 1968 Meherjee gifted Lower Meherabad to the Trust, and in 1999 
Meherazad was gifted by Arnavaz Dadachanji to the Trust. Meher Nazar was 
gifted to the Trust in 1977 by Adi K. Irani. This is how the sacred 
lands of Meherabad, Meherazad and Meher Nazar came to the Trust.

In the next installment of *Trust Objects and Purposes,* I will give 
Part Two of the opening article with an outline of the Trust’s Master Plan.

In His Service,
Bhau