On October 3 Dr. Hoshang Bharucha passed away. He had been ill with a brain tumor, but despite his suffering continued to visit the Samadhi at Meherabad. Hoshang was a tireless worker in Meher Baba's Cause and travelled globally to share Meher Baba's message of love. He was a dedicated diarist and has recorded in considerable detail darshan hours with Meher Baba during his visits to Guruprasad, Poona. Just before he passed away, he completed a manuscript of his meetings with Meher Baba, to be published by Beloved Books. Hoshang once related an episode about an event that occurred in Guruprasad. He said that Meher Baba repeatedly mentioned that no one loved Him like Mehera and that her love for Him was truly unique. After hearing Baba repeat it several times, Hoshang said to Baba, ' How is that you say that Mehera loves you more? Don't we love you?' Baba gestured to him to wait and see. During a darshan programme the next day, Baba looked uncomfortable, but continued giving darshan to the hundreds who came to seek His blessings. Mehera, watching from a secluded spot, sent someone with a cushion with instructions to position the cushion behind Baba's back. Baba seemed relieved, turned to Hoshang and gestured, 'You see what I mean?' Because of her love for her Beloved Baba, Mehera could actually feel what Baba felt. As a medical practitioner, Dr. Bharucha often served as Baba's physician, worked during Amartithi caring for thousands of pilgrims, and, even in private practice, served the poor with selfless dedication.
Once again Meher Prasad has released a delightful film-portrait of Meher Baba titled 'Eternal Beloved'. Using rare and extraordinary footage, the film vividly captures the 'warmth, humour and compassion of the man whose love has touched so many hearts.' The film is interspersed with personal experiences narrated by Baba's sister Mani Irani and His close disciples Eruch Jessawala and Dr. Goher Irani. This intimate portrait of Meher Baba is deftly edited by Chris Riger and lovingly written and narrated by Charles Haynes. The film, produced by Steve Edelman, is available from 2793-A Clairmont Road NE, Suite 206A, Atlanta, GA 30329.
Catherin Alpert reports from Seattle on the Northwest Festival of Music and Arts for the Beloved: Imagine spending two and a half days in the intoxication of music, art, poetry and other sharing of Meher Baba's love. Over 60 people of all ages did just that at the Northwest Festival of Music and Arts for the Beloved. Baba was not only present but, at times, palpable, in the abundant joy, creativity and inspiration of His lovers to entertain Him. The event, held in Baba's Barn (now renamed Baba's Wineshop) in a quiet Seattle neighbourhood, alternated scheduled concerts of music or readings of poetry or other activities, followed by Wineshop sessions otherwise known as offerings of the heart: an opportunity for anyone to spontaneously share a song, quotation, poem or other offering with the group. By balancing performance with spontaneous participation, the emphasis for all of us was focused on being with, performing for, and listening for God. At the same time, outside the Barn, art activities were organized for children of all ages (including adults!): mural painting, clay modeling, developing and presenting a play from one of Mani's stories, baking and decorating cookies and many other activities. Programme events of note included the Baba Art Slide Show, a group song writing workshop (followed by performances of the new songs), and choral music composed and directed by Ward Parks, that was sung by a West Coast Baba chorus.
As a production coordinator of a local community access station (a division of Time Warner Cable) here in Savannah, Georgia, I produce and host a bi-monthly one-on-one interview show 'Journeys of the Heart' which focuses on comparative religion and spirituality. On November 27 I incorporated Naosherwan Anzar's interview which was produced by Philip Ludwig and telecast last year on the TV show AURA. Tim Thelen's film 'Meher Baba, The Awakener' will be aired in February. The film was aired on WLRN in Miami, Florida on November 15 and PBS showings, scheduled for early 1996, include KTEH in San Jose, California and WIPB in Muncie, Indiana.
The Meher Baba Center of Minnesota held its annual public event on November 11 at the Friends Meeting House in St. Paul. It was movie night with free popcorn and cold sodas, with Baba ÒticketsÓ handed out at the door announcing Irwin Luck's film ÒMeher Baba: Avatar of the Age." Over 35 people attended, and it was exciting to see that half of them were newcomers. Conversation and book browsing followed the film.
New Yorker Douglas Braswell wrote a letter in 1985 to Gustadji, one of Meher Baba's mandali, who passed away some forty years ago. However, Eruch Jessawala replied to Douglas and we reproduce the letter verbatim:
Concerning your silence, we were touched that your love for Avatar Meher Baba has prompted you to observe silence for 14 years. We know it is not an easy thing to be silent and the fact that you have persevered for so long testifies to your eagerness to please Baba.
Observing silence, however, is not what Baba wants of His lovers. Meher Baba never asked us to observe external silence, except for the 24 hour period of July 10th. In fact, Baba never used to enjoy that day and often told us what a burden our silence was to Him. He would always be very happy on the 11th when once again we resumed speech.
Meher Baba told us time and time again that to honour His silence we should not observe silence ourselves, but we should strive to silence the clamour of our desires, we should strive to silence the demands of our lower self, in short, we should strive to silence our minds so that His love could speak eloquently in our hearts.
It is true that sometimes, for His own work, Baba would order one or more of His disciples to observe silence for a limited period of time, but, with the exception of Gustadji, Bal Tambut, and Daulatmai, none of the disciples was ever given silence as a habitual routine. And even in the above cases, they observed silence only because Meher Baba specifically ordered them to. Without such specific direct orders from Baba it is presumptuous on our part to take on this work ourselves.
Of course, short periods of silence, done on your own as a type of meditation, or to help others can be helpful. But even here, just as with fasting or any 'spiritual' discipline, we should not confuse the technique with spirituality itself, or delude ourselves that we have to so such things to follow Baba. Baba wanted only one thing from us Ñ our loving remembrance of Him. No more, but not less.
I hope this letter does not sound as if I am judging you. No doubt it was Baba who inspired you to observe silence for so long and it is good that you have done so faithfully. But Baba has also inspired you now to write to Gustadji and thus to learn inadvertently, that He does not wish us to observe silence. Baba is now giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your love for Him by showing your willingness to abandon this long established habit of yours )which will not be easy) to begin a new life f inner silence and outer speech.
Baba used to sometimes repeat the famous Persian couplet: Ò To love God you must renounce this world, you must renounce even the next world and finally, you must renounce renunciation itself.Ó This is very hard but we are confident your love for Baba will give you the necessary strength and courage.
Katie Irani visited the United States last October. She spent the first 12 days of her visit in Los Angeles and later inaugurated the first New Life Sahvas Program at Mariposa, where she talked about Meher Baba's New Life and how the Beloved had carefully prepared her for a life outside the ashram Ñ in the frenetic corporate world of Bombay. But the highlight of her visit was a cooking class she held in Los Angeles in early November. Twenty five chefs turned up with kitchen utensils, vegetables and spices. Katie helped prepare some of Baba's favourite dishes and all the guests enjoyed a fine Indian feast.
Q: Meher Baba's manifestation? Bal: Coming to Meher Baba is just a point. I feel that His very birth amongst us is the beginning of His manifestation. Q: Meher Baba's humiliation? Bal: Whenever the Avatar comes, the work is in phases. One of the phases is the phase of humiliation through which, Baba says, the people who humiliate Him get closer to Him; there is no other way for the Avatar to get certain people closer to His heart except through the medium that He creates. Whatever happens to Baba, whether it is suffering or darshan programmes or even the breakdown of the car He is travelling in Ñ has only one purpose — to draw closer to His heart the people who are in a way connected with Him in this Advent.