“Everything is an experience of Him”

It is Spring! A new life has sprung upon the natural habitat that is the Center. Flowers are starting to bud, the air is laden with impending humidity, the lake sparkles and spring rain clouds linger at a distance near the ocean. It is also the weekend of the Spring Cleaning Sahavas. As I walk through the Original Kitchen to meet with Aseem Ahir, I feel myself entering the hub-hub of the camaraderie that has formed between the sahavasees working together for Baba. Now, at the packed Lakeview Kitchen, I see Aseem cooking spicy Indian eggs, as others hover around him taking notes on this simple and nourishing Indian recipe.

Aseem is in his early thirties. Born into an old Baba family, he is the grandson of Pratap Ahir, one of the original members of the Poona Bhajan Mandali. When I see him in the kitchen, I am taken back in time. I remember him as a child, always present at all Baba programs in Mumbai, Pune and Meherabad. Aseem still retains that trusting enthusiasm and a sincere and grounded conviction that he exudes through his naturally cheerful nature.

We step outside the Lakeview kitchen to talk. Suddenly, the bench that we assigned to ourselves has a surprise occupant – a rare purple lizard. Aseem watches with wonder. We let the lizard be. It will be our silent audience.

I ask Aseem to start from the beginning. For those who do not know, he begins with the story of his grandfather. “My grandfather, Pratap Ahir, was a teenager in Poona. He was introduced to Meher Baba by Mr. Laxmikant Thade who now happens to be my maternal grandfather. Thade was the superintendent at the hostel where my grandfather stayed for his education. Through Thade, Pratap became part of a bhajan group that also included the well-known singer, Madhusudan. There was a sudden rush of energy because of the group’s close contact with Dr. Ghani who was instrumental in educating them about Baba.” Had this group met Baba yet? “No,” replies Aseem. “That is an interesting story. The group had gone to Adi K. Irani to ask to see Baba but Baba was in seclusion. They were disappointed, but then Adi said that he was going to drive Baba through Nagar and could slow down the car and they could see Him. When the day came, the plans changed, and Baba decided to step off the car and meet with the group.” Pratap officially met Baba when He invited the group to sing at a darshan program in Mahabaleshwar.

This group which was originally known as “Dr Ghani group” later came to be known as the “Poona Bhajan Mandali” when Baba summoned them to sing for Him and gave them that name. They wrote and performed songs for Baba and continued way after Baba dropped His body. Pratap’s whole family, including Aseem and his sister Nidhi, grew up with this rich treasure trove of music and still sing those songs.

Aseem came to America in 2015 for his master’s degree at Wayne State University. He was received at the airport by another Baba lover, Robert Fredericks. Robert had been to the same university and took him around. Just when Aseem wondered how his link with Baba would be maintained in America, so far away from home, Baba intervened. Robert mentioned that he first heard about Baba through the book, Mastery in Consciousness by Alan Cohen, at the campus library. Out of curiosity, Robert wanted to go and check if that same book still lived at the library. The two men asked the librarian and as if it were an answer to Aseem’s question, the book was still on the shelf after all those years! Baba made His presence known to Aseem.

Two years later in 2017, Aseem came to the Center for the first time. “You hear that it’s Baba’s home in the West, but only when you come, you feel His presence everywhere and understand what that means,” he says. In 2021, Aseem came to the Young Adult Sahavas and enjoyed meeting other second-generation Baba lovers like himself. “When I came to the US, my bond with Baba was strong but I could not and did not know how to connect with other Baba lovers. When I came to the Center, I found those connections more easily.”

With similar backgrounds from India, we end up reminiscing about the abundance of Baba material that we just naturally absorbed as children – whether through songs, stories or the general atmosphere rich with His presence. “Everything I know about Baba, I have heard from someone,” shares Aseem. We concur that sometimes all it takes is showing up. “Someone at the Poona center put it beautifully. He said going to a Baba program is like drinking wine. You may not like it the first time you try it, but if you keep having it, you will get hooked,” adds Aseem.

It is so clear how internally connected Aseem is with Baba, but without the physical contact with his family, how does he renew that connection? He observes that he spends more time by himself in America than when he was in India. That solitude helps him think of Baba more. Another avenue is music which has been a big part of his life. “I guess at the end of the day it is more of Baba’s work of how He keeps us connected to Him than our trying to connect with Him.”

Like many second-generation Baba lovers, Aseem has no fancy story to tell about coming to Baba. We talk of dramatic experiences or rather of the lack of them. “At some point, you are beyond experiences. I have never sought them. Or perhaps I have had experiences and have just not noticed, like the lizard here, the fact that it is still here listening to our Baba story. Everything is an experience of Him!”

It’s true, the lizard is still present. The clouds have now descended further down and envelope the boat house. There is a perfect stillness on Center. When we stop talking, the lizard slithers off into the woods. It’s time for Aseem to go to his work group. I watch him go, as he steps into sahavas – the true company of the Beloved.