The Original Avatar from Pune

What shall I say of the Hazarat Baba Jan shrine and the

atmosphere, the magic of it all ? The Char Bawdi area

where I grew up, 2 minutes away from my home, the same
place where Avatar Meher Baba decided to become a
disciple of the lady who set him on his life's great journey ?

The Beloved: The Life and Work of Meher Baba

Gift of Love: Sayings and Messages of Avatar Meher Baba

My thanks to Jitendra, a Flickr friend who recently shared

this pic/gift (Click the link) when I spoke of a yearning to see
this special shrine one more time. The place where I stood and
stared, danced with whirling, piercing, bleeding, entranced
dervishes who flogged themselves so forcefully that the scene
took root in my brain and I just had to go home and try to flog
myself with a belt. True story. Ouch ! I gave up within a few
days.....

On Ash Wednesdays and throughout Lent I would stop by and
smear ash on my forehead from a bowl that rested at the entrance.

The thick pungent aroma of Incense was overwhelming and blinding
but the ash was all-important to me back then, for it served as
physical 'proof' for my Christian family to see and approve that yes,
I had been to Church (which I hadn't). I saw no wrongdoing

in my trickery since I believed that the ashes were holy anyway
as witness the number of devotees from different faiths who
stopped by at all hours to pay respect. I respected that.

Such is the power of Baba Jan. Read and appreciate what this
all means to people around the world : 

http://www.trustmeher.com/files/five/babajan.htm

but don't take my word for it. How about a Celeb's devotion ?

No less than Pete Townshend of The Who 

Meher Baba M4
came for inspiration to my city, Pune en route to neighboring 

Meherabad, a colony near Ahmednagar, where the Meher

Baba Ashram is located.