It's Silence Day at Meherazad...

Meherazad - as it looks today, but photographed by Robin Oppenheimer yesterday

10th July  ..Silence Day all over the world for Baba lovers.  90 years ago on this day Meher Baba started His Silence which is still reverberating in our hearts and lives today.  He speaks in His Silence, and we all have heard Him, or else why would we be observing this day?

Meherazad, Baba's home, goes from mad, mad rush of pilgrims coming to visit His home on 9th July to becoming a place of silence in the space of a few hours.  I woke up this morning remembering that I didn't talk to Baba aloud.  Went and greeted Meherwan Jessawala by joining my hands to him, then got everything ready for his breakfast and went outside to do my turning clockwise exercise and what happens?  Our dearest Gabby, Meherazad's 3-legged dog, does what he tries to do every day, spin with me!!  Without thinking I said "Good morning Gabby!" then had to smack my hand over my mouth for having broken my silence. And it was only 4.55 AM! 

Well!!  Perhaps that's it, and the rest of my Silence Day will pass, well, in silence...it is easy to be silent here.  Since the workers keep silent too (voluntarily) there is none of the usual shouting of instructions, petty squabbles, laughter and joking.  Instead you can hear the birds singing, and boy do they sing loudly!  The coppersmith, the Indian cuckoo, the Indian robin, parrots, crows ...all chorusing away.  Singing His Name, no doubt.  The plants rustle quietly, there is a loud creaking noise as the tin shade next to Eruch's cabin sways in the breeze and someone has just turned the outside tap on full, even though we are in the middle of a severe water shortage...

I went for a walk this morning, around the foot of Seclusion Hill and around the new forest road back to Meherazad.  One of our dogs came with me.  Cissy was so good, she came each time I clapped.  Much better behaviour than when I am talking and call out to her to come!  Seclusion Hill looked beautiful and I wished I could climb it, but I can't right now because my damaged knees can't cope with the climb back down... maybe soon, yes Baba?


Yesterday we had a few hundred pilgrims come and take Darshan at Meherazad, they came from all over India to be with their Beloved at His Samadhi for this most important day of the Avataric advent. 

Pilgrims and volunteers outside Baba's room at Meherazad 9 July 2015. Photo Robin Oppenheimer.

Volunteers taking Darshan at the very end of the pilgrims' visit, 9 July 2015.  Photo by Robin Oppenheimer.

They came and cued for a surprisingly short time, visited with Baba in His bedroom and in Mandali Hall and then came around to greet Meherwan Jessawala who sat in his usual place on the men's side verandah and greeted each with joined hands.  Then they went off to absorb the beauty of the place, many of them lying prone on the benches in the garden and looking up at the leafy tree cover and, beyond that, the blue sky.  It was a happy day, and we Meherazad residents were so grateful to be part of this love feast.  Today the pilgrims are exchanging real things at His feet in Meherabad.. after all, Baba Himself said, "Things that are real are given and received in silence."  Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!!!
 

A Pictorial Walk Up Seclusion Hill and Back.

Starting out from the little stile gate, back of Meherazad

I am going to be away from Meherazad (and Meherabad and India) for around ten weeks, and was feeling really down about leaving.  To cheer me up I took my new Experia phone with me on my morning walk up Seclusion Hill and took some pictures.  Then I thought, I could share the walk with my readers, so here are the pictures... 



Gabriel (or Gabby as he is fondly known) is our youngest dog. He is the embodiment of "Don't worry, be happy". Despite having only three legs he is always cheerful and loving and happy! Also always hungry. Some days he comes up Seclusion Hill with me, but this day he sat by the stile, and refused to climb. He cheers us up with his affection and his funny antics - his cute pose is to lie on his back and wriggle about! How can anyone resist that??

Our 3-legged ray of sunshine, Gabriel, refuses to walk further!



View of Seclusion Hill from the path

It was a clear and cool morning, with the dew sparkling on the grass which made it look like a silver carpet.  However, there is only on picture where I was able to capture that, and this one isn't it.  The hill looks beautiful and so lush and green, totally unlike it was in Baba's time... 



A few steps closer to the Hill now.

The next few pictures are views as I approach the Hill. 


Almost identical to the one above, isn't it?  But every step brings us closer.  It is like lifetimes.. if you learn nothing then the next life is almost the same as the one before, to quote Richard Bach in my favourite book of all time, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. 

 

The picture below is taken halfway up the path from Meherazad to Seclusion Hill.

Nearly at the gate to the path up Seclusion Hill

A view of Khandoba AHill from the gate, with the sun rising.

 

The bunds look almost silver because of the dew drops!

Just outside the gate, a shaft of sunlight illuminates the grass while casting shadows over the surrounding trees.  On mornings like these Meherazad and the surroundings are like a fairy wonderland, with light, birdsong, scents and the wetness of the grass all combining to make it a very special time.  It is, of course, Baba's presence that permeates it all, keeps it all so beautiful, pristine and serene.  Thank You Baba!

The path gets harder to climb up...



Rather like the spiritual path, as Baba explained.

The path turns upwards again, and I'm nearly at the top...

 When I climbed the Hill with Eruch and Meherwan, I loved hearing them describe the times they went up with Beloved Baba.  How Baba compared the climb up Seclusion Hill to the spiritual path is detailed in another blog post previously, so I will not repeat the whole story.  But as the climb goes on, it gets harder and harder and from my experience (limited and meagre as it is) of this life-path of mine (which could be termed spiritual, I suppose) you need strong legs and lungs to keep going. A good heart helps too, otherwise your BP will shoot through the roof.  My daily climb is my morning meditation, my time with Baba, remembering Him and thanking Him for bringing me here and keeping me here all these years.  I usually say my prayers at the top..seen in the picture below.

The summit is in sight - but it is still a hard climb away..

Just before the summit, Baba's bench, where He rested.

There was a time when we used to sit on the seat and Eruch and/or Meherwan would give us chana and seeng - dried chickpeas and peanuts mixed with puffed rice, just before we made the final effort to get to the very top!  Now I come on my own and rarely sit there. I am happier on the top, saying my morning prayers and remembering Baba.  Daily prayer, "Baba, let me live with Your Name on my lips and Your Damaan in my hands and die with Your name on my lips and Your Damaan in my hands." Amen.

The seat itself - where Eruch, Meherwan, I and others have rested too..

Here is a really clear view of Baba's couch.  He used to sit there so that He was out of the drafts (Baba didn't like wind or drafts) when He stayed on the Hill for His Seclusion work.  There is only one person still alive who was with Baba and the mandali at the time, and he is a 94 years old farmer named Sampati.  He helped Donkin make the original path and carried water up for Baba's use.

 

Not taking time out at the seat, I climb up and take a few pictures of the views around the Hill.  See how green it all is?  Well, we have only had 18 inches of rain this year, so it is going to be hard in months to come.  All this land will be brown and dry, and there is going to be great hardship for all, including us residents at Meherazad. What looks like water is actually mist, but it does add a really special something to the pictures.



A panoramic view from the top..




And another one..

And another!!! It's so green right now, but hardly any rain..

On the walk down..lovely colours..

 Climbing down again, I looked over the treetops and saw the lovely pale green of the grass all lit up by the gentle sunlight.  Here it is for you all to share with me. This year there is an infestation of 'congress grass', a particularly toxic and virulent weed, on the Hill.  All these years we have managed to avoid this invasion, but this year with the drought, the seeds must have flown on the breeze and also been taken up by the cattle who graze there, on their hooves. 

 

The Young Adults Sahavasees came and repaired the pathway and also helped pull out a lot of the congress grass, but I keep finding new patches each day, which adds greatly to the time I take to go up and down the Hill twice each morning.  Some days I take so much time weeding, I can only manage one up and down trek.

Aloba's shrine to His Name.  Still there.

Aloba's spot originally, where he had made the first bed and put stones to spell out Baba's Name.  Now it is done often, but still the cows and goats walk over it and destroy the beautiful shrine.  But there are many willing hands to set it right again.  Meheru used to come up to here, and she would offer flowers, then come down again.  Some days she would be going up as I was going down, other days she went later in the day with Janet and Heather or someone else - always a pleasure to meet her on a walk.   

Almost the end of my walk.

 Almost at the end of the path.  It is now quite level and easy to walk.  You can see how it turns gently towards the exit (which is also the entrance). 


What a lovely scene!

Baba's grace and some really hard work has kept the Hill full of trees.  In His time there was only one, right on the top.  Soon the fencing of Meherazad properties will be done then there will be a large-scale afforestation programme to plant some indigenous trees and medicinal plants all around.  It will be a wonderful project for many volunteers for years to come.  I hope very much that I will be one of the first!!  

 Just look at the light in this picture!!  Perfect..

And someday, I will be able to share the sounds, the scents and the feel of the place.  At the rate science is progressing, this is not an improbable dream.

 

The very end of the path, only the turning to the gate left, then you are out and back on your way to Meherazad.  It has been a lovely walk and I look forward to doing it again very soon!!  Actually, I still have a couple of days left, but I needed to get this done before it was too late, and I ran out of time.  

The gate.

The gate...

Looking back on the way I've just come.

Almost at the stile gate now, and looking back on a wonderful walk with Him..

 

Meherazad Session - 2 Aug. 2011 - Meher Baba's Enlightenment.

Yesterday, 2 August 2011, Meherwan spoke in Mandali hall to a small and select audience.  There aren't that many people around right now, so it was necessarily small!

Gary (McGill) was recording the session, and asked Meherwan to speak about how Meher Baba got enlightened.  It is a story most Baba lovers are familiar with, but to hear Meherwan tell it is rather special.  Here is the video, all 44 or so minutes of it.  

I was thinking about what Meherwan tells me and anyone who asks, about how to best keep Baba in our daily lives.  Remember Him, take His Name all the time, so that His Name becomes your weapon of offence and defence.  Your sword and your shield.  

I listen to the Gayatri Mantra on my morning walks.  It focuses my mind and as the chant goes on, I get into a state of meditation as I walk around Meherazad.  At first the music in the background is slow and soothing, and the chant is super-imposed on this music.  As the chant goes past the 54th repetition (the Gayatri has to be chanted 108 times, so this is the half-way mark) you notice that the chanting is still at the same speed, but the music quickens.  By the time you are at the last 20 or so repetitions, it is very fast and then suddenly the 108th repetition is upon you and there is no real warning that this is the end.  The presence of the Mandali in our lives is very like that.  At first their presence was suffused with a calm sense of permanence.  The messages they gave were given and received with no sense of hurry.  Then one by one they started to die.  Now we have a very few, Bhauji and Meheru, Manu and Meherwan, left amongst us.  I find Meherwan's constant insistence on remembering our Lord like the quickened music behind the Gayatri Mantra.  It tells us that the time is coming when there will be no more Mandali left and suddenly the last one will be gone and we will kick ourselves for missing the chance to be with them and hear what they have to say in person.  

I see so few residents (and even pilgrims) coming to Meherazad and even fewer taking advantage of the opportunity to talk with Meherwan.  They are busy, but the work cannot take away from why we are really here, to be with Baba and to take in His special flavour through the medium of the last few original ones who lived their lives with and for Him.  Come be here, soon the music will stop and there will be only silence.  Which is as it should be, you and Baba in your own relationship with Him.  Jai Baba.

Katie Irani

Today is Katie Irani's death anniversary. We at Meherazad remembered Katie by arranging a lunch of aamras (alphonso mango pulp), spicy potatoes and puris (little fried wheat breads) which was the last meal she asked for before she went to Baba. At Baba's dining table were a group of women who had been with Katie and remembered her and loved her. We all ate a wonderful meal and then we talked of Katie. Stories were shared and everyone could relate to each other's remembrances.

Here are a few of the stories shared:

Dolly Dastur spoke about how Katie was very particular not to waste anything, and this was because Baba had impressed on them that everything was precious, Baba's lovers gave money and they couldn't waste even a paisa of this gift. When the ladies needed even the smallest thing - a needle, some elastic, pins - the list would be given to Baba first and He would then cross out things that He didn't deem necessary. Dolly also spoke about Katie and her working at the Japanese Consulate in Mumbai, where later she got Dolly a job. Katie used to play ping pong (table tennis) with the Consul General. At first he was not very good, and she trounced him regularly, which made him very cross. But as the days went on, he was getting better rapidly, and she found out that the reason was that he made his wife play with him after the office closed, so that he could win against Katie. It was because of her association with the Japanese Consulate that Falu called Katie Katie-san, which is a Japanese form of respect.

Shelley shared reminisces of the last days, when Katie could not eat nor barely speak. She had asked Shelley to do three things for her once she passed on - colour in her eyebrows (Katie had white eyebrows and she coloured them in with pencil, often inaccurately!), put on her lipstick and put on socks on her feet which Katie thought were ugly and disfigured, and didn't want anyone to see when they came to pay their last respects. A few days before she died, Terry Adams came to see Katie and treated her to a 'spa' day, with manicure, pedicure, etc. and so Katie had painted nails when she went to Baba! Shelley also said that though she had become very thin her stomach was still protruding and when she laughed it would jump up and down. She never lost her sense of humour and even at the end she would laugh at a memory of a scene from 'Keeping up Appearances' (a British TV sitcom about a snobbish housewife). We all remembered her addiction to 'The Bold and the Beautiful', which she watched religiously for years and years. One day towards the very end, she was being helped to pass a stool, and Shelley reminded her that Baba would call this "Throwing out the Chinese", when He went to the toilet. Was Katie doing the same for Al-Quaeda who were at the time attacking Quetta, her hometown? Katie's stomach bobbed up and down, and she gasped "CNN!" She wanted to see if the Al-Quaeda were being thrown out!!

Davana spoke of her time working in the dispensary with both sisters, Katie and Goher, and the different instructions they would each give, often contradictory to the other. Katie was very frugal, having lived with Baba in the Ashram, but Goher had never had to undergo the hardships because she was away at medical school, so she was very generous with everything, and the sisters often clashed on how 'stingy' or 'wasteful' each was!

I shared stories of how Eruch, Aloba, Meherwan, Falu and the other men would tease Katie. Every evening Katie would come around to the men's side on her 'Duckie' - the electric chair that she used to get around - and ask how the meal was. Falu would always complain that there was no meat, and she would shout at him, "You ungrateful boy, where shall I get the meat? Shall I cut it out from my arms, my thighs? Why can't you say 'Thank you Katie san' just once?" They would also deliberately praise my cooking and say how good my cutlets were, which always made Katie complain that she had worked herself into the ground all these years only for them to praise this 'chokree' (girl)who had just arrived! This teasing Katie and her rising to the bait was a daily occurrence and all looked forward to it with great relish.

So we ate good food and talked of our Katie; cook, singer, actress, author, world-traveller and lover of Baba extraordinaire. Her love for her Beloved Baba shone through always, and after lunch we heard her singing Baba's poems and Arti and everyone, even the kitchen help, smiled with love and fond remembrance, missing our sweetie. She was Baba's 'perfect girs', whom he had wanted to take to the West with Him. Had her mother not refused permission, Katie would have gone with Him to Europe, England and the USA. Now she has gone home to Him, and we will always remember...