Ted Judson, the architect at Meherabad, is known for his meticulous planning. As Vaibhav Joshi, the engineer who has worked with him for long says, “Ted Sir can spend hours finetuning a layout to the last detail.” Yet, Ted is no stranger to mistakes. Some of those, not the everyday kind of mistakes. “Plans don’t work out the way they want. You often find you have made a mistake that can be corrected only at great expense. So, you take a fresh look at it, see it as an opportunity. Baba must have made it happen. Then the resolution you or someone else comes up with may surprise you.” You must have noticed the Parvardigar prayer that you walk under when you enter Meher Pilgrim Retreat (MPR). It stretches from one end of the corridor to the other. Would you believe that it did not figure in the original plan? Plaster? Ugh! Prayer? Yes!Ted was clear that he did not want any RCC or plaster to show on top. “It should have been just bricks right up to the roof. But the arches covered by the bricks down here supported a solid wall on top. A beam was needed to bear the load. The plan was to have the beam on top, so that it wouldn’t show below,” Ted explained.
After he gave the necessary instructions, Ted had to go away from the site for a few days. When he came back he was shocked. “There was an 18-inch ugly plaster strip showing along the full length of the verandah. Exactly what I did not want.” A few solutions came up. The easiest would have been to paint it over and let it be. But was that the best one could do? Pray, what would the Master have wanted? Why not the Master’s Prayer? In stepped Narendra Gandhi from Hyderabad, popularly known as Gandhi Painter. Apart from being very talented, Narendra is also an expert in using digital technology to enhance his art. So, there you have it. Next time you walk along the corridor, reading that prayer up against the ceiling yet again, would you look at it as a human mistake or as a divine correction?
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Why is Penpilgrim writing about peanuts and squirrels, when this is supposed to be largely based on conversations with fellow lovers of Meher Baba? Well … we shall get to that soon. Most first-time visitors to the Samadhi are struck by the love and peace that embrace you when you are blessed to be in His presence. Then, especially when you have come with children, you begin to notice the things around, like His little lovers who scurry about—the squirrels. Years ago, many adults (guilty!) and children would deliberately ask for peanuts as prasad simply to share it with the squirrels. After all, didn’t Baba love animals and care for so many of them? What came first? The squirrels or the peanut prasad? And why did peanuts disappear from what is given out as prasad? How peanuts became prasadHere are extracts from what James Cox wrote under the heading “Peanut Prasad” in the July – September 2000 issue of the Love Street Lamp Post. “Soon after Baba dropped his body and people started to come for Darshan, Mansari, who was living alone on the Hill, became concerned about being able to provide prasad, in accordance with Indian tradition and expectations, to the many who were starting to come, so she approached Mani and asked if the newly functioning Trust could do something about this, but Mani, maybe because of the ritual aspect, declined rather strongly. “Feeling bad, Mansari decided she would provide prasad herself out of her own very meagre funds, and she did. From that point, other people joined her and donations began to flow, and as anyone can testify who has been to the Samadhi, there has never been a shortage of prasad since. “However, some 15 or 20 years ago … the idea of having an alternate prasad for people trying to limit their sugar intake, came into existence and the practice of offering peanuts at the Samadhi was born. This new option also caught on, albeit not to the extent of the sweet prasad, but nevertheless, there were still several individuals who regularly contributed peanuts to the Samadhi, out of which the main ones, I suppose, were Sheila Fenster (Bhau Kalchuri's daughter), Rustom Falahati (famous for his raw food diet, which almost everyone here has tried) and myself. “… In fact, so many raw peanuts have accumulated that some persons have mischievously started feeding them to the ground squirrels, and now Baba's prasad has many new four-legged, furry devotees.” Baba recommends roastingThen James goes on to add what Sheila Fenster told him, again about peanuts. “… she asked me if I knew the story of the opening of the Meher Nazar Baba Centre, and I said that I did not. She proceeded to tell me that when she was about 9, and her younger brother Mehernath was about 7, they wanted to open a Centre for Baba in what is now the Trust Compound, and they asked Baba if He would come for the opening to which He readily agreed. “At the opening ceremony, Baba came and cut the ribbon and congratulated them, telling them how happy He was, and then asked Mehernath how many members they had. Mehernath said, ‘None.’ “Then Baba asked about Sheila, and wasn't she a member, to which Mehernath indicated that she wasn't, that he only let her in when there was work for her to do. Baba was amused and asked Sheila, ‘So what work do you do?’ “Sheila said, ‘I roast the peanuts for prasad.’ “And then Baba asked, ‘What do you do with them after roasting?’ “Sheila replied, ‘I give them to Mehernath.’ “And Baba again asked, ‘What does he do with them?’ “And Sheila again replied, ‘He eats them.’ “Baba laughed and told her that her roasted peanuts were really delicious, and that He wanted her to supply them to all of Meherazad. So, she bought and roasted 2 kilos worth, then sent them out to Meherazad. “The next time He saw her, Baba told her how good they were, and that He wanted her to supply them to His Samadhi. She was puzzled, as at that time there was no one who went to the Samadhi, but Baba told her that in the future she would have the chance, and to make sure they [were] just like this, lightly salted and roasted nicely, because raw peanuts have some oil in them that is not good for the throat.” Apparently, people were getting a little overenthusiastic about feeding the squirrels and the squirrels were getting aggressive too. So, up went a signboard warning people the squirrels could bite and cause rabies. Soon after came the long Covid break with all its companion changes. Out went the peanuts. So, why write this?On the way from the Samadhi to the Meher Pilgrim Retreat (MPR), one can still see squirrels scurrying down one tree, rushing across the ground past stray wrappers of chocolates and sweets distributed as prasad, and then scurrying up another tree.
In typical squirrel fashion, some of them would pause, turn around and offer a namaste, sitting on their hind legs. So close to the Samadhi, perhaps that is a genuine namaste and definitely not for any human. That recurring sight over a couple of days triggered the basic idea for this article. Of course, it was no accident that the article by James Cox turned up soon after, when the search was for something else. Baba was making clear, for His own reasons and in his own way what Penpilgrim had to write about next. No peanuts to share with you, little friends, but definitely with you on offering our love and respect to the Master. Jai Meher Baba 🙏 There are some persons and structures that visitors to Meherabad get used to pretty soon. Ted Judson, the architect who has engineered several of those structures is one such person. It was not easy for him to spare the time when I requested him to share his memories. I suggested we could begin with Meher Pilgrim Centre (MPC) and Meher Pilgrim Retreat (MPR). He agreed subject to one condition. “People come to Meherabad to be with Baba and not to admire the home they stay in. I am grateful for the opportunity to live here for so long and to contribute my bit. Over the years, many people worked together to create what you see now. Of course, all under Baba’s gaze.” Ted recalled two instances from those early years that have stayed with him. These are Baba'sMPC was Ted’s first project. One day, he took the preliminary drawings to Mehera. She studied those and was about to return the roll of papers to Ted. Then she said: “These need a rubber band. I’ll go get one.” Ted said, “Don’t worry. These are just prints. I can get more of these printed.” Mehera looked at Ted and very lovingly said, “These aren’t yours. These are Baba’s. Take care of these.” You think I am a fool?Padri played an important role in easing Ted in. “He had great respect for my education and what I could do. He would be there when I supervised the construction so that the workers knew I was in charge, and they were to follow my instructions.”
“Once both Padri and I were on top of the Samadhi trying to tackle a persistent seepage problem,” Ted remembered. “He would ask, and I would offer one suggestion after another. And Padri would promptly reject each. Finally, I lost my cool.” “Do you think I am a fool?” an exasperated Ted asked Padri. Padri took a moment and then posed a counter question, “Do you think I am a fool?” Recalling that little exchange with a smile, Ted said, “I do not think Padri was trying to take me down. Nor was he questioning my intelligence. Padri knew what he was doing. His clear message was not to think too much of myself.” Over the years, Ted has enjoyed working with and learning from a lot of people including some of the labourers. “Some of them were third- or fourth-generation carpenters and masons. They were good. To me value is not in buying something beautiful. It’s in a person’s skill, learnt craft and the intention to get it right. That’s what has real value for me.” It is obvious that for Ted and others like him, when it comes to doing Baba’s work, applying one’s skill and experience with the intention to deliver the best is what matters most—then and now. She had always wanted to come to India. Finally, Anneke de Jong landed in India in 1996 along with a few friends who happened to be Baba lovers. After an extensive tour of Rajasthan and other places, they decided to spend the last 10 days of their trip in Meherabad at Meher Pilgrim Centre (MPC). “Of course, my friends told me about Meher Baba. I found the stories were nice, but I was sceptical. What do you mean by loving Baba, I wondered,” Anneke remembered. She had been reading a book on Mehera. She found it very interesting. “I did not put it down until I had finished it. I remember thinking, what a fascinating man!” Welcome home!It was after four days and much persuasion that Anneke went with a friend to the Samadhi. She observed what her friend did at the tomb. Then, “out of respect” she too went in. “When I put my head on the tomb, I don’t know what happened to me. I had an amazing feeling. Like I could see the universe. It freaked me out. “Then I did it again. The same thing happened again. And I just burst out crying. The tears just would not stop. “I just sat there. My friend left me. I don’t know how long I sat there. There was nobody there, except the Samadhi duty person. “I came out of the Samadhi stumbling. Was I confused? But I had to acknowledge that the experience I had was real.” The person on duty gave her prasad and said, “Welcome home!” That brought more tears! “After that I started joining the arti, the prayers. The lyrics of the songs would bring more and more tears,” Anneke added. When she returned to Spain after about a week, Anneke was sure she had to come back to find out more about what this place was. Making the art connectionAnneke’s family was already into art out of passion and as a profession. In 2003, when Anneke came to India, her daughter Marcella (then 19) was with her. “Both my daughters are also Baba lovers.” Marcella would go on to play a major role in creating the mural that now adorns the first-floor landing Meher Pilgrim Retreat (MPR). In 2004, when Bhau Kalchuri visited London, Anneke and a few of her friends went over from Spain to meet him. David Fenster had just published the three-volume book, The Divine Romance. She bought a copy. While in London, Anneke happened to meet Anna de Polnay, the artist who drew the mural on the ground floor of MPR. “By then Anna had started work on her mural. She told me she had started way too early. MPR was still being constructed and there was too much disruption.” Anna had got the opportunity for the mural after getting in touch with Ted Judson. Ted was getting together a team of Baba lovers from across the world to contribute their talent and love for Baba to the MPR project. Anneke and her daughter Marcella were excited about the idea. As advised by Anna, she wrote to Ted. “I did not know Ted then. Ted replied that he was not saying yes or no. He would need to see some of our work to help him decide.” Marcella came over to India in February 2005 and met Ted. They got the go ahead to present a sketch. Baba helps all the wayMeanwhile, Anneke was all charged up and inspired after reading the book. Yet, there was a need to source more visual material to ensure they got the details right.
It so happened that the previous year, Bif Soper had been commissioned to photograph various locations in India which Baba and His companions had covered and stayed in during the New Life phase. The photos were for the book, Meher Baba’s New Life by Bhauji. Bif happily shared the images with Marcella. She printed the images and now had a rich source of reference material. Meanwhile, based on her experience, Anna advised Anneke to carry all the material she was likely to need for the mural when she came to India. “It was not that the materials were not available in India. Just that it would have involved a lot of time, effort and travel to gather everything we were likely to need. So, I ended up coming with baggage that must have weighed some 50 kilos. Fortunately, an Indian travel agent understood the project, and took the trouble to arrange for almost-free transportation.” The concession was only for bringing it into India and they were not to carry any of that stuff back. “We did not realise it then nor did we plan it that way. But Marcella and I started work on the mural in 2005, on October 16. The same date when Baba had commenced his New Life, exactly 56 years ago.” They completed the mural in two months. Anneke is sure that Baba helped them all the way. “He showed up whenever we needed Him. He helped us so much. We were His hands to hold the brushes, and His feet to fetch and carry. The mural happened by His grace. Jai Baba!” Every trip to Meher Pilgrim Retreat provides an opportunity to learn, how to love the Master more, how to serve Him right. The lessons may come from just being at peace and alive to all that’s happening around you. Or it may come from a relaxed conversation with a fellow pilgrim—usually someone who has been at it longer with deep dedication. This time, it was a conversation with Jimmy Khan from Mumbai that provided the opportunity. Based on a few personal experiences and impressions, I asked him: “Is our devotion to Meher Baba getting diluted? Are more and more people losing out on the values that He advocated, that He would have liked us to uphold? Are we now more about serving ourselves than others?” Jimmy thought for a moment. Then he replied: “Yes, possibly there is a dilution. It could be because of too many factors. “But why are we even thinking of others? Baba guides everyone’s life. All of us think, act and do according to His will. Before we point a finger at others, let us ask. Are we, you and me, living as He would have wanted us to?” “We recite the Prayer of Repentance every day, right? Tomorrow, can we tick off at least one sin from that list and seek repentance for all that we are yet to accomplish?” So, should we use the Prayer of Repentance as a checklist to become worthy of Him, I asked Jimmy. “Perhaps,” he replied. “We could try that.” The repentance checklistBegging His mercy right at the outset, I took the liberty to convert the Prayer of Repentance He has granted us into a checklist. The kind that ought not to take too long as we rush through all of life’s demands and distractions. With His blessings, maybe some of us can tick off a sin or two we are really able to shed forever or at least for a day. Then we can repent and seek his forgiveness for all the sins we continue to commit. Including preaching about the path others ought to take while we continue to be lost.
From prayer to practiceIf I understood Jimmy right, the challenge is to practice what we state in the prayer. Go beyond what we plead for and try to practice. A tall order! But He never promised to make anything easy for us, did He? We hold on tight and constantly try to be worthy of Him.
“Perhaps, that will give each of us a good chance to be a true Baba lover without advertising oneself,” Jimmy said. “Instead of being a vocal, yet imperfect advocate, one could become a model, a silent, loving model. Lead our lives in such a way that people find us different, that we stand out in a positive way.” What do you think? Would your checklist have more? Or less? And how will you put it to use? |
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What this is aboutThis site is largely based on conversations with individuals who are fellow lovers of Meher Baba. Many of them serve Him in their own way, driven by their love and dedication to Him. This site is not meant to promote any individual. This site does not claim ownership of the content featured here. Every source is acknowledged where the information is available, and all text is approved by the relevant person or persons. Readers are welcome to share their opinions in comments. Please do write in case any ownership information is missed out or incorrect. This is a product of Meher Baba's love, inspired and facilitated by Him. This penpilgrim is grateful to Him for this opportunity. In His love, Vijay. |
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