In between the vault and Baba's cabin is a row of seven little cells for meditation, each with its own door and a common patio in front, built on the site where Baba used to sit and play with the Prem* Ashram boys. The hospital quarters, to serve the sick women and children from the nearby villages, were beyond Baba's compound. Two rooms to the left of the main ward were partitioned off for the editor and staff of the Meher Journal and were used by Norina, Elizabeth and Nonny. Some years later these same rooms were used for a time by Baba during the one-year seclusion, 1940-1941, one of the rooms being partitioned into a diminutive sub-room with a tiny aperture in the centre, just big enough to allow his hands to pass conveniently through. It was through this "window" that he communicated with the mandali on duty when absolutely necessary, by means of his alphabet board.

As one passes through the gate to the hospital, one notices a few tombstones. They are those of Baba's parents and of the intimate disciples who have passed on. Near by are five small stones bearing the names of the five faithful dogs who were connected in some way with the ashram life and loved by Baba, especially "Chum."

Such is a brief sketch of the Meherabad Hill quarters and surroundings as seen from without. Now to give you a glimpse of the life we lived with Baba within the four walls of the ashram.

Early Training

Life in Meherabad Ashram was not unlike a world in miniature. Under Baba's exacting eye and direction, the same ethical problems arose, situations demanding spontaneous forgiveness and forgetting, endless opportunities to learn control of anger, backbiting, criticism and moods. Hardest of all was to try and live the life of love amongst ourselves which was possible through our greater love for Baba.

*Prem—Love. Cf. "Sobs And Throbs," by A. K. Abdulla.