convert the boys from Islam to Zoroastrianism, which of course was absolutely false. Meher Baba has nothing to do with any religion, because all religions belong to Him. He Himself belongs to no religion. He is God, He is truth personified. Why should He make one boy change to another religion? It is absurd nonsense.

I was in Meherashram school for ten months and then what happened? Amazingly, during these ten months not only my progress, but that of all the boys, was tremendously high. The boys who stayed in Meherashram for a year or more did the schoolwork of three years and some of them, of four years.

As for the life in the ashram, we got up at 6 o'clock -- all together -- washed our faces and were ready for breakfast at 6:30. One hour for breakfast 6:30-7:30. After that, we collectively recited a prayer that was composed by Baba himself: Hari, Paramatman, Allah, Ahura Mazd, God, Yezdan, Hu. These are all the names of God in different languages. One boy would recite it alone and after that, all of us. Those 150 boys staying in two big halls would collectively recite this, for 15 minutes or half an hour. After that we would go down the hill to attend classes, but always before and during closing we would recite this prayer, for five minutes, facing the sun, with folded hands.

After that we would enter our classes; at 11:00 a.m. we would come up the hill and at 12 there would be our lunch. From 12 to 2:00 p.m. we were free, for lessons or homework. From 2 p.m. we would again come down the hill to attend classes for two hours or three, yes from 2 to five.

So at five o'clock we would go back up the hill. Between 5:30 to 6:30 there was one hour for games. There were different types of games but mostly it was cricket. Each class had its own team and all the boys would engage classwise. For the small boys there were rubber balls; gradually they became hard balls, up to the "matric" class, who had a regular cricket ball. Baba would play with the boys of the upper class. Everything was very fine.

There was also midday tea for us, before we would go down the hill. After the games at 7:30, a special class would start, from 7:00 to 8:00. One hour, a spiritual class. The teachers were directed by Baba to speak to us in our own languages (Persian boys had Persian teachers, Marathi boys had Marathi teachers, Gujarati boys, Gujarati teachers, for English boys, English teachers).

They would narrate to us the life of Shams-i-Tabriz, Hafiz, Mahlevi, and other Muslim saints, good saints like that. In this way slowly, gradually, the boys were acquainted with spirituality, with divinity, with God, Perfect Masters, Sadgurus.

One night it happened like this -- all of a sudden Avatar Meher Baba came to our Persian class, and He just said to me "Get up." All the other boys were sitting but Baba told me with His finger, "Get up." I stood up. Baba asked me: "What is this body?" I answered something not proper, not correct. Then Baba corrected me, saying that this body is just like a cage to the soul, that the real thing is the soul; the body is just like a dress which we wear and that the real thing is Atman, which is part of Paramatman. A drop of the Ocean results in this body.

After the spiritual class we would go for supper between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. After supper we were free for our homework; at 10:00 p.m. everyone was to go to sleep. That was the well-arranged program of the school.

Now I give here an interesting story of the last days of Meherashram, which was the day I was taken away. It happened like this. One day, about 8:00 or 7:45 a.m. Baba was sitting in His tomb. But this tomb was not in the shape it is now, of course. There was a small door on the side of the Eastern window and Baba would go inside or come out to sleep and take rest. There was a platform and Baba was sitting there. Baba saw me from a distance, and made a hand gesture calling me to Him. So I ran swiftly to Baba, bringing two of my school books. One was an English book, McMillan’s "Primary 1" reader and the other was Persian. Baba opened one of these books and told me to read. It was the Persian book. Then He took the English book and opened it and told me to read the