Bahá’í World/Volume 8/National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma Annual Report 1938-1940
ANNUAL REPORT—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF INDIA AND BURMA—1938-1940
AS THE years roll by the potency of the Divine Faith of Bahá’u’lláh shows itself in penetrating and spreading rapidly in different parts of the world. “Truth,” says an old saw, “is one which does not require any aid for its dissemination.” The Qur’án in one of its arguments says, "Do whatever you like you will have to obey my commandments whether willingly or unwillingly.” This is exactly the case with the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Feeble as our resources are both financially and in trained teachers, we find that our humble efforts are blessed by results which we never expected nor was there any inkling of achieving them. Surely Bahá’u’lláh beholds those who arise to serve His Cause from His Realms of glory and aids them with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of His favored angels.
The years under review have been years of significant achievements in India and Burma. The Faith has made an all round progress and firm foundations for solid achievements in future have been laid down. The local Spiritual Assemblies have shown growing alertness in the discharge of their duties.
The teaching tour undertaken by our beloved sister Miss Martha L. Root from October, 1937, to December, 1938, has partly been described in the BAHÁ’Í WORLD Vol. VII, and her visit to Northern India universities and colleges is being reproduced elsewhere in this volume. She travelled from Colombo in the South to Srinagar in the North, and from Peshawar, the outpost city of the British Empire in the West, to Calcutta and Burma in the East. All the big towns in India were visited by her and in colleges and universities and in conferences and societies such as the Theosophical Society, the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj and before Muslim Institutes, the Message of Bahá’u’lláh was proclaimed and illuminating lectures on subjects like Culture and World Peace and What the Bahá’í Faith Can Do for Poverty were delivered. In Indian States like Hyderabad (Deccan), Travancore, Jammu and Kashmir, Rampur, Patiala and Indore were visited and almost every university centre such as Lahore, Delhi, Allahabad, Lucknow, Benares, Algra, Patna, Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Mysore and Shantineketan (Tagore’s University) was visited and at some of the lectures Judges of the High Court, distinguished publicists, Vice-Chancellors of universities, eminent professors, and heads of religious organizations presided and thousands of students received the Teachings with a sense of joy and gratefulness. The whole of the intelligentsia of this country heard the Teachings through these lectures and through pamphlet literature and through the leading daily newspapers (English as well as vernacular) of India and Burma which reached millions of literate people in our country. Thus a great publicity was given to the Cause during these two years all over India and Burma and well written articles were contributed by able writers to the well-known Indian Magazines like the Hindustan Review, the Aryan Path, the Triveni, the Twentieth Century, the Viswabharati, the Rangoon Times, the Advance, the Bombay Samachar, the Karachi Daily News, etc., etc.
Miss Martha L. Root rendered a great service to the Cause by publishing that wonderful book in Karachi, (India) namely, Ṭáhirih the Pure, Írán’s Greatest Woman, which was presented to all the libraries in India and Burma and also to some distinguished personages whom she met in her teaching tours. This book has been very well received all over the country and read with the deepest interset. It has made indelible impression on some minds as is evidenced from letters that are received from those who have read it.
Among the believers she left an abiding
consciousness of duties towards the Great
Faith. We need not dilate on her unique and
immensely valuable services as she has most
unostentatiously described them in her
"Letters Home.” We will, however be failing in
our duty if we do not pay our humble and
[Page 197]
heartfelt thanks to
our most beloved sister
for the great and glorious work that she
has done among us and for the splendid holy
example that she set before us.
Bahá’í Teaching
Here again our beloved sister Miss Martha Root’s work stands out as a marvelous example of fortitude and sustained work. She delivered speeches in all the big halls of the country and her audiences consisted of men from all walks of life. In some places some individuals tried to put to her some intriguing questions but she always rose to the situation and mastered it in a manner that resulted in the satisfaction of all concerned. From Srinagar in the North to Colombo and Kandy in the South she left no town of importance and no individual of prominence where and to whom she did not convey the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Similar work was done by Mrs. Shirin K. Fozdar. She toured South India, that is, Madras, Hyderabad (Deccan) and Mysore and then went to Burma where she did splendid work. In her second tour she was accompanied by her husband Dr. K. M. Fozdar and they both joined Miss Martha Root at Madras and travelled with her to Ceylon and Travancore. Dr. Fozdar returned after some time and the two sisters continued their splendid work in these parts of India as the Guardian had wished that the N. S. A. of India and Burma should give their attention to the South where there is as yet no Assembly.
Prof. Pritam Singh made his usual tours of the university towns and delivered lectures and answered questions. He is a well-known figure in these circles and his lectures make good impression upon his hearers. He also toured to Kashmir to follow up the work of another teacher who had preceded him to that State.
For the first time in the history of the Cause in India, the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir was opened up at first by Mr. Isfandiar K. B. Bakhtiari of Karachi in 1937, followed by a visit by Miss Martha L. Root in 1938 and the follow-up work was done by Prof. Pritam Singh. This valley is visited every summer by thousands of people from all parts of the world and some Bahá’í friends are going to settle there, in connection with the Six-Year Plan of Teaching, to continue the teaching work. We have already a good group of firm believers here which we hope will evolve into an Assembly in the near future.
The local Spiritual Assemblies as usual held public meetings, delivered speeches in public halls and left nothing undone within their means to spread the Cause of God.
Karachi held public lectures and at the time of each festive Bahá’í anniversary invited the gentry and the notables of the town to grand tea-parties in the garden of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and delivered the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the guests. They extend their teaching activities to the neighbouring towns of Hyderabad (Sind) and Shikarpur. It is due to the efforts of this Assembly that the Divine Faith is known to the people of Sind from the highest to the lowest. A traveller will find the likeness of the beloved Master hung upon the walls of religious institutions. Sadhu Viswani, whom our beloved Miss Root describes as “the great writer, the saint, the seer, the sage, the messenger of the New Age” was so impressed by Miss Martha Root’s direct message that he delivered speeches which may be aptly called the best Bahá’í speeches. There are many other public men, such as Mr. Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta, Mr. Hatim Alvi, Mr. Durga Dass Advani, all ex-mayors of Karachi, and a host of other notables who never refuse to render any help in the interest of the Cause that may be asked of them.
Bombay Assembly, in addition to its usual programme, started weekly public meetings in the suburbs of Bombay at the house of one of the believers of the place visited. This new feature is evolving into a regular campaign and has not only added to the number of the Community but has also encouraged and roused the believers to try more and more. The public activities of the Assembly have brought the Divine Faith to the notice of all public bodies in the town. All the notables and statesmen of the Province are well aware of the aims and objects of the Divine Faith. Public men such as Mr. Jamna Dass Mehta, M.L.A., Principal Kashmira Singh, Mr. K. Natranjan, Prof. P. A. Wadia,
An early picture of the body of a Bahá’í martyr of Írán.
Prof. N. K. Pohagwat, Prof. Rou, Mr. K. F. Nariman, Seth Manjibhoy Govindji, Dr. Mulbagala and Mr. Gyani who presided over the public meetings called by the Assembly at various occasions gave expression to their glowing appreciation of the Divine Teachings. The Assembly availed itself of all public functions and turns them into occasions for the propagation of the Divine Faith.
Poona Spiritual Assembly continued in her efforts to serve the Cause in the most efficient way. Public lectures were arranged and the Bahá’í Holy Days were made occasions for propagating the Divine Faith.
Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon, Mandalay and Deedanaw Assemblies did their utmost to discharge the duties enjoined upon them by the Author of their Faith. At Simla a local Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1938 but in 1939 it could not be formed owing to its four members having left the place. A group now meets there. The Lahore group is holding weekly study classes and is gathering strength.
Publicity
During her tour of more than one year, wherever Miss Martha Root went, she enlisted the aid of the Press. She met everywhere the journalists and editors of newspapers who very willingly published long and glowing articles about the Divine Teachings. In India, Burma, and Ceylon there was not a single paper of note that did not devote some considerable space for the Bahá’í articles. It was the same with the tours of Mrs. Shirin Fozdar, Prof. Pritam Singh and Mr. Isfandiar Bakhtiari.
Pamphlets such as the “Dawn of the New Day,” "Bahá’í Peace Programme,” "World Religion,” "What the Bahá’í Faith Can Do for Poverty” and others were printed in English and many Indian languages and given away gratis at public lectures of the touring teachers and at local meetings.
The “World Order'” magazine of America
is subscribed to by many in India and
arrangements have been made to place a
copy in the libraries of Universities all over
India, Burma, and Ceylon. Mr. A. C. Harris
of Switzerland presents this magazine to
some of the Universities of these countries.
Thus all the university libraries of these
three countries receive this publication of the
Divine Faith. Fifty copies of the BAHÁ’Í
WORLD, Vol. VII, presented to India and
Burma by Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher, are
being placed in the university libraries and
in other well-known libraries of these
countries. Our own Urdu and Persian monthly,
the Bahá’í Magazine, has done very good
[Page 199]
work among the Urdu- and Persian-knowing
Indians and has been instrumental in
spreading the Cause far and wide. The
Bahá’í Friends of Burma have also been
active in those regions and have done good
deal of teaching work in co-operation with
Miss Martha Root and Mrs. Shirin Fozdar
assisted by Dr. S. H. ‘Alí of Rangoon.
The Hindi and Sindhi versions of Dr. Esslemont’s "Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” were freely distributed in North India and in Sind and the Urdu version of "Some Answered Questions” was also published and put on sale. The Sindhi version of "Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” was approved by the Education Department of the Government and was ordered to be placed in the libraries of all the public and private schools of that Province.
Bahá’í Summer School
One of the forward steps that the believers of these parts took during the years under review was the starting of the Summer School. As India is a vast country and it was not possible to have more than one such school, it was decided by the N. S. A. to hold it yearly at different places. The first school was held at Simla during September, 1938. It was blessed with the presence of our beloved sister Miss Martha L. Root. The school was a grand all-round success far beyond the expectations of its promoters. A full programme of study of the Holy Books was carried out. Evening lectures were held in public halls and a day was set apart for an outing. The presence of beloved Miss Root inspired the youth who had joined the school and they were greatly benefited. A full report of the school will be found elsewhere in this volume.
The second Bahá’í summer school opened in Karachi during September, 1939, for ten days. Owing to disturbed international situation the attendance from other Assemblies was very poor but the friends of Karachi, especially the youth of the place evinced great interest and were greatly benefited. They asked intelligent questions and the discussion that followed each lesson was greatly illuminating. The Laws of the Aqdas, the Bahá’í Administration and other Bahá’í literature was studied. A course of lectures on comparative religion was also delivered. Public lectures were delivered in the Theosophical Hall and at Sarnagati Hall. The school this year was decidedly an improvement on last year’s effort and it is hoped that the institution will in time become the Great School—the universal nucleus—which will send out trained Bahá’í teachers to spread the Divine Faith of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the length and breadth of India, Burma and Ceyon.
Youth Activities
This was another effort which was crowned with success. Youth groups existed in many centres but there was no organized effort to co-ordinate their activities. The American Bahá’í Youth Movement invited the youth of this country to join them in holding a Symposium on a certain appointed day in February. This proved an incentive and the youth groups under the guidance of the N. S. A. organized themselves, held the annual Symposium and drew up plans for a course of study for the whole year. In 1939 the N. S. A. appointed a sub-committee to consolidate the movement still further. The Committee is now doing its work. The study classes at all centres are more or less regularly held and public meetings to which the youths and gentry of the towns were invited have been held.
Bahá’í Children’s Education
There are at present two schools, one at Deedanaw (Burma) and the other at Poona (India). The former is a government recognized institution and imparts education in Burmese and English up to the primary standard; while the latter is a private school and is conducted under the aegis of the local Spiritual Assembly. It too, imparts education in English, Gujrati and Persian up to the primary standard. The N. S. A. has a scheme in hand planning a central boarding school for all the Bahá’í children to be established in one of the centres. Owing to financial difficulties the progress in this connection is very slow; but we hope that ere long the scheme will grow and fructify and we shall have the most up-to-date boarding school conducted on the lines of the British public schools.
Six-Year Plan of Teaching
It was one year after our American brothers and sisters have launched their Seven-Year Plan of Teaching that the N. S. A. of India and Burma on a recommendation by the 10th Annual Convention, adopted a Six-Year Plan of Teaching. It at first aimed at making each local Assembly responsible to establish another Assembly in a nearby town; but later our beloved Guardian suggested that the chief aim of the Plan should be to find volunteer teachers for settlement in places where the Divine Faith has not yet been established. These teachers will make these places either their permanent places of business or they will stay so long as to form a local Spiritual Assembly or at least a group of confirmed believers who will evolve themselves into an Assembly in due course. In the 11th Convention therefore the two chief aims of the Plan were clearly defined and a Committee was formed to concentrate their whole energy towards the successful prosecution of the Plan. It is a matter for joy and gratification that the Plan is progressing and is drawing confirmations and assistance from the Supreme Concourse. Some of the friends have offered themselves for settlement in places which the Committee has selected for settlement this year. The Committee is now recommending to the N. S. A. to provide funds for the prosecution of the Plan. When the funds are obtained the rest will be easy. The way in which Bahá’u’lláh helps us in the achievement of our aims is really miraculous. He has shown this to us several times and the conviction is now deeply rooted in us that we will succeed in our aims and intentions provided we make but a move towards accomplishing them. We are fully convinced that by the end of 1944 A.D. we shall have attained the objectives for which we have started the campaign.
Publications
In addition to the Bahá’í Magazine which is published from Bombay in Urdu and Persian every month we published the translations of some books in the vernaculars of the country. Mandalay Assembly rendered the Obligatory Prayer with some other prayers into Burmese. Hindi and Sindhi versions of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era were published and extensively presented to the libraries of the province to which the language belonged. The Urdu version of Some Answered Questions was published and was presented to most of the libraries keeping Urdu books. The pamphlet The Dawn of the New Day was published in English, Urdu, Hindi and Tamil and was freely distributed during the teaching tours of Miss Martha Root, Mrs. Shirin Fozdar and other teachers. The pamphlet World Religion was republished in English and was freely distributed. Miss Martha Root published in pamphlet form What the Bahá’í Faith Can Do for Poverty.
Annual Bahá’í Convention
The 10th Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of India and Burma was held in Karachi during the Riḍván of 1938, when public lectures were arranged and the Message was given to the Theosophists, the Jains and the Indian Parsees. The 11th All-India and Burma Bahá’í Convention was held in Calcutta during the Riḍván of 1939 and great publicity was done on the platform and from the press.
New Delhi, October, 1939.
