In July 2024, a remarkable discovery was made in the Trust’s Archives. Following careful analysis, several batches of manuscripts from the document collection were confirmed to have been written by Beloved Baba Himself, in His own hand.
A page from the manuscript handwritten by Baba
Background of the Manuscripts
The documents were found among Framroze H. Dadachanji’s (Chanji) papers. Chanji served as Baba’s devoted secretary from the 1920s until the mid-1940s and was present during the early days at Meherabad when Baba was actively delivering lectures and writing multiple discourses and essays by hand. Baba was very particular about preserving this record. Adi K. Irani, who succeeded Chanji as Baba’s secretary, continued this vital work.
This treasured paper record of Beloved Baba’s advent, meticulously maintained by Chanji and Adi, is now carefully preserved in the Trust’s Archives. It was within this incredible collection that these precious manuscripts were discovered.
A file folder from the Adi K. Irani Collection that contained some of the manuscripts.
Significance and Availability
As we know from past Advents, the words of the Avatar have a deep and lasting impact on humanity. That Baba has revealed to His Lovers more of His words in His own handwriting is a gift beyond measure for which we are forever grateful.
In this Age, the Avatar has bestowed many blessings upon His lovers, not least among them are the tools to access His words for themselves. The widespread ability of individuals to read, the invention of the printing press, digital images and the Internet allow direct access to the words of the Avatar in a way undreamt of in previous Advents. However, the potential to both access, duplicate, and spread His words far and wide also comes with responsibility. The integrity of His message and writings must be upheld now and in the future, and His lovers must have confidence in the authenticity of the words of the Avatar.
It is the duty of those who care for the physical record of Baba’s advent to do our best not to come between Baba and His lovers. Therefore, our policy is to provide digital access to His words in their original form, making them available to all exactly as they appear physically.
Over the coming months and years, researchers and scholars will examine these documents in detail, creating authoritative editions of these previously unpublished writings. This process will involve transcription and translation, particularly of the Gujarati script and other languages. However, making the documents available to all in facsimile is the essential first step.
One of the manuscript diagrams.
Authentication Process
It’s important to note that these documents are not signed by Baba, nor do they state that He wrote them.
These pages were flagged as potentially in Baba’s handwriting during the cataloguing of the approximately 500,000 documents in this collection. This triggered the Archives team to undertake a careful review of these pages. The team thought the handwriting could be Baba’s and asked the Publications-Copyright Department for their opinion. They agreed it likely was Baba’s handwriting.
To be certain, two independent forensic handwriting experts, one from Mumbai and one from Pune, were engaged to examine the document pages. They compared the documents against samples of handwriting previously confirmed to be Baba’s by His Mandali. After a thorough comparison, both experts independently concluded that the handwriting was indeed by Meher Baba.
Content and Condition of the Documents.
The documents were found mixed among various typed and handwritten materials in folders labelled “Dadachanji’s Records Manuscripts.” They mostly consist of loose 8.5”x13” single or double folios that were preserved with relatively minor damage.
One of the opened manuscript pages.
The first batch consists of 64 pages. Mostly handwritten in ink, these pages include a number of essays, many of which are untitled, and some without clear beginnings or endings. The text is primarily in English but includes Indic terms and Gujarati script. Some pages are entirely in Gujarati, with diagrams that require further deciphering.
The second batch is a two-page story in English, written in pencil.
The third batch comprises three essays written in pencil, mostly in English, with some words in Perso-Arabic script for Sufi terms.
The writing style is reminiscent of early Meherabad manuscripts. The topics are diverse, and the vocabulary is often new in Baba’s known literature or used in a new way; but in one section the contents are directly related to the manuscript that was published under the title In God’s Hand. The entire texts and diagrams will necessitate a very careful and close study in order to bring out all the nuances and deep meaning and to try and give a clear picture of what Baba ultimately intended to convey.
Viewing the Manuscripts
The entire documents were digitised, including blank pages, in the order in which they were kept in the original files. To aid in understanding, we then reconstructed the inferred order based on page numbering, punched holes, and environmental damage. The documents are available for reading in both the original order and the inferred order on the Trust Archives Document website in a special gallery here.