Memories of Growing up with God - Editing Meherwan Jessawala's Memoirs.

Wow!!  Talk about growing up with God!  This family had the market cornered before most even knew Baba was the Avatar.  I am helping with the edit of the draft manuscript that has been taken from a series of videos that Ward Parks recorded with Meherwan, and the stories are absolutely delightful.

Meherwan's first memories of meeting Baba are from 1937, when he was just seven years old.  Baba came to stay at their home in Nagpur and held a mass darshan there.  He recalls that he had prepared a small garland of flowers to offer Baba but he was shy and didn't dare go up to Him.  Baba saw this and had Eruch call Meherwan up to the stage.  There Baba helped Meherwan tie up the garland and slip it over His head.  As Meherwan says, he does not know if what he felt then for Baba was love, but he 'felt something'.  And the rest of the memoirs are a journey - how Baba took that 'felt something' and nurtured it and fed it until today it is the love you see shining forth when you meet Meherwan and talk with him. 

The Jessawala Chronicles will show the reader how one family gave up everything and surrendered totally to Meher Baba.  How Papa Jessawala, never one for showing his emotions, was able to allow his family to leave everything and go to be with the Lord because of his deep love and reverence for Him.  How this affluent Parsi family gave everything up in an instant because their Master called, and because 'By Your Grace everything is possible'.  How the promise given by Eruch was instrumental in bringing the whole extended family close to the Beloved in a way nothing else could.  And how that family's sacrifices made it possible for Eruch to be with Baba and fulfil his destiny.  Baba says, "Don't ask Me for anything." and they never did.  They only gave and gave and gave.  In return He showered them with the untold riches of His Love and care.  The attitude of the whole family has always been "It's all His anyway, what can we offer that is ours?"

The book is being published by The Beguine Library Meher Baba Information, Rick Chapman's organisation.  The family has given some really beautiful photographs from the lot we found in Eruch's small trunk a couple of months ago.  The originals are being electronically stored and will eventually be made available via the Internet.  All in all, it promises to be a Baba gem.  It is after all a tribute from one Meherwan to The Merwan, Avatar Meher Baba.  Wait for it.  It's coming soon.  Well, as soon as Meherwan and I can read through the first draft and make the corrections, that is. 

The picture above is one of the photographs I took on Manu's 94th birthday, 7 May, 2012.  After garlanding Baba in Mandali Hall and in her room, we went to Eruch's room to place a garland on his bed.  We are so fortunate to still have Manu around, though she grows frailer by the day.  Still, in the indomitable way of that family, she gives it all to Baba and only asks that when she goes He makes sure that His Name is on her lips.  Jai Baba!

Account of Papa Jessawala's Last Days and Other Memories

Michael LePage did a video of the Jessawala family's association with Meher Baba.  It is narrated by Meherwan Jessawala and has some really lovely pictures of the family with Baba.  There is one of Baba on the porch of Bindra House (the Jessawala residence in Pune) and there I am, in Gaimai's arms!

The video shows Eruch with Baba in so many places.  Eruch's place in Baba's advent is unchallenged.  Baba interpreter, His valet, the constant companion of everyone's Constant Companion.  Eruch dedicated his life to serving Baba.  He was the essential "fortunate slave".  However, it was the family's dedication to the Master that allowed Eruch to fulfil his role.  This is the story of that family.

The video also has a beautiful snapshot of the Avatar playing marbles with Meherwan.  Meherwan was the first child to be called Meherwan by Baba.  He was allowed to stay with the women Mandali for periods of time.  His memoirs will soon be published.  I've been reading them for Meherwan to help him ensure accuracy and I find these stories inspiring, delightful and a wonderful narrative of a child and an adult growing up with God.  Baba was once asked what a saint looked like.  Pointing to Meherwan who was present at that time Baba gestured, "Like him."

This is a video to cherish and to share.  I am sharing it with you all.  Jai Meher Baba.

Meherwan Jessawala talks of Memories of Growing up with God - Baba and the Blue Bus.

Meherwan was 8 years old when Baba commenced on His New Life and the Blue Bus tours.  In this delightful video he tells of some of his memories of that time.  The video starts with silence, or relative silence.  You see Davana and some pilgrim talking and others are settling down, then Meherwan gets his lapel mike and off he goes.  Be patient and you will be rewarded with a truly lively account. 

15 June 1965 - Navjote Day!

Following on from my post on my Divine Beloved blog about how Meher Baba not only insisted that He perform my Navjote ceremony, but also gave me two gifts, which I treasure (that is why I made the YouTube video because I thought you would like to see them).  Here they are!

I have more blog posts and video records to follow for setting the record straight, but if anyone out there has any questions, I will happily run through in person what I recall actually occurred. I still have these Navjote gifts at my home in Meherabad and I would be more than happy to show visiting guests.  

Growing Up With God - Roshan Kerawala Shares her Memories

I was looking through Gary's video posts on YouTube and saw this very detailed and descriptive video of my mother talking of her memories of growing up with Meher Baba.  My mum was fortunate in not only having close and loving association with Meher Baba through her childhood, she was also instructed by Baba to go a Mast/saint Kamu Baba in Mumbai and deliver messages, letters, etc. and take the replies back to Him.  She also was there when Baba sent a mast to stay at Bindra House, Eruch's family's home in Pune.  Her stories are a beautiful window into life with the Avatar from the viewpoint of a child and a young woman.  

I will post more videos as they come.  May my efforts please Beloved Baba.  That will make this blog a success.  Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai.  

Welcome to Memories of Growing Up With God!

This blog is intended to tell stories of growing up with God in the form of Avatar Meher Baba.  I was inspired to start writing it by the book “Growing Up With God” by Sheela Kalchuri-Fenster, Bhauji’s (Kalchuri, Chairman of Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust or AMBPPCT) daughter.  The book is based on Sheela’s memories of growing up with Meher Baba.  Some of those memories are inaccurate and because I was there, I felt moved to correct some of those inaccuracies.  The reaction to my post in my original blog, “Divine Beloved” was so great that I feel that there are so out there who would enjoy stories of people who literally grew up with God!  All of my living family with the exception of my son did.  Of course, stands to reason all of my now dead family from my great grand-father down did too! 

My uncle Eruch Jessawala used to talk about ‘congenital felicity’.  This means that only if you have the greatest good fortune and a lot of good sanskaras can you be born in a family that is spiritually inclined and also close to a great Perfect Master.  The Avatar of the age, Meher Baba, had many such families in His orbit.  I hope to share stories from Baba’s own family, members of the Dadachanji family, one of the last surviving member of Baily’s family and more.  I would also like to include reminisces of families now gone like Meherjee Karkaria, Ali Ramjoo, Vishnu Master, Homai Malati, Madhusudhan and other close ones who are no longer as widely known or remembered. 

While the primary purpose is the sharing of memories of growing up with God, I would also like to encourage my readers who have had experience of living with and serving Baba’s Mandali after He dropped His physical form to share these with the rest of the world.  The special people that formed His close circle need to be celebrated and remembered for the stalwarts they were and are.  We are fortunate to still have among us our dear Bhauji and Meheru, who were part of the original Mandali.  Meherwan Jessawala and his sister Manu who now live in Meherazad did live with Baba and His Mandali until He sent them to live in Bindra House in Pune in 1947.  He fulfilled His promise of calling them back in 1990, when the whole family moved to Meherazad.  

Enjoy the blog.  I hope you will all contribute in some way – whether it is to clarify, question or criticise.  Love and Jai Meher Baba!