Avatar Meher Baba Trust sponsored activities are often one of the focal points for pilgrims who come to Meherabad. In all Trust venues, visiting musicians, dancers, speakers or other performing artists give their own expression to Meher Baba’s message and the spiritual life He exemplified.
The following are some of the programs and activities which have developed as avenues for disseminating Beloved Baba’s message of Truth and Love:
The Meher Pilgrim Centre
hosts dramatic or informational presentations, films, plays, and concerts on its small but professionally adaptive stage. Performers come from all over India and other parts of the world to present their creative artistry. Talks rich with stories by people who met Meher Baba inspire and inform. Also, in this Centre are rooms for cultural workshops, filmmaking and writing, musical expression, film showings, individual and group study, and information for newcomers. This Centre, previously built and used for pilgrim lodging, is now a vibrant hub of activity during the pilgrim season.
The Music and Arts Demonstration Centre
houses a full-scale professional theatre where there are major dramatic performances and programs offered in the form of plays, concerts, and other large special events. Groups and Centres from India and around the world perform, bringing extraordinary talent to the stage. This Centre is also the place for a variety of other artistic activities, such as art exhibitions, craft workshops, film openings, and poetic readings. Highlights include the annual Bombay Centre play on a segment of Baba’s life and a special play for Baba’s Birthday on February 25th.
The Amphitheatre
gives staging and space for some of the biggest events of the Pilgrim Season on Meherabad Hill including Amartithi on January 31st and other Commemorative Events, for which the Trust hosts thousands of pilgrims. (See “Events” for more information on these and other very large programs in honour of Meher Baba.)
Informal Activities
Many other forms and occasions of artistic expression arise on the Trust estate on an informal basis:
• Prayers and Arti at Meher Baba’s Samadhi (morning and evening at seven). Here, pilgrims can linger an hour, offering love songs to God.
• The Sunday Meherazad Program offers music, poetry, short skits, magic, and is regularly highlighted by films of Meher Baba.
• Stories by people who met Meher Baba and talks about Him are shared during Meherazad weekdays, at pilgrim lodgings, under the Tin Shed, and wherever the inspiration flows.