Bhau Kalchuri

BHAU KALCHURI, MEN MANDALI OF MEHER BABA

Kalchuri was born one of eight children of a well-to-do Rajput family in Katangi in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. He excelled in his studies at Nagpur University, completing master’s degrees in public administration, law, and chemistry. But before he could realize his career plans, Bhau unexpectedly turned to spiritual interests following a visit to the tomb of a famous holy man, Tajuddin Baba, in Nagpur. After meeting Meher Baba in 1952, Bhau joined him permanently in 1953, at age 27 the youngest resident mandali of Meher Baba’s ashram, where he served in various capacities, including night watchman and Hindi correspondent. Meher Baba taught Bhau to write a Hindi form of the Persian ghazal and also gave Bhau several other writing assignments, many of which he completed only after Meher Baba’s death in 1969. In 1973 Bhau became a trustee of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.He later became its chairman, and continued in this capacity until the end of his life.

Kalchuri was best known for his exhaustive biography of Meher Baba, Lord Meher (also known as Meher Prabu), a twenty volume 6,472 page chronicle based on diaries kept by Baba’s followers from as early as 1922, as well as interviews. He was also author of Avatar of the Age Meher Baba Manifesting and The Nothing and the Everything, the latter a book on spiritual mechanics based on notes given to him by Meher Baba. He also wrote several plays and books of verse. Bhau wrote in Hindi and English.

Starting in 1985, he made extensive speaking tours both inside and outside India, predominantly the United States, but also many trips to Europe and Australia. He was interviewed in both press and radio and also appeared in Roger Nygard’s film The Nature of Existence.[5] Near the end of his life Bhau was less mobile, owing to poor health, although he kept in touch with the worldwide Meher Baba community via Internet chats and messages.

English published

[Source: Wikipedia]

BHAU JOINS HIS BELOVED – BURIAL ON 25 OCTOBER 2013

Meherabad: 23 October 2013

BHAU JOINS HIS BELOVED

Avatar Meher Baba’s dearest Bhau, Baba’s intimate mandali member and the Chairman of His Trust, passed into Beloved Baba’s embrace on Wednesday, 23rd October 2013, at 11:17 p.m., faithful in love and service to his Master till the end. Bhau went to Baba in the Jehangir Hospital ICU in Pune, attended by his wife Rama, children Sheela and Mehernath, and very close family. He was 87 years old, and passed away due to a long illness complicated by recurrent infections. Bhauji’s family, and all at Meherazad, Meherabad and Meher Nazar join Baba lovers around the world in a united tribute to dearest Bhauji’s unforgettable life. He was the last remaining member of Baba’s Meherazad resident mandali, the Chairman of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust, and the author of numerous literary works about Meher Baba, including the twenty-volume biography Lord Meher, written at Baba’s order. Named Vir Singh Kalchuri and nicknamed “Bhau” (“brother” in Hindi) by Baba, Bhauji joined Baba in 1953 after receiving master degrees in Law, Chemistry and Agriculture. For many years he served as one of Baba’s night watchmen and it was during the hours of night watch that Baba first expressed His wish that Bhau begin writing poem-songs in Hindi, and later books and plays, for Baba’s pleasure.

After Baba dropped His body, Bhauji’s unique background in Law and Public Administration proved to be invaluable, from the early days of the Trust’s activities when Bhau became a trustee, through the past 17 years when he served as Chairman. Whether working day and night to solve a Trust difficulty, answering a pilgrim’s question, resolving a resident’s dilemma, or touring the Baba world in response to invitations from Baba centres in India and abroad, Bhauji gave extraordinary service to Baba through many different aspects. Even during his last illnesses, despite great discomfort Bhauji made efforts to give visitors his personal attention, loving wisdom and lively sessions of witty humour and song, as well as continuing his Sunday online “Chat” which was looked forward to and enjoyed by Baba-lovers around the world. Bhauji’s achievements for Baba’s Cause were legion. But like the men mandali who went before him, Bhauji will be remembered and honoured by posterity above all because of his loving, wholehearted, life-long surrender at the Feet of the Avatar of the Age, Beloved Meher Baba.

AVATAR MEHER BABA ki JAI!!!
= The Trustees of the Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust
23 October 2013