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Darshan Room at Beloved Archives
in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA

How It All Began

As a few of us ploughed through the driveway of the ‘House of the Beloved’, christened as the H • O • B, our legs sank into the frozen ice crystals as we plodded to the main doorway. It was a memorable beginning. Two days later, on the Eternal Day, January 31, 2011, the sun had emerged after a long cold winter, its rays bouncing off the sides of the brick house. Even though the branches of the trees were bent and gnarled, the manicured garden showing off a Alberta Spruce, Arborvitae and Chamaecyparis conifers in the front of the House, still stood strong welcoming its new residents. We placed a beautiful photograph of Avatar Meher Baba and surrounded his image with pink roses and colorful tulips. The Master’s Prayer set the tone for the morning as the few of us shared sweet ‘rava’ and expressed our gratitude. Today, seekers, visiting the “new” enlarged Beloved Archives, enter a side entrance up a handicap ramp to the Meeting Room. Since 2011, Beloved Archives has been a refuge, a sanctuary and a place for quiet reflection for seekers who know about Meher Baba and are eager to know more. With material going back to Meher Baba as Merwan, the Archives is a place for research, study and a knowledge base of the teachings of Meher Baba.

The house had functioned for many years as a legal office and it had the look and feel of a commercial establishment. It was left to us to transform it into an Archive worthy of the Beloved. Just as we were contemplating on hiring a contractor, an electrician, a painter, we received a call from a man who lived a short distance from the house. His first words were, “I would like to be of service to Meher Baba.” We invited him and he volunteered to paint the entire establishment. Along with him came three Buddhist house workers from Vietnam, ready and willing to shape and mould the house and give it a fresh, new feel. For over 2 months the workers and our Baba-helper, Kevin Kealy, worked at breakneck speed and the renovations were completed in record time. The grounds at the back of Beloved Archives are blessed with several magnificent mature trees, some of them over 100 years old. These trees form the focal point of the landscape. The red maple, white oak, and the American elm are some of these grand sentinels that tower over the House. Not much later, our doorbell rang and a Baba-lover from Massachusetts, Alexander Hamilton, stood with an array of gardening implements to work on the expanse of this private wilderness. He quickly surveyed the area and declared, “I need to remove the wild rose brambles and several other invasive species.” And added, “This garden will soon be worthy of joining the ranks of other Baba gardens around the world.”

Both Kevin Kealy and Alexander Hamilton served their Master selflessly and have since passed into the arms of the Beloved.

The “new” Beloved Archives designed by devoted Baba lover Architect Richard Griffin and enlarged in late 2019 blends seamlessly into the urban landscape. Once the dedicated Baba crew from Myrtle Beach laid the foundation, the outer shell was constructed to create a capacious edifice to seat as many as 80 to 90 seekers, oftentimes more. After 3 months of intense construction, the work is complete.

The Comfort Factor

We have installed a hi-tech electric zoned air conditioning and heating system. The essential components are the outdoor and indoor units with smart comfort controls. The system operates by transferring heat to and from an outdoor unit to four indoor units. The system provides a cushioned zone of comfort in Summer and Winter.

Protection Of The House

Since Beloved Archives functions as a center for preservation and display of Meher Baba’s artifacts, rare original documents, photographs dating back to 1894, the Archives has been designed to preserve, protect and share all these precious materials from the ravages of excessive heat, humidity, dust and negative climatic effects. Beloved Archives is protected and monitored by ADT and Protection 1 systems, the largest electronic security service provider in America. Every ADT system is connected to their network of Monitoring Centers, along with wireless intrusion detection. All the windows of the house are reinforced with glass-breakers. Control of temperature and relative humidity is of critical importance in the preservation of this archival collection. Beloved Archives has worked with experts in the field to install adequate climate controls and operation to maintain conservation standards in order to stave off deterioration of these precious materials. Light accelerates deterioration of archival material. It can cause paper to bleach, yellow or darken. Consequently, we are storing documents and photographs in fireproof cabinets in an archival area that is shielded from the sun.

The Sound Room

Beloved Archives has acquired a new sound system to support up to 8 wired and 5 wireless microphones with a capacity to record audio through 8 microphones at once for subsequent mixing to stereo. Sennheiser wired and Tonor wireless hand held microphones, wireless transmitters to QSC wireless speakers and a Yamaha 16-track mixer will help us accomplish pure sound quality and recordings for posterity. This state-of-the-art equipment enables Beloved Archives to record both video and audio programs held in the large Meeting Room. Seekers visiting the House of the Beloved are able to view Meher Baba films on a 43” TV Screen in the Sound Room and a large tripod screen in the Meeting Room in a comfortable atmosphere.

Cataloging

We view the preservation and cataloging of artifacts, documents, photographs and films associated with the life and work of Beloved Baba for posterity and not just for our time. The effort our team at Beloved Archives continues to put in is timeless. It is Avatar Meher Baba’s legacy that we honor. It is the mandate he gave in 1965 to share his Teachings with those seekers who are still to come. This work is ongoing as Baba lovers send in their treasures to Beloved Archives for rehousing, preservation and display.

Active Rehousing

With the opening of the Annex into a new phase, select teams of workers devote themselves to the meticulous sorting, dusting, and rehousing of materials in acid-free folders. In this work each sheet and document has to be taken from its file, dusted, inserted in acid-free folders with interleafing papers and mylar when necessary, and refiled. While this process has been done in short spurts, with the Annex getting ready for use, rehousing of documents has started in real earnest with Baba volunteers working together as one family. Our goal is to create a welcoming space where we can develop an atmosphere to nurture real spiritual values as we together traverse the spiritual path. We continually need volunteers to help us re-house several thousand documents and input the scanned material in a powerful database, MeherMaster. If you are interested in sharing in the Beloved’s work, please write to us at (meherbaba@aol.com)

Spiritual answers to Spiritual questions

One of the projects that Beloved Archives has undertaken this past year is collecting and converting to both MP3s and text a series of spiritual questions that Eruch Jessawala answered, both in mandali hall and in interviews. At this time we are putting together a collection of spiritual answers to spiritual questions that Eruch gathered at the feet of the Beloved. We will soon share them once all the transcriptions have come in. By Beloved Baba’s grace a number of loving hands are transcribing 50 years of recordings and interviews.

Meher Baba Films

One of the joys of archiving is the discovery and preservation of Meher Baba films. To preserve films from deterioration is the prime mission of our archiving efforts. Over the past few years considerable progress has been made on this front. Pete Townshend has donated to Beloved Archives several reel-to-reel films that have since been digitized. We have also received films from individual collectors in the US and from Sufism Reoriented. The most recent addition of rare footage in our collection are two 8 mm home-made films of Beloved Baba taken by Sam Kerawala at Bindra House. These have not been released, but will be available soon.

Working in Oneness as ONE FAMILY

We are constantly reaching out to experts in the archival world for guidance. To add to our collection of color slides, we have sought the assistance of the celebrated Oregon photographer Doug Frank whose photographic work is on display in the Portland Museum of Art. Over the years Doug has successfully digitized and preserved the Elizabeth Patterson Collection. We have preserved a set of the collection in Beloved Archives. Since much of the material in Beloved Archives are in the form of artifacts, documents, original first generation photographs and negatives and films, the primary focus has been on collecting material that would have been lost and constant scientific measures are researched to restore and preserve these precious treasures that would have otherwise deteriorated. We have shared our entire photo collection of several thousand images with the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Archives in India who are now working with a team of volunteers to historically identify each photograph. We are delighted that consequent to collaborative efforts between Beloved Archives, the Trust Archives, Avatar’s Abode Archives, and Sufism Reoriented we have been able to share a large number of photographs and documents in the pages of Glow International.

Books Collection

Another type of “treasure” is the Beloved Archives Rare Book Collection, which includes many old books and pamphlets. To ensure that each publication is preserved, an extensive inventory of Western and Indian language books has been underway, and filing cabinets set aside for archival safekeeping. The Archives also serves as a Sharing Library for Baba books.

Under One Roof

From time to time we send messages to the global Meher Baba community to send artifacts, letters, photographs and films to Beloved Archives for preservation and eventual sharing. With the help of volunteers, donors and friends of Beloved Archives, our single-minded goal is to preserve and share the Beloved’s legacy with seekers everywhere. We continue to receive letters from Baba-lovers who have ‘treasures’ of Meher Baba and his close disciples — letters, locks of hair, signed copies of books, photographs and a range of artifacts. We are fully equipped to preserve and display them in Beloved Archives. They are displayed with the name of the donor of the artifact. Please consider Beloved Archives when you wish to donate any or all material associated with Meher Baba. They will be preserved, protected and shared. Please write to meherbaba@aol.com. If you wish to donate your Meher Baba treasures to Beloved Archives. We will arrange to collect them from your home.

A Pledge and a Commitment

Beloved Archives, an hour away from New York City, is located on a wooded plot of land, accessible by land and rail. Our mission is simple: To collect, restore, and preserve artifacts associated with the physical form of Meher Baba; to preserve documents, photographs, books, compact discs and films on the life and work of Meher Baba; and, most importantly, to share and make available all material related to Meher Baba’s Life, Work and Teachings. It is open to people of all creeds, religions and faiths — and to seekers everywhere.

For this Archive to actively continue with preservation, publishing and sharing, we invite seekers to PLEDGE $100 or more every month to help us continue the work mandated by Meher Baba himself. We need your commitment, for NOW is the time to share Meher Baba’s presence in our lives. Your commitment to this work will enable us to plan our initiatives for the next few years.

Beloved Archives is a non-profit, tax exempt 501©3 organization. Your donation is tax-exempt to the extent of the law.
Feel free to write to meherbaba@aol.com or call 609.529.6129 for information on how you can assist with work for the Beloved.

Beloved Archives
116 Youngs Road
Hamilton, New Jersey 08619
Tel: 609.529.6129
Email: meherbaba@aol.com
Web: www.belovedarchives.org

The House of the Beloved in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA

The House of the Beloved in Hamilton, New Jersey, USA

What is the mission of Beloved Archives?

To collect, restore, and preserve artifacts associated with the physical form of Meher Baba; to preserve documents, photographs, books, compact discs and films on the life and work of Meher Baba; and, most importantly, to share and make available all material related to Meher Baba’s Life, Work and Teachings. It is open to people of all creeds, religions and faiths — and to seekers everywhere. Beloved Archives is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt foundation registered in the United States. Although many of the artifacts associated with MeherBaba’s life and work, were originally given to the Nalavala family by Meher Baba and his close disciples for their personal collection, the items are now housed in Beloved Archives in Hamilton, New Jersey.

More than anything else, I am anxious to preserve and share the material that Meher Baba has entrusted to me. While it is vital to carefully preserve material on the life and work of the Avatar, I feel it is equally vital to share the material with seekers and lovers of God. And that is the mandate of Beloved Archives. We welcome everyone to Beloved Archives, regardless of caste, creed, color, religion or sexual orientation.

Did Meher Baba himself say anything to you about sharing?

Yes, in May 1965 when I met Meher Baba at GuruPrasad in Poona, he gave me the mandate to tell the world that he is God in human form. In the later years he gave me specific instructions about disseminating his message through GLOW INTERNATIONAL. He also instructed his sister Mani S. Irani to send a complete collection of photographs, especially of the early years. She did send them to me, and they are a part of Beloved Archives. Similarly, his two close disciples, Adi K. Irani and Eruch B. Jessawala were instructed by him to assist me with material for publication. Besides, sharing this material in GLOW INTERNATIONAL, we have published several books and distributed them globally.

How did Beloved Archives start?

Beloved Archives essentially was set into motion when my parents, Keki and Freiny Nalavala, first met Meher Baba in the 1940’s. Both my father and mother had an innate sense of preserving every piece of paper, every object that Meher Baba touched, every piece of correspondence, and all books, discourses and photographs. Consequently, Beloved Archives is a collection of saved and preserved material on the life and work of Meher Baba spanning 70 plus years (Please read HOW IT ALL BEGAN on this site).

Did this material expand beyond those items collected by your family?

Apart from the collection of the Nalavala family, which itself is fairly extensive, Beloved Archives has materials from several collections: Chanji, Gulmai Irani, Adi K. Irani, Adi S. Irani, Mani S. Irani, Eruch Jessawala, Francis Brabazon, Kishan Singh, Col. M. S. Irani, Murshida Ivy Duce, Kitty Davy, Elizabeth Patterson, Bili Eaton, Adele Wolkin, Enid Corfe, Delia de Leon, Ganna Walska, Mercedes de Costa, Meredith Starr (we have his photo album), Graham Phelps Stokes, Rom Landau, to name a few. Beloved Archives also has a large collection of artifacts donated by Meher Baba followers from all over the world, including a lock of Babajan's hair.

The Beloved Archives collection has one-of-a-kind material, especially the material inherited from Col. M. S. Irani, a critic of Meher Baba who collected an enormous amount of material in its original format in order to launch scurrilous attacks on Meher Baba. These materials ended up in the hands of my mother’s maternal uncle, Major Sohrab Bamji, also a critic of Meher Baba, who eventually handed it all to me. It is an incredible record of Meher Baba’s early life, ironically collected and preserved by the Avatar’s critics.

Why were these materials given to Beloved Archives?

Letters, diaries and print materials were given to Beloved Archives with the understanding that we would restore, preserve and share this material with seekers today and with posterity. People who donated all their precious documents and artifacts to us believed that we would preserve their ‘treasures’ and share them with seekers. We have upheld the trust they reposed in us. Over the years, Beloved Archives has diligently disseminated this material through the Meher Baba journal, GLOW INTERNATIONAL, and several books published over the years.

For example, the book THE ANSWER: Conversations with Meher Baba, published by Beloved Archives, is a collection of questions and answers preserved in the diaries of Chanji, Meher Baba's secretary in the 1930's and early 1940's. While Beloved Archives has been the publisher of Meher Baba's words, the copyright of the Avatar’s words has always rested with the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust in India as decreed in Meher Baba’s Will.

Have you published any books recently?

Yes, in 2016 we published TEACHINGS, discourses of Meher Baba from 50 years of GLOW INTERNATIONAL. We also published MEDITATION FOR A NEW HUMANITY, a collection of discourses by Meher Baba explaining the spiritual aspects of practicing meditation. Both books are indispensable guides on the spiritual path. We also publish video films featuring Intensives held at Beloved Archives each year.

What types of items are in the collection?

Essentially, Beloved Archives functions under five broad categories: documents, photographs, tapes, films and artifacts:

Documents

Most of the documents have been scanned, although rehousing of the documents still needs to be done. This we should be able to accomplish with an infusion of funds from donors and the assistance of volunteers. The document collection comprises of letters, discourses, cables and historical articles. Additionally, the collection features clippings about Meher Baba from 1932 onwards. We believe we have every book by and about Meher Baba at Beloved Archives. Our Rare Manuscript section includes diaries of Meher Baba’s early disciples.

Photographs

From the time that Meher Baba’s sister Mani S. Irani sent us in 1966 an album of photographs of Meher Baba as Merwan, we have collected hundreds of photographs from all over the world. Mansari Desai, an early disciple, donated all her albums of photographs to Beloved Archives and we have been featuring some rare photographs in issues of Glow International. We are proud to preserve in our collection photographs taken in 1894, the year of Meher Baba’s birth, by Raja Deen Dayal, India’s first Indian photographer. Most of the photographs have been scanned for easy retrieval.

Audio Recordings

Hundreds of audio recordings, largely donated by Pete Townshend, have been digitized and uploaded for easy listening onto our hard drives. The recording of these hi-quality tapes of Meher Baba’s close disciples in Mandali Hall in Meherazad was assigned by Pete and later mastered at Meher Baba Oceanic in London. Over the years several older followers of Meher Baba, since passed on, have donated their tapes and other artifacts to Beloved Archives. Most recently we were beneficiaries of the Lisa Sandford Document and Artifacts Collection, a close associate of Elizabeth Patterson and Kitty Davy.

Films

Beloved Archives hosts a large collection of films by and about Meher Baba that visitors can watch in the comfort of our Sound Room. Those who donated reel-to-reel and VHS films, we have converted to DVD or MP4s, both film formats. Sufism Reoriented has over the years donated hi-quality films of Meher Baba and videos of the mandali. The Beloved Archives film collection has all the videos that filmmaker Irwin Luck shot of his interviews with Meher Baba’s disciples the world over.

Artifacts

Beloved Archives has a wide-range of artifacts that Meher Baba had worn and used during his lifetime; coats, sandals, alphabet boards, strands of his hair and a list of artifacts too long to enumerate (some of them are featured on this site). Hazrat Babajan’s lock of hair and the draft of the is one of our prized possessions on display. All of Meher Baba’s garments have been carefully restored, rehoused and preserved. We also collaborate with other Archives on a regular basis. Beloved Archives has rehoused Meher Baba’s coat, now on display at the Centre in London.

What would be your estimate of the size of the collection?

Beloved Archives was officially evaluated by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts of Philadelphia in 2011. They conservatively estimated over 100, 000 documents, about 5,000 photographs, over 150 films and more than 3,000 audio recordings. We have since added a 100,000 documents, several hundred photographs and over a 1,000 audio recordings.

Are you still adding items to the archives? How?

Yes, indeed, the collection continues to grow each day. In 2009, Beloved Archives obtained the Meher Baba segment of the archive of the opera singer Ganna Walska, who met Meher Baba in 1932. Earlier the Archives obtained the collection of Mercedes de Costa, a Hollywood celebrity who met Meher Baba in the same year. In 2009 we also obtained the entire collection of Graham Phelps Stokes and Rom Landau. Recently, Beloved Archives was very fortunate to receive the entire collection of original slides taken both at the East-West Gathering and at Myrtle Beach in 1958 by an American Baba lover. The slides have since being cleaned and restored by experts at Sufism Reoriented. More recently we were given the document collection of Adele Wolkin (she had donated her film collection to the Archives during her lifetime).

What are your plans for preservation?

With the generous donations from Baba lovers, Beloved Archives has taken the necessary first step in preservation by scanning most of the documents and photographs. This was an enormous job and is ongoing. At the same time all audio recordings are being digitized and some are being transcribed (with the possibility of publication in the future). And many of the one-of-a-kind photographs have been completely restored. Beloved Archives will continue with this massive restoration and preservation project as funds become available through tax-deductible donations.

Is Beloved Archives getting professional advice on preservation?

Beloved Archives has sought and received advice on storage, treatment and preservation. All of Meher Baba's artifacts like sadras, sandals, coats and other garments have been expertly preserved by a trained Baba lover who has learned preservation techniques from the experts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As for Meher Baba’s hair and other personal artifacts, mainly from the 1920’s, Murshida Ivy Duce assisted us by having them preserved in blown glass in 1978. They are on display at Beloved Archives.

Are the materials available to those doing research on Avatar Meher Baba and his life and work?

The materials are preserved by Beloved Archives with the intention of sharing with seekers everywhere. Most of the documents and photographs have been scanned and we continue to welcome researchers to the Archives from all over the world. Beloved Archives is a ‘Living Archive’ with full and unfettered access to everyone.

When I was a teenager I had a dream: I wished that we could record each day of Meher Baba’s life. Soon after Beloved Baba dropped his body, my dream became a reality; I had access to the diaries of disciples who recorded their lives with Meher Baba (if they were in his presence). Consequently, Beloved Archives has a near daily record of Meher Baba’s life from 1932 through 1969. Recently we discovered a few diaries and memoirs of Meher Baba’s early companions and we are currently working on a book on Meher Baba as Merwan, his birth name.

How does Beloved Archives support the long-range plan for preservation and access?

To fulfill the long-term plan for Beloved Archives, we purchased the House of the Beloved in Hamilton, New Jersey with the assistance of generous donors. We have been able to put all our collections in one place, in a physical building where volunteers have set-up inventories, catalogs, records on databases, duplicated certain materials for wider dissemination, conduct long-term conservation and treatment and have created an environmentally sound atmosphere for people to come in and do research on the life and times of Meher Baba. Beloved Archives is a unique place to study the Advent of Avatar Meher Baba. With an addition of a 1,000 square feet of space, the Archives is now 2,200 square feet. It is the “new” Beloved Archives.

Will any of the items be available for viewing via the Internet?

Yes, absolutely. At this time the Beloved Archives’ MeherMaster Database is being updated. Once all the material is rehoused and cataloged in a database, we plan to upload select material onto the Web.

How is Beloved Archives supported?

Beloved Archives is entirely supported by donations. Friends and supporters have and continue to make annual donations or monthly pledges to Beloved Archives to fulfill its mission of rehousing, preservation and access. In addition, Beloved Archives receives donations in small amounts from GLOW INTERNATIONAL’s subscribers. With the physical expansion of the Archives, we are anxious to expand our outreach programs. We send out Pledge Cards and requests for donations globally with the hope that seekers everywhere will support our initiatives.

And what are the estimates for ongoing archival work?

Beloved Archives has been very fortunate. The scanning was done a few years back by a Scan Master, who worked for the United Nations, when I served the global body over a 10-year period. Since he did bulk work, he gave us a subsidized rate and that helped us keep the work going. We now scan documents at Beloved Archives.

The Archives now needs funds for re-housing all the documents and for ongoing transcription work. The Senior Conservator from the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia who evaluated and estimated re-housing costs for Beloved Archives, indicated that approximately $150,000 was needed to re-house all the documents and photographs. Given limited funding, Beloved Archives divided the project into smaller assignments and is working on preservation in degrees. All donations, which are tax-deductible, go towards these projects.

We are also working on raising funds for a Museum to display Meher Baba artifacts in glass cases. That is the second phase of our expansion project.

What kinds of funding or donations are needed?

All the archival projects are underway — scanning, digitizing and transcribing. Re-housing work begun, but because of the enormous number of documents to be rehoused, it will be ongoing. We do need funds for all these projects.

How can volunteers help?

Volunteer help is always welcome. Given the ambitious plan to keep Beloved Archives growing, help is needed to conduct an ongoing campaign. In addition, expert help is needed to make selected items accessible on the Internet. Finally, there are other administrative and restorative opportunities for those who are willing to live in Central New Jersey, where the Beloved Archives is located.

How is Beloved Archives structured? How does that help generate support?

Beloved Archives is a non-profit tax-exempt corporation. All those who contribute receive a tax exemption in accordance with the law. We have a very active Board and all decisions are taken keeping a long-term vision. Our prime intention is to preserve for posterity all the material in the Archives and at the same time make access simple and beneficial to researchers, biographers and seekers.

How are you ensuring the continuity of Beloved Archives for future generations?

A Charter has been created to ensure the continuation of Beloved Archives. All material is preserved with the intent to benefit posterity. For Beloved Archives to be sustained for years to come, it is important for it to be financially viable. Towards that end, friends of Beloved Archives will need to continue to make contributions to keep it alive and well. Besides our core Board members, we are now in the process of setting up a Team of Companions, a global advisory group to assist with the various aspects of the Archives. We are also initiating a membership drive to give the Friends of Beloved Archives the opportunity to share in the work we do in disseminating Meher Baba’s message of love, truth and spiritual unity.

If Baba lovers wish to leave their artifacts, photographs, documents, films and recordings to Beloved Archives or wish to volunteer or make donations, whom should they contact?

I would like to thank all those lovers of the Beloved who have over the years donated to Beloved Archives and helped us with our commitment to uphold the mandate Meher Baba has given us. We continue to share the Avatar’s message of love, truth and spiritual unity. Soon after Beloved Archives was established, we received several calls and emails asking us to preserve and share Baba material that are in the hands of Baba lovers in America, India, United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere. We are fully equipped to protect, preserve and share all material pertaining to Meher Baba. We welcome all Meher Baba-related material to be sent to us for preservation and sharing.

All are welcome to contact Naosherwan at meherbaba@aol.com or call him at: 609.529.6129. Donors are welcome to contact us for advice on sustaining Beloved Archives.