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!