[Tavern-Talk] HEART TALK - Chanji's Diary - Introduction

[Tavern-Talk]

HEART TALK - Chanji's Diary - Introduction

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Our next offering from the Trust Archives, beginning next week, is a
diary kept by Baba's secretary, Framroze Dadachanji, known to all as
Chanji. 

Chanji was born in Mumbai on 19 November 1892. As a young man
he went into a business partnership in a Mumbai cinema with a close
friend. (He later found that Baba had visited his cinema before their
first meeting). His marriage - an arranged one, as was the custom of
that time - was to a very beautiful woman, with whom he fell madly in
love. These two cornerstones of his life at this time led to his 
meeting with Baba. 

In his marriage he received a profound shock when his adored wife
ran off with his best friend. Shortly after this, his partner in the 
cinema had him sign some papers. Chanji was known for his gullible and
naive nature and this quality, combined with his misery caused by his
wife's betrayal, led him to sign the papers without reading them. And
resulted in his partner throwing him out of the cinema business.
Chanji took him to court, but since Chanji had legally signed the
business over, the judge had to rule in the partner's favour, at the
same time, however, telling the partner that, "There is a far greater
justice than this court and you will have to face it!"

With these two massive blows in quick succession, Chanji felt there
was no sense continuing to live and decided to end his life by walking
into the sea at Chowpatti Beach. He waited for darkness so that he
wouldn't be seen. 

That same evening Baba was strolling on this beach with some of the
men mandali and, gesturing to a man He saw from afar, told Naval
Talati, "Who's that man there? Go and find out!" Naval approached
the man and realized it was Chanji, whom he knew as both were
from the small Parsi community. He reported this to Baba, who called
Chanji and arranged for Chanji to meet Him the following day. 

At this meeting God walked into Chanji's life. Everything else was
forgotten and everything of the world finished for Chanji. Baba told
him to join Him at Meherabad.

Chanji became Baba's secretary, corresponding under Baba's
instructions with His lovers in the East and West, but particularly 
with His Western lovers, with many of whom he was very close. He not
only traveled with Baba on tours throughout India and on trips to the
West, but also made the preparations for the travels through
correspondence, going ahead to arrange accommodation and tickets
etc. and then returning to accompany Baba. 

In the midst of all of this, he kept diaries and took down Baba's
explanations on any scrap of paper he had available. Much of his
correspondence and diary writing was done perched on luggage with
his typewriter or notebook on his lap in the aisle of 3rd class
compartments of Indian trains. Often the only available space was
next to the train lavatory. He also had night watch duties for Baba, at
times attended to Baba's personal care and in the early years with
Baba at Meherabad had duties concerned with running the ashram.

Family members, who would briefly see him as he passed through
Mumbai, reported that he was in a constant state of exhaustion and
work. If he had time on his way through Mumbai he would call in at
odd hours of the day or night at the Dadachanji home in Dadar,
staying for a couple of hours, a day or sometimes a couple of days.
Money was always short at this time, so he would not eat on the train
even when traveling for 12-18 hours, and he always wanted
something to eat when he unexpectedly turned up. And he always
slept on the floor on his bedding roll, not in a bed.

His nature was very friendly and when in Mumbai he would not rest,
but would go to every Baba lover's home, giving all news of Baba. He
would take the time to do this in spite of his hectic schedule. 

He was also excitable, gullible and absent minded by nature. People
would tell him tall stories and he would tell them to Baba. His
gullibility would amuse Baba. He also was one of the very close ones
who served as Baba's scapegoat. For example, Baba would dictate
something to him and Chanji would argue with Him. Baba would tell
him, "Do exactly as I say," and Chanji would then argue about, for
example, the grammar. This often resulted in a beating. 

Another story along these lines concerns Baba telling Chanji to
arrange for a dastoor to come to discuss a Navjote ceremony. When
the dastoor came, Baba hid, leaving Chanji to meet him, and after
the dastoor left, Chanji teased Baba, telling Him that He was too
scared of the dastoor to come out. Baba pushed Chanji into a chair
telling him, "Who the hell do you think you are! I'm never afraid!"
Baba grabbed some nearby hair clippers and clipped off a wide
streak of hair across the top of Chanji's head. That day Chanji and
Norina Matchabelli were to give a talk on Baba to an audience. "I'm
giving a talk this evening and this is how I'll look?! exclaimed an
excited Chanji. "So what!" responded Baba, "Look this way!!"

When Baba picked on him, Chanji would say, "Go on, Baba
 You
have the right to treat me like this. You are the Master
You have the
authority."

In July 1944, while in Raipur with Baba, Chanji became ill. He
recovered enough to travel to Kashmir to make arrangements for
Baba to visit there. In Kashmir his health deteriorated, but even with
a high fever he managed to hire a bungalow for the women mandali's
use. His condition again worsened and was finally diagnosed as
typhoid. Baba had him admitted to the Kashmir Nursing Home, where
Dr. Daulat Singh and others cared for him. He did not improve and
on Friday, August 25th at 5:30 a.m., with Baba's name on his lips, he
died.

Back in 1929, while in Kashmir, Baba had remarked to Chanji, "Your
tomb will be here." And Chanji himself used to say, "When I die, I
want to die in Kashmir." Baba attended Chanji's funeral in the Parsi
cemetery in Harvan near Srinagar and strewed flowers over his
remains, where a headstone was later erected. Baba dictated the
following cable to be sent to Adi Sr. and Chanji's family:

CHANJI HAS COME TO ME FOREVER. HE HAS JOINED ME
ETERNALLY AND NO ONE SHOULD WORRY.

There was another ceremony and burial for Chanji, this time at
Meherabad. On 19th December 1944, Masaji, Pendu and Naja's
father, died at Meherabad and was buried there in the area currently
known as Dadi's farm. Two days later, Nariman and Arnavaz
Dadachanji were married in Ahmednagar and on 23rd December
1944 Baba called His lovers who were in the area to Meherabad. 

This was the occasion of the foundation-laying ceremony for what is
to be the Memorial Tower for Baba's departed devotees. A pit had
been dug near Masaji's grave and Chanji's bedding roll was buried in
it. Baba strewed roses over it and Adi Sr. read out Baba's message
explaining the purpose of this Tower. Quoting from this message:

"The foundation of this Tower is being laid on the tomb of My loved
Masaji with the bedding of one of My loved disciples - F. H.
Dadachanji, whose selfless service to My Cause was wholehearted
in its devotion and singular in its attainments," 

Adi then read out the names of departed lovers given a few days
before by Baba and Baba placed one rose after another in the
foundation as each name was called out. 

At the end of this momentous occasion Baba picked up with both
hands the remaining roses from the basket and threw them in the pit
containing Chanji's bedding roll, saying, "These are for My future
lovers to come."

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Jai Beloved Baba! 
Archives Team 
Avatar Meher Baba P.P.C. Trust 

Other Heart Talk letters can be selected at: 
http://www.ambppct.org/archives/collections/written_materials/correspondence/heart_talk.htm 

To learn more about the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Archives go to: 
http://www.ambppct.org/archives 

Heart Talk, Post 307, 1 October 2009 
Copyright 2009 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust