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Bahá’í News

March 1975

Bahá’í Year 131-132

The Bahá’í Faith in India—an historical overview

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Contents

The House of ‘Abdu’lláh Pashá: Prison home of the Master	2
Around the world	5
World Center, International Bahá’í Community, International Audio-Visual Center, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Korea, Norway, Portugal, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam
India: an historical overview	16

page 14

page 21

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Effective May 1 the subscription prices for Bahá’í News, World Order, and Child’s Way will be increased to cover higher production costs for paper stock, printing, and other services.

“We regret that it has been necessary to raise the subscription prices of the periodicals,” said William Geissler, Secretary of the National Information Committee, “but the costs of all materials and production services have increased significantly over the past two years and there is no sign that the trend is abating.” For example a new increase in the price of postage is soon to go into effect.

“The Bahá’í periodicals have attempted to keep the subscription prices down,” Mr. Geissler said. “The last price adjustment was approximately four years ago. During that time the National Assembly has heavily subsidized the publication of periodicals. The increases will help to make the publications more self-sufficient,” he said.

After May 1 a one-year subscription to Bahá’í News will cost US $8; two years US $15.

A one-year subscription to World Order, a quarterly magazine, will cost US $6; two years US $11.

A one-year subscription to Child’s Way, a Bahá’í magazine for children, will cost US $5; two years US $9.50.

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Bahá’í News is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.

Change of address should be reported directly to Office of Membership and Records, National Bahá’í Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.

Subscription rates: one year, US $6.00; two years, US $12.00

Second class postage paid at Wilmette, Illinois 60091.

Copyright ® 1975, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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The House of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá:

Prison home of the Master, birthplace of the Guardian

The House of Abdu’l-Bahá, which was His official residence from 1897 to 1908, and in which Shoghi Effendi was born, is shown in this aerial photograph of the north-western quarter of the city of ‘Akká. The borders of the extensive property are outlined in white. It is known locally as the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá, and it was here that Abdu’l-Bahá received the pilgrims, including that first group from the West (December 10, 1898). Seen nearby are the prison citadel with the windows of Abdu’l-Baha’s cell clearly visible, the barracks square, and the mosque of Jazzár.

Bahá’í International News Service

Some of the most poignant, dramatic, and historically significant events of the Heroic Age of our Faith are associated with this house, which derives its name from the Governor of ‘Akká who built it and used it as his official residence during his term of office, from 1820 to 1832. It stands just inside the north-western corner of the seawall of ‘Akká, in the close neighborhood of the citadel where Bahá’u’lláh was confined. The main building is L-shaped, facing south and east on its outer prospects. The structure, though chiefly on two storeys, is irregular and on the inside angle has balconies, uncovered stairways, a bathhouse, and a well. The entire property comprises large courtyards and is bounded on the west, or seaward side by a wall, which turns due east at its southern angle and continues towards the heart of ‘Akká, forming after a few yards, the wall of a narrow street; at the eastern terminus of this wall, and within the property, is an imposing house which was occupied by that Governor of ‘Akká whose incumbency coincided with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s residence in the main building, and whose northern windows permitted him to maintain a constant surveillance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s activities. Beyond this house is a small mosque. The eastern boundary of the property is a row of houses giving directly, on its western aspect, to the courtyard and offering many additional vantage points for observing the Master. A similar row of houses extends from the north-eastern corner along the northern boundary until they terminate at the longitudinal wing of the main building which, at this point, projects northwards into several conjoined buildings, making a large irregular outcrop on the northern boundary. The western end of the northern boundary is a short stretch of wall completing the enclosure at the north-western corner of the west wall. Large stables, coach houses, and store rooms line the southern boundary.

In this house, fifty lunar years after the Báb’s martyrdom, in January 1899, the casket containing His sacred and precious remains was received by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who successfully concealed it until it was possible to inter it, with all honors, in its permanent resting-place in the bosom of Carmel. In this house ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was confined during the period of His renewed incarceration. Shoghi Effendi, in God Passes By, testifies to the conditions of His life at that time:

... Even His numerous friends and admirers refrained, during the most turbulent days of this period, from calling upon Him, for fear of being implicated and of incurring the suspicion of the authorities. On certain days and nights, when the outlook was at its darkest, the house in which He was living, and which had for many years been a focus of activity, was completely deserted. Spies, secretly and openly, kept watch around it, observing His every movement and restricting the freedom of His family ...

Yet during these troublous times, and from this house He directed the construction of the Báb’s sepulchre on Mount Carmel, erected under its shadow His own house in Haifa, and later the Pilgrim House, issued instructions for the restoration of the Báb’s holy House in Shíráz and for the erection of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the world in the city of ‘Ishqábád. Again the Guardian is our reference for the Master’s ceaseless activity at that time:

... Eye witnesses have testified that, during that agitated and perilous period of His life, they had known Him to pen, with His own Hand, no less than ninety Tablets in a single day, and to pass many a night, from dusk to dawn,

[Page 3] alone in His bedchamber engaged in correspondence, which the pressure of His manifold responsibilities had prevented Him from attending to in the day-time.

It was in this house that His celebrated table talks were given and compiled, to be published later under the title Some Answered Questions. In this house and in the darkest hours of a period which the beloved Guardian describes as “the most dramatic period of His ministry,” “in the heyday of His life and in the full tide of His power,” He penned the first part of His Will and Testament, which delineates the features and lays the foundations of the Administrative Order to arise after His passing. In this house, He revealed the highly significant Tablet addressed to the Báb’s cousin and chief builder of the ‘Ishqábád Temple, a Tablet whose import can be appreciated and grasped only as future events unfold before our eyes, and in which, as testified by Shoghi Effendi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “in stirring terms proclaimed the immeasurable greatness of the Revelation of the Báb, sounded the warnings foreshadowing the turmoil which its enemies, both far and near, would let loose upon the world, and prophesied, in moving language, the ascendancy which the torch-bearer of the Covenant would ultimately achieve over them.”

During the twelve years of His residence in this house, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá demonstrated the true nobility of His divine nature, overcame hatred with love, pursued without rest against ever-mounting opposition, the direction of His Father’s Cause, maintained in the face of fanaticism, jealousy, and bitterness His unceasing care of the poor and sick and overcame, with unruffled equanimity, the severest crisis of His life. The Guardian’s words testify to these things:

... At His table, in those days, whenever there was a lull in the storm raging about Him, there would gather pilgrims, friends, and inquirers from most of the aforementioned countries, representative of the Christian, the Muslim, the Jewish, the Zoroastrian, the Hindu, and Buddhist Faiths. To the needy thronging His doors and filling the courtyard of His house every Friday morning, in spite of the perils that environed Him, He would distribute alms with His own hands, with a regularity and generosity that won Him the title of ‘Father of the Poor’. Nothing in those tempestuous days could shake His confidence; nothing would be allowed to interfere with His ministrations to the destitute, the orphan, the sick, and the downtrodden; nothing could prevent Him from calling in person upon those who were either incapacitated or ashamed to solicit His aid...

So imperturbable was ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s equanimity that, while rumors were being bruited about that He might be cast into the sea, or exiled to Fízán in Tripolitania, or hanged on the gallows, He, to the amazement of His friends and the amusement of His enemies, was to be seen planting trees and vines in the garden of His house, whose fruits when the storm had blown over, He would bid His faithful gardener, Ismá’íl Áqá, pluck and present to those same friends and enemies on the occasion of their visits to Him.”

In this house was born the child ordained to hold the destiny of the Faith in his hands for thirty-six years and to become its “beloved Guardian,” the child named “Shoghi” by his Grandfather, who grew up under His loving and solicitous care and became the recipient of His Tablets.

[Page 4] When Bahá’u’lláh ascended, in 1892, the Mansion at Bahjí remained in the occupancy of the arch-breaker of the Covenant, the Master’s half-brother Muḥammad-‘Alí, and members of that branch of Bahá’u’lláh’s family. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the members of His family, including His illustrious sister the Greatest Holy Leaf, remained in the House of ‘Abbúd, which continued to be ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s official residence. In the course of the fifth year after Bahá’u’lláh’s passing, the marriage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s two eldest daughters took place and it quickly became apparent ‎tht that‎ the portion of the House of ‘Abbúd available for occupation was woefully inadequate to the enlarged family. With characteristic vigor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took action and in the months preceding the birth of Shoghi Effendi arranged to rent the main building, and subsequently the subsidiary wings, of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá’s house and He established it as His official residence. Thus it came about that, in 1897, Shoghi Effendi was born in the same house (in an upper room of the wing facing south) that witnessed events of such vital importance to the Faith and the future of mankind.

The Guardian’s childhood and upbringing in that house are referred to by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum in The Priceless Pearl:

“It may sound disrespectful to say the Guardian was a mischievous child, but he himself told me he was the acknowledged ringleader of all the other children. Bubbling with high spirits, enthusiasm, and daring, full of laughter and wit, the small boy led the way in many pranks; whenever something was afoot, behind it would be found Shoghi Effendi! This boundless energy was often a source of anxiety as he would rush madly up and down the long flight of high steps to the upper story of the house, to the consternation of the pilgrims below, waiting to meet the Master. His exuberance was irrepressible and was in the child the same force that was to make the man such an untiring and unflinching commander-in-chief of the forces of Bahá’u’lláh, leading them to victory after victory, indeed, to the spiritual conquest of the entire globe. We have a very reliable witness to this characteristic of the Guardian, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, Who wrote on a used envelope a short sentence to please His little grandson: “Shoghi Effendi is a wise man — but he runs about very much!’...

“In those days of Shoghi Effendi’s childhood, it was the custom to rise about dawn and spend the first hour of the day in the Master’s room, where prayers were said and the family all had breakfast with Him. The children sat on the floor, their legs folded under them, their arms folded across their breasts, in great respect; when asked they would chant for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; there was no shouting or unseemly conduct. Breakfast consisted of tea, brewed on the bubbling Russian brass samovar and served in little crystal glasses, very hot and very sweet, pure wheat bread and goats’ milk cheese.”

It was to this house that that historic first groups of pilgrims from the West came to see the Master in the winter of 1898-1899, and in which many more from both East and West sought His presence. Some of them have left memorable descriptions of their experiences with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His household in that home. Ella Goodall Cooper, one of the very earliest American believers, records the following:

“One day ... I had joined the ladies of the Family in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf for early morning tea, the beloved Master was ‎siting sitting‎ in His favorite corner of the divan where, through the window on His right, He could look over the ramparts and see the blue Mediterranean beyond. He was busy writing Tablets, and the quiet peace of the room was broken only by the bubble of the samovar, where one of the young maidservants, sitting on the floor before it, was brewing tea.”

Thornton Chase, the first American believer, records in his memoir In Galilee:

“We did not know we had reached our destination until we saw a Persian gentleman, and then another and another, step out at the entrance and smile at us. We alighted and they conducted us through the arched, red brick entrance to an open court, across it to a long flight of stone steps, broken and ancient, leading to the highest story and into a small walled court open to the sky, where was the upper chamber assigned to us, which adjoined the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The buildings are all of stone, whitewashed and plastered, and it bears the aspect of a prison.

“Our windows looked out over the garden and tent of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the sea side of the house. That garden is bounded on one side by the house of the Governor, which overlooks it, and on another by the inner wall of fortification. A few feet beyond that is the outer wall upon the sea, and between these two are the guns and soldiers constantly on guard. A sentry house stands at one corner of the wall and garden, from which the sentry can see the grounds and the tent where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meets transient visitors and the officials who often call on him. Thus all his acts outside of the house itself are visible to the Governor from his windows and to the men on guard. Perhaps that is one reason why the officials so often become his friends. No one, with humanity, justice, or mercy in his heart, could watch ‘Abdu’l-Bahá long without admiring and loving him for the beautiful qualities constantly displayed.”

Mary Hanford Ford published an account of her pilgrimage to this house in Star of the West, vol. XXIV:

“The little room in which I stayed and in which the significant conversations with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá took place, was of the simplest description. The floor was covered with matting, the narrow iron bed and the iron washstand with larger and smaller holes for bowl and pitcher were of that vermin proof description with which I had become familiar. Everything was scrupulously clean, and there was an abundant supply of sparkling water for bathing and drinking. A wide window looked over the huge town wall upon the blue Mediterranean and before this stretched a divan upon which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat when He came to see me.”

The palpable victory which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had wrested ‎form from‎ the persecution, intrigue, hatred, vilification even, directed against Him during His twelve years in the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá, was signally apparent when, upon His release from incarceration in 1908, He moved to His new residence in Haifa. At that time the future Guardian was a boy of eleven, but his appointment, although a carefully guarded secret, had already been made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the part of His Will and Testament revealed in that house.

As we contemplate the extraordinary focusing of powerful forces and events upon this house, we eagerly anticipate the day when it will be restored and made ready for pilgrims, who may inhale from its atmosphere, its grounds and sacred walls, the fragrances of a glorious past.

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Around the World

World Center:

New publications in English available

The Department of Publishing at the World Center has announced the publication of “Analysis of the Five Year International Teaching Plan,” which is now ready for shipment. The slim booklet contains 104 pages, thread sewn in sections, and has a paper cover.

It is now available to National Spiritual Assemblies and their Publishing Trusts. ‎Invididuals Individuals‎ and Local Spiritual Assemblies are directed to purchase books from the National Spiritual Assemblies or Publishing Trusts.

A Manual for Pioneers, by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum; Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India, 228 pages.

The wide travels of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum uniquely qualify her to write this book, which, in addition to being precisely what its title implies — a “manual” for pioneers — is a useful handbook for Bahá’í teachers everywhere, on the home front and abroad.

Of particular interest to pioneers already in the field and those arising to play their part in the Five Year Plan will be those chapters of the volume which cover such topics as: Where to Pioneer; What to do When You Get There; Culture Shock; Tribal and Local Customs; Reflections on Behavior; Visas; Sanitary Facilities; Some Common Illnesses and Hazards; Health Hints; Bachelor’s Corner; and Some Basic Recipes.

“This manual represents the personal experience and random observations of the author,” Amatu’l-Baha states in the foreword. “In the course of my travels in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands I have met a great number of pioneers and learned to admire their consecration and fortitude in the face of many difficulties and problems ... I longed to be able in some way to help them, to lighten their load and cheer them up and perhaps through suggestions make their road a little smoother and assist them to a better understanding of their task and some of the peoples they will live with and teach ...”

The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh: Baghdád 1853-1863, by Adib Taherzadeh; George Ronald, Oxford, 384 pages, with illustrations.

The first of a four-volume survey of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, by Adib Taherzadeh, is now available. The volume just published focuses on the Tablets revealed between the years 1853-1863, and in addition to descriptions of a great number of Tablets, many of which are unknown in the West, the book includes fascinating material concerning events in the lives of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions.

Mr. Taherzadeh is well qualified for the monumental project he has undertaken. A graduate of Tihran University, he now lives in the Republic of Ireland where he serves as chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Japan Will Turn Ablaze! (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Letters of Shoghi Effendi, and Historical Notes about Japan); Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Japan, 90 pages, with illustrations.

As suggested by the sub-title, this is a compilation consisting chiefly of the Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to early believers including

Australia: Hand of Cause lauds spirit of youth Some of the Bahá’ís assembled at the Sixth Australian Bahá’í Youth Conference recently held in Canberra. The Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone reported that he was impressed with the spirit animating the youth and the efficiency with which they arranged the conference. A majority of the youth attending the conference had been Bahá’ís for less than three years. Peter Khan, an Auxiliary Board member from the United States, addressed a well-attended public meeting held in conjunction with the conference. After the conference’s adjournment, a number of teaching teams were formed to travel throughout Australia to carry out an intensive teaching campaign.

[Page 6] the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander, Mr. Kanichi Yamamoto, the first Japanese believer, and Mr. Saichiro Fujita; and the letters of Shoghi Effendi to individuals and to administrative institutions in Japan.

International Bahá’í Community:

UN seminar inspires TV series on Faith

Participants from more than thirty countries gathered in Ottawa, Canada, September 4-17, 1974, to participate in the United Nations seminar on “Women’s participation in development and elimination of sex discrimination.” The Ottawa seminar was the first interregional seminar to be held on the subject which, according to a press release from the UN Office of Public Information, is a topic “the importance of which has been emphasized in the resolutions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Commission on the Status of Women and the International Conference on Human Rights (Tihrán, 1968).”

Carol Bowie, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, and Judy Gibson, represented the Bahá’í International Community and had many opportunities to bring the Faith to the attention of delegates and observers.

In their report, the Bahá’í observers commented that they noted “how very close in principle many of the delegates are to the Bahá’í Teachings. Over and over from Third World countries’ representatives came the concept that without the full contribution of their women to society, the development of their countries would be crippled, that education was crucial if this integration were to take place and that what was essential was a shift in the status of women and their role, whatever the ultimate definition(s) of that role.”

Aware of the potential for publicity afforded by this event to the Faith and International Women’s Year, Mrs. Bowie approached the newspaper office and the cable TV studio in the city of Cornwall. The TV studio, not having a scheduled program with an interview format on which she could appear, offered Mrs. Bowie a TV show of her own. “The result was,” she reported, “a 15-week series of 30-minute shows called ‘Our World’ on which I am invited to freely discuss the Faith, the UN, or any subject I wish ... at present only three programs in the series have been taped, the first dealing with the seminar, the second a slide program about the Faith, and the third with another Bahá’í ... the program will have as its opening scene each week a poster of the Shrine of the Báb with the quotation The earth is one country and mankind its citizens.”

International Audio-Visual Center:

Three new postcards now available

Three new postcards suitable for teaching and deepening Bahá’ís are available from the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Center. These cards are particularly suitable for consolidation among believers in new communities.

The first card is a full-color aerial photo of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Panama. It shows hundreds of people walking around and entering the graceful, white-domed structure overlooking the capital of this Central American republic. The caption is printed in Spanish and English.

The second card, also in color, is an aerial photo of ‘Akká, where Bahá’u’lláh spent more than nine years as a prisoner. Bahá’u’lláh called this city “the Most Great Prison,” and said, “From this Prison His light was shed abroad; His fame conquered the world, and the proclamation of His glory reached the East and the West.” The House of ‘Abbúd, where the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed, can be seen clearly in the postcard. Cards are available without words or with a caption in English, Spanish, or French.

An architect’s rendering of the future seat of The Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel is the theme of the third card. The construction of this building is one of the goals of the Five Year Plan, and represents an important step in the unfoldment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. The caption is in English, Spanish, and French.

Brazil: Summer school launches teaching project As many as 200 people attended Brazil’s first national summer school of the Five Year Plan in Jandira, a small city near São Paulo, January 19-26. Continental Counsellor Raúl Pavón, who has moved to Brazil to help with preparations for the 1976 international conference in Bahia, attended the summer school. When classes were completed two teams of six people, mainly youth, left from Jandira to proclaim the Faith in two goal cities in the northern part of the state.

Although of particular interest to Bahá’ís, these cards are also excellent teaching aids. Their attractiveness and portability make them well suited for carrying in pocket or purse for spontaneous firesides.

Your local Bahá’í librarian or authorized Bahá’í distributor may have these cards in stock or may be able to supply information about prices and ordering.

[Page 7] If these cards are not available in your area, please write to the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Center, 1640 Holcomb Road, Victor, New York 14564, for information on where they may be obtained.

Argentina:

Women’s Congress recalls May Maxwell

The first regional Bahá’í Women’s Congress of the Five Year Plan was held in Cordoba, January 18-19, 1975. The 19 women who attended enthusiastically responded to the congress the purpose of which was to provide an opportunity for deepening and for discussion of the increasing role women must play in winning the goals of the Five Year Plan. The Local Spiritual Assembly entered into the spirit of the congress, offering hospitality and a luncheon. An informal meeting attracted approximately 40 believers and their friends.

As Argentina is the resting place of May Maxwell, the congress was appropriately opened with a study of her life which created a sense of her presence during the gatherings.

Uruguay: The Hand of the Cause Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir as he met with the friends in Montevideo, Uruguay, during a recent tour of South America.

The program consisted of the following themes: The Participation of Bahá’í Women in Community Activities; The Importance of Deepening in the Cause; Education of Children; and The Woman and Her Family.

Other women’s congresses will be held in the Buenos Aires region in March and will include a group visit to the resting place of May Maxwell.

Canada:

Bilingual arts festival impresses community

The Spiritual Assembly of Aylmer, Quebec recently presented a public bilingual program of music and dance (including ballet) under the title “Unity Festival”. The selections, presented by Bahá’ís, a number of whom had professional training, were related to Bahá’í principles. The program served as an indirect method of attracting the interest of the townspeople in the Faith. Excerpts from the account which was published in the local newspaper stated:

Last Saturday’s “Unity Festival” of music and modern dance succeeded in generating a tremendous spirit of unity between the audience and the performers.

Pyer Vaillancourt, the Master of Ceremonies for the bilingual program, and a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Aylmer who sponsored the evening, said, “The response was beyond our greatest expectations. We had a good turnout, about 150 people of all ages, from children to senior citizens.”

The theme of unity was conspicuous throughout the program.... all the acts were well received by the audience, which included residents of the Hospital of St. Isadore, to whom a special invitation had been extended.

The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Aylmer hopes to sponsor a similar festival later in the year, drawing on more talent from the Aylmer-Lucerne-DesChenes region.”

Germany:

European Institutions consult on Plan

The following cable was sent to the World Center by the European Counsellors, National Spiritual Assembly representatives, and Auxiliary Board members who met in conference at Langenhain, Germany, to discuss the progress of the Five Year Plan in Europe:

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE, 72 PARTICIPANTS, SHADOW MOTHER TEMPLE, INCLUDING 26 (AUXILIARY) BOARD MEMBERS, REPRESENTATIVES ALL NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES, BLESSED PRESENCE HAND CAUSE ADELBERT MUHLSCHLEGEL, FIVE COUNSELLORS, EXPRESSES LOYALTY, SENDS LOVING GREETINGS UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE. CONSCIOUS HISTORIC GATHERING, AWARE WEIGHTY RESPONSIBILITIES, CONSCIOUS GOALS, PLAN EXCHANGE USE SHARE EXPERIENCES, INVIGORATING ATMOSPHERE. CONSULTATIONS FRUITFUL. CONFIDENT FINAL VICTORY. BESEECH PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES.

Haiti:

Bahá’í community afloat in Caribbean

Mr. Paul Wilson Joseph, one of the ten Bahá’í crew members aboard the cruise ship Sun Viking, plying the Caribbean, wrote the following in a recent letter to the Universal House of Justice:

“I have been a Bahá’í for almost four months ... My dear brothers, I infinitely regret not having been a Bahá’í since my birth, as this is the true salvation, and not to be a Bahá’í is a waste of time. I am proud to be in the company of the Bahá’ís; here one can find faith, hope, happiness and joy. The world is in great need of this Faith ... We are a group of ten members on the boat; ... we are all convinced; we see the gentleness among the Bahá’ís. Each day we have prayers together and discussions about the Faith ... and we also meet the Bahá’ís in our various ports of call. It is wonderful to meet the Bahá’ís when our ship enters the port.”

In concluding his letter, Mr. Joseph requested prayers “so that I may continue to work for Bahá’u’lláh.”

[Page 8] work for Bahá’u’lláh.”

The believer who initiated teaching on the ship is former Haitian National Spiritual Assembly member, Mr. Philippe Bastien, who wrote: “In the ship are working people from all nations. The passengers come from all places. I don’t fail to inform them that nowadays there is no future, no hope for anybody, but in Bahá’u’lláh.”

Korea:

Interracial marriage publicizes Cause

Extraordinary publicity for the Faith resulted from the recent Bahá’í marriage of Kamál Ridvání Nizháh to Choe Hak Cha. The groom who is thought to be the only Iranian residing in Korea was interviewed on radio, television, and by reporters from daily and weekly newspapers. During the interviews, questions were asked about the history and teachings of the Faith, an outline of the Stations of the Three Central Figures was given, and the Bahá’í marriage ceremony was described in detail.

The Secretary-General of the Government Party sent flowers to the young Bahá’í couple and encouraged news reporters and distinguished citizens to attend the Bahá’í wedding. At least 20 news correspondents were in attendance, as well as several cameramen. One article appeared under the heading, “We are a global family,” and reference to the wedding was aired three times during the news broadcast on both radio and television.

Portugal:

Extensive publicity aids proclamation

Setubal, a city situated about 40 kilometers south of the capital, has a community of approximately 100 believers. Recently the Spiritual Assembly, in collaboration with the National Teaching Committee, sponsored a large-scale proclamation event in the city. Prior to the event, attractive colorful posters were prominently displayed throughout the town. They showed a photograph of the globe and the challenging phrase: “Have you heard of Bahá’u’lláh?” In addition, a large banner, five meters in length, was placed in the principal square of the city, advertising the date, time, and place of the public meeting. A report received from the Spiritual Assembly states:

To make arrangements for displaying the banner, the Bahá’ís visited the town hall where they spoke to the President (Mayor) who lovingly and in writing conceded the required authorization, this document being the first official authorization which we have in our possession.

The principal newspaper of the city, which already had at various times published articles and news about the Faith, announced the meeting beforehand and the following week published a report about the proclamation.

An “open letter” presenting the Faith in a clear and simple manner and inviting people to attend the meeting was distributed during the day; to carry out this work, members of other communities came to Setubal and gathered in the local center where they said prayers and were organized into groups before going into the streets to distribute the invitations.

The community reports that the proclamation effort has begun to bear fruit as witnessed by the increase in attendance and interest at the weekly meetings.

Togo:

Nine-day proclamation largest in 21 years

More people may have heard of the Bahá’í Faith during a recent nine-day proclamation in Lomé, Togo than during the entire 21 years of painstaking labor since the Faith was introduced to the country in 1954. This assessment was given by the Spiritual Assembly of Lomé at the close of its December 5-13 teaching campaign. In that brief period presentations were made at five secondary schools to more than 1,600 students, a series of four public meetings were held and were attended by more than 1,000 people, two television broadcasts on the Faith were made, and the national newspaper, Togo-Presse, carried a laudatory, full-page account of the Teachings of the Faith written by a prominent sociologist.

Honduras: Friends discuss Five Year Plan goals Bahá’ís who attended one of five scheduled conferences in Honduras last year, called to consult on the goals of the Five Year Plan. This conference was at the Karbila School, near Tegucigalpa; others were held in Trujillo, La Ceiba, and Santa Rosa de Copán. (The fifth conference, scheduled to be in San Pedro Sula, was canceled because of damage caused by hurricane Fifi.)

The occasion for the proclamation was the visit to Lomé by Ghanaian singer and guitarist Ranzie Mensah. Miss Mensah’s program of Bahá’í songs and instrumentals was enthusiastically received at many public meetings. In Vogan, a town of 10,000 40 miles from the capital, the district governor

[Page 9] invited Miss Mensah to perform before an audience of 600. The governor himself served as master of ceremonies on this occasion. As in most of her appearances, Miss Mensah was accompanied in Vogan by Auxiliary Board member Thelma Khelghati, who supplemented the music with a talk on the Teachings of the Faith.

“These activities have sparked new life in the Bahá’í community of Togo, and made everyone realize what victories can be won if we but put our trust in Bahá’u’lláh,” the Spiritual Assembly of Lome wrote. “All are now waiting to see what the remaining months before the election of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Togo at Riḍván will bring.”

United States:

Special teaching plan launched in New York

Participation by the Hands of the Cause Mr. Dhikru’llah Khádem and William Sears, as well as all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, in the official launching of the Five Year Plan for New York State attracted more than 500 Bahá’ís to a special program at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, January 11.

Representatives from 115 communities shared in the historic gathering, beginning an intensive teaching campaign aimed at doubling the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the state, opening five Indian reservations and establishing two Local Spiritual Assemblies on Indian reservations, as well as greatly expanding use of news media and reaching the minorities designated in the Five Year Plan.

In their address to the Bahá’ís, both Mr. Khádem and Mr. Sears stressed the undoubted victories assured us if we arise to pursue systematically the directions given us by the Master in The Tablets of the Divine Plan.

Citing instances of humiliation to the Prophets of God from the unknowing peoples of the world, Mr. Khádem repeatedly demonstrated the power of God to raise his Manifestations and bring down to abasement their enemies.

“Beloved friends!” he began. “At this time the present order is collapsing and will be replaced by the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. Although we are very humble and lowly, we have the assurance of the Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, that we will succeed.” He recalled that when Jesus Christ was brought into the gathering of the rabbis, with a crown of thorns on His head, the rabbis questioned Him as to His power and to produce the sceptre of David. Christ replied: “Do you not see the Son of Man standing on the right side of His Father, with all the glory, power and majesty?

“ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that people could not see that, but Christ could see that the crowns of the emperors of the world would be worth less than the thorns on His head,” added Mr. Khádem.

“At the time when the Exalted Báb was brought as a prisoner to Máh-Kú, and had not even a candle at night, He wrote to the Sháh of Persia and assured him that He enjoyed being in the Chamber of Paradise. He said also that all the keys of Paradise were as a ring on His finger.

Norway: Hand of Cause Faizí visits deepening conference Deepening conference sponsored by the National Teaching Committee of Norway, held in Sandnes, October 19-20. More than 30 people from all over the country were present. The Hand of the Cause A.Q. Faizí gave talks on the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, child development, and education. This session was one of several deepening conferences held in different parts of Norway since the start of the Five Year Plan. A national teaching conference was held in Norway in the early weeks of spring.

“And what are those keys of Paradise?” asked Mr. Khádem. “In fact, the very night of the Declaration of His Holiness, the Exalted Báb, the keys of Paradise started to open all the doors of learning. The keys are you, my dearly-loved brothers and sisters of the West! It is you whom His Holiness the Báb addressed when He called upon the people of the West to issue forth from their cities and

Miss Ranzie Mensah

[Page 10] call people to God. Right from that night, all of the victories started from the fountain of His words.

“Again,” continued Mr. Khádem, “when Bahá’u’lláh was in the Síyah-Chál in Ṭihrán, He tells us of the Voice which proclaimed: ‘Ere long will God raise up the treasures of the earth—men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him.’

“The blessed Master Himself, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, tells us that He entered the prison as a young man and came out old. The moment He was released, He came to the West, to Egypt, to Europe, back to Egypt, to the United States and back to Europe, over a three-year period. He came to help the ‘treasures’ of the world, the Bahá’ís. He came to inspire the people of the West. In His talk in Kenosha, Wisconsin, He helps us to see how significant was His visit to this country! The friends had told Him that every nineteen days, at the Feasts in Kenosha, two vacant chairs were placed, one for Bahá’u’lláh and one for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They longed for the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and this is what the Master said when He spoke there. ‘I longed very much that means be prepared for Me to come to Kenosha. God has upset heaven and earth, that I come to America. God has changed two Kingdoms (Persia and the Ottoman Empire) that I might come and see your faces. I hope there will be a great outcome from this visit and that a new spirit will appear in the Bahá’í world!’

“Friends!” exclaimed Mr. Khádem, “two Emperors were removed from power by God, just so that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could come to America and to Kenosha. And first He came to New York. God changed the whole political situation of the world in order that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could come to this country.”

Citing the accomplishment of the beloved Guardian in raising up the institutions of the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Mr. Khádem reminded the friends that Shoghi Effendi did not leave us until the illumination of the Faith was evident in all the countries of the world, with the supreme body of the Faith, The Universal House of Justice, now bringing us the guidance of Bahá’u’lláh for this historic day. Praising the generals of the Army of Bahá’u’lláh, the National Spiritual Assemblies of the world, Mr. Khádem urged that all listen carefully to the Plan unveiled by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. “Although we are so humble, weak, and lowly, yet Bahá’u’lláh is so Great, Powerful, and Mighty. All the prophecies will be fulfilled, and the crowns of the world will be placed at His feet! We are sure the world commonwealth of Bahá’u’lláh will come to pass. Let us be an instrument, let us be one of the treasures whom Bahá’u’lláh said in the Síyáh-Chál would be raised up to aid Him. Let us be one of the keys of Paradise, whom the Exalted Báb, in Máh-Kú, although a Prisoner, predicted would be as a ring on His right hand. What glory, indeed, to be one of the keys. Let us fulfill the expectations of the beloved Shoghi Effendi and The Universal House of Justice. Please God, we may achieve it!”

“The friends do not have to be told what to do! They know what to do! It is all in the Writings. They just need to try it!” Recalling these words which he heard as a pilgrim in the presence of the beloved Guardian, the Hand of the Cause William Sears asked, “Do we understand these words? Do we really believe that we don’t have to have meetings and worry about what to do, we just have to get busy and try what we have already been given in the Tablets of the Divine Plan? That is why our heroic generals, the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, have called us together today to see what we can do about this marvelous state of New York. Many things have been said already from the Tablets of the Divine Plan, the charter for the spiritual conquest of the planet. Destined to guide the teaching over the next 500,000 years, this charter was unveiled right here in this state, in New York City.

“Let us remember the praise of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the Bahá’ís of the northeastern states and the assurance He gives that these states share a unique spiritual privilege. The Master says: ‘Likewise as the continent of America in the estimation of the True One is the field of the effulgence of light, the Kingdom of the manifestation of mysteries, the home of the righteous ones and the gathering place of the free, therefore every section thereof is blessed; but because these nine states have been favored in faith and assurance, hence through this precedence they have obtained spiritual privilege.... Now all these bounties exist and appear in full in these nine states. The divine Gardener passed by that holy ground and scattered pure seeds from the lordly teachings in

Above: Auxiliary Board member Katherine McLaughlin, the Hands of the Cause William Sears and Dhikru’lláh Khádem, and National Assembly members Richard Betts, Daniel Jordan, and Magdalene Carney were among the more than 500 Bahá’ís gathered for the launching of the teaching plan for New York.

[Page 11] Below: The Hand of the Cause William Sears addresses the gathering.

that field, the rain of the bounties of God poured down and the heat of the Sun of Reality—that is, the merciful confirmations—shone with the utmost splendor. It is my hope that each one of those blessed souls may become a peerless and unique irrigator, and the East and the West of America may become like unto a delectable paradise so that all of you may hear from the Supreme Concourse the cry of ‘Blessed are you, and again blessed are you.’ ”

“Think of it!” said Mr. Sears. “This is you whom the Master is addressing. My hope is that from this room, there will appear such a light in the skies of New York that we will win all of our goals. We hold the potential in our hand; we have had the presence of the Divine Gardener in this region.

“Do you know how many times the Master delivered public addresses and made formal visits in New York? In 55 separate places in New York City, He appeared. Now the very soil is throbbing with His footsteps, and the hosts of Bahá’u’lláh’s battalions are waiting to come to our assistance if we arise. I hope you will memorize all of these goals, keep them on a little card where you shave or put on your make-up. Keep them somewhere handy and say them each day. It only takes a minute. While you are riding in the bus or the streetcar, say the goals, such as ‘raise the number of localities where Bahá’ís reside in New York to 360.’ Ya Bahá’ul-Abhá! Beloved friends, let us call on the powers of the Greatest Name.

“At one end of this state is the City of the Covenant, and at the other, Hume, the birthplace of the ‘mother teacher of the West,’ Lua Getsinger. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that people will come to visit the land where she walked barefoot as a child, where Bahá’u’lláh Himself chose her for His work in your state. Think of the connection between the western and eastern ends of this state ... it really could become a paradise!

“Do you remember Mr. Roy Wilhelm? He was a Hand of the Cause of God. When Mrs. Sears was on pilgrimage, the beloved Guardian said he was appointed because he was a saint. But he was a very mischievous man and had a lot of good stories which he used very effectively. Mr. Wilhelm said that when he walked down the streets of New York City, the City of the Covenant, with the beloved Master, the Master said that if the believers in New York had really loved each other and arisen to teach, living just one of the principles in their lives, half of the people in New York would have become Bahá’ís by that time. And that was in 1912!

“ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself says that He has scattered the seeds. In the Tablet to the Northeastern States, He promises us that ‘it has often happened that one blessed soul has become the cause of the guidance of a nation. Now we must not look at our own ability and capacity; nay, rather, we must behold the favors and bounties of God in these days, who has made the drop find the expression of the sea and the atom the importance of the sun.’

“If one blessed soul can do all this, imagine what the number of people in this room could do to bring change not just for this state but for this whole country. We hold the destiny of this country in the palm of our hands. At the pilgrim’s table in the presence of the beloved Guardian one evening, he spoke to us of Miss Martha Root, star servant and foremost Hand of the Cause of the first Bahá’í century. He said there wasn’t anyone at the table who didn’t have more of everything in the world than Martha Root—more health, more resources, more education—but that she had given her love to Bahá’u’lláh. She was completely dedicated. So she was not a hero, not a martyr, not a saint, but all three. A hero, a martyr, and a saint! All of us sitting there felt less than dust, but the beloved Guardian said that we could equal or surpass her record!

“Often the beloved Master was heard to say, ‘Should each one of the friends take it upon themselves to carry out, in all its integrity and implications, only one of the teachings of the Faith, with devotion, detachment, constancy, and perseverance, and exemplify it in all of his deeds and pursuits of life, the world would become another world, and the face of the earth would mirror forth the splendors of the Abhá paradise.

“So there we have it, from the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh; from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and from the beloved Guardian. If we lived just one principle in our lives! It doesn’t cost anything. Just say, ‘Bahá’u’lláh, here I am. Make something different of me than I was before. Make me an instrument of Thy Cause.’ Then we would see from this room what could happen.

“It says in the Tablets of the Divine Plan that God can change one grain into seven hundred, and if He so wills He will double these also.

[Page 12] If we are 350 in this room, that makes 700, doubled. [Note: Actual attendance was over 500.] If we multiply that by 700, I make that out to be 490,000 believers waiting. And that is not poetry, that is fact! That is the way it works. That is mass conversion. The Supreme Concourse, the powers that created the earth, is our instrument in this day, through Bahá’u’lláh. If we love each other, if we become united in our actions, we’ll reach 490,000, and of course if we do that every year, by the end of the Five Year Plan, we will have 2,450,000 believers in New York State alone!”

Above: National Education Committee member Deborah Christensen leads a workshop on children’s materials and their uses. Below: James Nelson gives a brief opening address at the Family Life Conference. The television at left was used to present a videotaped deepening session with the Hand of the Cause A.Q. Faizí prepared during his visit to the United States last year.

Conference focuses on Bahá’í family life

The first of a series of family life conferences was held in San Francisco February 14-16 by the National Education Committee.

“The conference was designed to assist families in developing Bahá’í characteristics in their homes,” said Committee Secretary Eileen Norman. “It was meant to assist parents in training children and in developing the distinctive character of Bahá’í life.”

Local Spiritual Assemblies in central and northern California were invited to send representatives to the conference in San Francisco. Approximately 60 Assemblies responded; more than 100 people attended.

After a brief opening address by Judge James Nelson, workshops were organized: how to set up children’s classes; fun and games; children’s materials and their uses; consultation and the family; preparation for a life of service; Bahá’í marriage; parent effectiveness — Bahá’í style; and the family as a cohesive unit.

The participants learned to use special materials that had been prepared for the workshops. They, in turn, are expected to demonstrate the materials at similar workshops in their communities in the future. The workshop materials were prepared for the Education Committee by Bahá’ís with experience and knowledge in the areas covered, Mrs. Norman said. They are the first of a series of materials the Committee has planned for use by the community.

Additional family life conferences will be conducted in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., Mrs. Norman said.

“The comments the friends made about this event were very favorable,” the Committee Secretary said. “They said they had waited a long time for these materials and that the content could be immediately applied to their own lives. After a workshop on parent effectiveness, one woman said she had had occasion to apply what she had learned in class and was amazed that it worked so well.”

The National Education Committee was formed shortly before the St. Louis Conference last August. One of its first assignments was to absorb the functions of

[Page 13] The National Bahá’í Schools Committee, from which it inherited supervision of 20 functioning Bahá’í schools. In the past several months, the Education Committee has briefed all the councils and committees appointed to administer the various schools. One item on the briefing agendas was the consideration of developing innovative approaches to Bahá’í education, Mrs. Norman said.

“The Committee is also interested in the development of sequential curricula at the summer schools,” she explained. This would mean that a Bahá’í school would find a teacher with knowledge of a particular subject who would make a long-term commitment to teach a course at a particular school. Each year the course would build upon the material presented the previous year, becoming progressively more detailed and complex. Enrollment in the course would be conditioned upon completion of all previous material in that sequence.

During 1975, the summer schools will emphasize the Five Year Plan in courses and materials prepared. At some of the summer schools, a special course on the Fund will be taught by representatives of the Office of the Treasurer of the National Assembly, Mrs. Norman said.

“In addition, renewed emphasis will be given to the development of children’s activities at summer schools,” she continued. “For a long time children’s activities have been an afterthought. This year they will be a first thought.” Some Bahá’í schools have already appointed committees to work on children’s programs, she said.

“It is the Committee’s hope that the Bahá’í schools will give the friends an opportunity to experience the consequences of Bahá’í community life over a period of time,” Mrs. Norman explained. “They should offer the believers an opportunity to participate in that experience within a controlled environment.”

National Center staff attends seminar

Committee Secretaries and a selected portion of the National Center staff recently attended a daylong seminar on budget and management conducted by the Office of the Treasurer.

“This seminar was an effort to relate well-proven business practices to the administration of the National Bahá’í Center, to facilitate the planning and winning of goals and objectives in the most efficient manner possible,” said Stephen Jackson, Assistant to the Treasurer.

The seminar was planned after a meeting late last year between the National Assembly and the heads of staff, called to explore ways of cutting expenditures.

One of the important suggestions at that meeting was that the National Center should become more familiar with proven techniques of management, Mr. Jackson explained.

“At the National Center, we operate under limited resources of time, people, and treasury,” he said. “We must be creative about using what the world has to offer in terms of management technique. We have difficult goals to accomplish and few resources to apply to the task. Calling on proven business procedures for assistance can be of great benefit.

The seminar was held at a nearby hotel. The session was well attended, and participants indicated they had found the content fruitful.

One of the management theories discussed was that of Management by Objectives, developed by the well-known business professor and consultant Peter Drucker.

In a related action, the National Assembly recently assigned two of its members to participate in an in-depth course in business management practices, to determine what procedures could be profitably

Some of the staff members taking part in the seminar were (from left to right): Diane Gray, Eileen Norman, Philip Christensen, Sám Sohrab, Russ Busey, and Cindie Hurley.

[Page 14] Around the World

Above: A view of the new displays in the House of Worship in Wilmette. The large planter set in the center of the display area and surrounded by a low bench enables visitors to rest, read the literature on display, and meditate. Below: Visitors descending the steps from the auditorium of the House of Worship.

applied to administration by all segments of the Bahá’í community.

Pilgrimages to begin at House of Worship

Applications are now being accepted for two scheduled, small-scale pilgrimages to the House of Worship in Wilmette.

The first pilgrimage is scheduled to take place at the National Center between June 19–22; the second, between August 28-31.

“The programs are planned to provide a unique opportunity for Bahá’ís to develop an expanded awareness of the significance of the House of Worship and to gain a better perspective on the working of the National Center,” said Ray Collins, Manager of the House of Worship Activities Office.

Each pilgrimage will begin on Thursday afternoon and end the following Sunday afternoon, Mr. Collins said.

The activities planned for the visitors include:

• an exhibit drawn from the National Archives;
• a tour of the National Center, National Bahá’í Committee offices, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and the Bahá’í Home;
• a guided tour of the House of Worship and a presentation on its history and construction;
• dinner with the staff of the National Center; and
• lunch at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds with representatives of the National Assembly.

“The friends will also have ample time for prayer and meditation at the House of Worship,” Mr. Collins said.

Mr. Collins said the House of Worship Activities Committee would like to see the pilgrimages become regular events at the National Center.

“The intent of these pilgrimages is as serious as visits to the World Center,” he said. “All Bahá’ís can’t get to Haifa at this time for one reason or another. Maybe these pilgrimages to the National Center can serve as a prelude to going to the World Center on pilgrimage. The House of Worship is the holiest House of Worship ever constructed, and there are still thousands of Bahá’ís who have never visited here. These programs may provide that opportunity.

[Page 15]

Bahá’ís help plan Indian festival

The Spiritual Assembly of Citrus, J.D., California, with the assistance of the Navajo Culture Club of Los Angeles County (Dineh Bah A’Lil), commemorated the birth of Bahá’u’lláh with a program of entertainment which included Indian dancing, a chorale presentation, and folk-rock music.

More than 500 people — hundreds of them non-Bahá’ís — crowded into the Ford Park Pavilion Auditorium in Bell Gardens for the November 10 event. More than 100 of these, including many of the dancers, were American Indians.

Most of the Dineh Bah A’Lil repertoire was Navajo in origin, although the troupe also performed traditional dances of other tribes. The Begay and Hale families, who participated in the dancing, are considered among the very finest Indian dancers in the country.

The dancers on this occasion were children primarily. They were taught by Virginia Denetdale, a Navajo interested in preserving Indian culture and traditions.

Two members of the Citrus, J.D. Assembly, Wayne Steffes (an Oneida Indian), and his wife Alice, (a Navajo) are members of the Dineh Bah A’Lil. Their daughters Regina and Rhea perform with the dance troupe.

England Dan and John Ford Coley performed ballads and folk-rock selections which were warmly received. The California Bahá’í Chorus also performed at this event.

During the intermission baskets of fry bread were distributed to the audience. The fry bread was prepared by the women of the Navajo Culture Club.

The Bahá’í speaker for the ‎occsion occasion‎ was Franklin Kahn, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly. Mr. Kahn, who is himself a Navajo, directed his remarks to the Navajos in the audience. He spoke of the spiritual significance of sandpainting, a subject which only men of recognized achievement are permitted to explore with fellow members of their tribe.

David Villaseñor, an Indian Bahá’í artist of note, displayed paintings and handicrafts at the event.

The Bahá’í community has expressed interest in working closely with the Navajo Culture Club on similar events in the future. Los Angeles County reportedly has one of the largest Indian populations in the country.

Vietnam:

Human Rights program receives wide support

A Human Rights Day observance in Saigon sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly was held on December 10. Approximately 200 people attended, among them Buddhist monks, Christian ministers and priests, members of the diplomatic corps, and government representatives. The speaker was Pierre Lucien Sales, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program. The National Assembly’s Vice-Chairman, Pham Van Lien also made a brief address. He attempted a definition of justice from a Bahá’í perspective.

That evening the Vietnamese National Youth Committee joined the student body of Van Hanh University in sponsoring a Human Rights Day observance. More than 2,000 students participated in the event, which was reported extensively in the local press.

The Dineh Bah A’Lil children’s dance group.

[Page 16]

Part I

An historical overview of the progress of the Faith from the time of the Báb to the present day

by William Garlington

One of the outstanding features of Indian history, and one which cannot but become apparent even to the casual observer of this record, is the numerous religious traditions that have left their mark on India’s cultural heritage. Three of the world’s great living religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islám, have at one time or other been focal points in the development of India’s religio-cultural life, and, in modern times, Christianity, though to a lesser extent, has also made contributions to this development. For this reason, India has often been referred to as a melting pot of religious experience. Today, the Bahá’í Faith is in the process of adding another chapter to the history of religions in India. In the following pages, we will attempt to trace the development of the Faith in that country, for at present, India harbors within its borders one of the largest Bahá’í communities in the world, and therefore, its history deserves to be told.

India’s earliest contact with the new Movement took place during the time of the Báb. The various histories of the Báb mention several prominent Indian believers within their accounts. Nabíl-i-A’ẓam tells us that one of the Letters of the Living was an Indian who was known by the name Shaykh Sa‘Id-i-Hindí. Like the other disciples of the Báb, he was directed by his Master to spread the message of the new Revelation. This command took him not only to various parts of Persia but also to his homeland of India. However, his work in India was unproductive. As Nabíl states, this enterprise “was productive of what might seem a negligible result, its only fruit being the conversion of a certain siyyid.”¹ After this, Shaykh Sa‘Id-i-Hindí dropped from sight; his ultimate fate remained a mystery.

Another Indian convert during the Ministry of the Báb was a certain blind Siyyid, Jenab-i-Baṣír, about whose life the Bábí histories are not in complete agreement. Nabíl states that this believer was none other than the above mentioned “siyyid” converted by Sa‘Id-i-Hindí in the town of Mooltan, where, “Casting behind him the trappings of leadership, and severing himself from his friends and kinsmen, he arose with a fixed resolve to render his service to the Cause he had embraced.”² The Táríkh-i-Jadíd, however, claims that Siyyid Baṣír, having heard in Bombay of the Báb’s appearance, hastened to Persia and subsequently Mecca where he met the Báb in person.³ After this meeting, he returned to Persia and began to disseminate the teachings of his new Master. Both histories agree, however, that he became active

[Page 17] within the Bábí community, and that he was well known for his depth of learning and his eloquence.

The activities of Jenab-i-Baṣír were finally brought to the attention of the state authorities, which resulted in his imprisonment and eventual death. The Táríkh-i-Jadíd says that after the Mázindarán upheaval, the Siyyid went to ‘Iráq. Eventually he was arrested by the Prince-Governor in Burújird [in the western Persian province of Luristán] who, “because he was so ready of speech and eloquent in discourse, first ordered his tongue to be cut out, and then put him to death.”⁴

A third convert from India was a dervish mentioned in the Táríkh-i-Jadíd.⁵ This is most likely the same individual mentioned in Nabíl’s account who while in India had seen the Báb in a vision and soon hastened to Persia on foot to find the Mihdí. The dervish met the Báb during his sojourn at Chihríq, where the latter gave him the title Qahru’lláh.⁶ The Indian believer, after leaving the Báb’s presence, began to expound his Leader’s doctrines which eventually led to his being arrested by the Governor of Khuy. The new convert along with several other Bábís was beaten and paraded through the streets on an ass.⁷ If indeed the Indian believer was the same Qahru’lláh mentioned by Nabíl, the likeness of the two accounts making it appear to be so, he later, following orders from the Báb, left on foot for India where he was to announce the arrival of the Qa’im. Whether he successfully returned to India is unknown.

The presence of other Indian believers in Persia during the time of the Báb is documented by a monograph on the Bábí insurrection in Mázindarán which lists four Indians among the 318 Bábís who defended themselves at Fort Shaykh Tabarsí.⁸ However, it is apparent that the activities of Indian converts at this time were for the most part limited to Iran; Shaykh Sa‘Id-i-Hindí upon reaching India found his efforts there unproductive, Qahru’lláh’s arrival in his homeland remains doubtful, and while it seems apparent from the Táríkh-i-Jadíd’s account of Jenab-i-Baṣír hearing about the Báb in Bombay that some knowledge of the Báb’s doctrines was current in India, it appears that it was only partial and scattered knowledge. Therefore, it is safe to say that during the lifetime of the Báb, the new Faith was virtually nonexistent in the subcontinent.

The year 1872 is a historical landmark in the history of the Bahá’í Faith in India,

[Page 18] The Hand of the Cause of God Siyyid Muṣṭafá Rúmí of Burma, who embraced the Faith in 1875 through the efforts of Jamál Effendi, the first teacher sent to India by the instruction of Bahá’u’lláh.

For it was in this year that Jamál Effendi arrived in Bombay and began to actively teach the doctrines and principles of the new religion. Since the time of the Báb’s death in 1850, several Bábís and henceforth Bahá’ís had settled in Bombay, largely in association with the Parsi community there, but no active teaching of the Message had taken place. In 1871 Bahá’u’lláh from his confines in ‘Akká commissioned one of the numerous pilgrims who came to visit Him from throughout the Near East to proceed to India and there spread the word of the Cause. This man, a learned scholar of Arabic and Persian, was the above-mentioned Sulaymán Khán-i-Tanákábuní Jamál Effendi. Having had the title of Lamía (the brilliant one) conferred upon him by Bahá’u’lláh,⁹ Jamál Effendi and his kinsman Mírzá Husayn late in the year 1872 boarded a boat in Port Said, Egypt, and set sail for India.

During his stay in Bombay, Jamál Effendi delivered a great many talks concerning the claims and principles of the Bahá’í Movement. One such talk was directed towards the head of the Khoja* community in that city, the Aga Khan. However, his discourses, rather than bringing converts to the Bahá’í Faith, aroused the animosity of numerous religious leaders in Bombay and consequently, the two teachers, on the advice of their friends, departed the city. Although their initial stay in the great port city was cut short, Bombay was subsequently to become a leading Bahá’í community in India.

After leaving Bombay, the two men traveled throughout the subcontinent delivering the message of Bahá’u’lláh to the elite of the country. The Bahá’í Newsletter of India reported that it was Jamál Effendi’s

... custom to notify his arrival to the Governor or the highest official of the place in British India and to the ruling prince of an Indian State. He would then pay a visit to them and deliver the Message. His list of those to whom he delivered the Message contains names of almost all the high officials and princes and princesses of the land.¹⁰

In 1876, a historic gathering was held in the old Mogul capital of Delhi. The event was the receiving of the title “The Empress of India” by Queen Victoria. Present at this ceremony were all the rulers of the various states in India, as well as numerous religious and secular leaders of the country. Jamál Effendi used this timely occasion to reveal the message of the Bahá’í Movement to many of the dignitaries. For example, he was able to meet and talk with Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj.†¹¹

The Faith’s initial reception in India was a mixed one. In most instances, Jamál Effendi was met with consideration and courtesy. However, there were several exceptions to this gentility, notably, as we have already mentioned, his experiences in Bombay, and later, outbreaks of hostility by Muslims in Calcutta. The fruits of his labor seemed negligible. During a year’s travel in India, he had managed to attract only a handful of individuals. When he left the subcontinent in 1878 to carry the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to the countries of Southeast Asia, he left behind him three prominent converts: Rafiuddin Khan of Hassanpur, Haji Ramadhan of Rampur, and Siyyid Muṣṭafá Rumí of Madras.¹² The latter was destined not only to give great service to the Faith in India but also in Burma, where he helped in establishing two Bahá’í groups, one in Rangoon and the other in Mandalay.¹³ [Siyyid Muṣṭafá Rúmí was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause in 1946.]

The next twenty years were a period of slow growth and development for the Bahá’í Faith in India. The message of the Movement was spread via the work of devoted converts to the major cities of the subcontinent. Teaching activities were directed from three centers of Bahá’í organization: Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. Many of the programs were presented under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, while others were carried out by individual believers in their own way and by their own means. Slowly, the claims of the Bahá’í Faith began to reach the ears of many of the educated members of Indian society.

During His years of leadership, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent several prominent Bahá’í teachers to India to help promote the Cause. Among these were Aga Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání and Aga Mírzá Mahram. The latter finally settled in Bombay where he played a leading role in the Bahá’í community there, while Aga Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání toured the country eventually returning to his native Persia.¹⁴

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*A Muslim subsect in India.

†“The Arya Samaj is a protestant movement in Hinduism who are trying to reform Hindu society and bring it up-to-date without reference to the orthodox interpretation of Hindu scripture; although as far as possible, they try to read their interpretations into the ancient texts.” (Horace Holley, “Survey of Current Bahá’í Activities in the East and West,” The Bahá’í World, vol. II, p. 42.)

[Page 19] Both men, by means of their zealous spirits, helped enhance teaching activity throughout the country. Thus, by the year 1908, there were a number of local spiritual assemblies established in India, including assemblies in Bombay, Calcutta, Aligarh, and Lahore. Of these, the Bombay community took the forefront in both the teaching of the Cause and the translation of literature. Its advancements in the area of translation marked the first time that any of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh had been translated into one of the native languages of India. The activities of the Bombay community were commented upon by a traveling American Bahá’í, Sydney Sprague, who in 1908 reported, “There are three meetings a week held in Bombay and there are, as a rule, eighty to a hundred men present.”¹⁵ However, he also emphasized that it was no easy thing to become a Bahá’í in India. “It often means a great sacrifice on the part of a believer, a loss of friends, money, and position.”¹⁶

In January of 1910, a convention comprised of members from the various religions of India was held in Allahabad. The Bahá’ís were invited to this convention. Siyyid Muṣṭafá Rúmí, one of Jamal Effendi’s original converts, presented a talk on the Bahá’í Faith. According to the contents of a letter written to the Bahá’ís of the United States by some of the followers in India, his speech had a great effect on the delegates. Feeling that the time for teaching was ripe, members of the Indian community made direct requests for American teachers to come to India and help spread the message. Approximately one year later, a national teaching campaign was launched with the help of several notable American Bahá’ís. The program called for the election of a nineteen-member teaching council which would be in charge of spreading the Cause across the entire country. This group officially came into existence on August 1, 1911.¹⁷

Two female American Bahá’ís were very prominent during this campaign, and their influence was felt throughout the various Bahá’í communities of the subcontinent. One, Lua Getsinger, was personally directed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to travel to India and spread the Faith. “Just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had sailed from East to West to spread the Faith, He now summoned Lua to travel from West to East to do the same thing.”¹⁸ The other teacher, Mrs. H. Stannard, a student of comparative religion, well-versed in the teachings of the religions of India, answered the call for pioneers put out by the Indian community. For several years, these two dedicated women delivered lectures from one end of the country to the other. Lua Getsinger spoke on various aspects of the Bahá’í Faith at numerous meetings sponsored by such groups as the Arya Samaj, the Brahmo Samaj,‡ and the Theosophical Society. Mrs. Stannard, in addition to her lecture tours, represented the Bahá’í religion at the All India Theistic Conference of 1913.¹⁹ Both women were also very influential in the area of publicity, for they were largely responsible for the publication of Bahá’í articles in several Indian newspapers. For example, in the Sind Gazette of December 24, 1913, an editorial appeared which stated that,

A rather remarkable visitor to Karachi — far more remarkable than any of the Congress and Conference dignitaries — is Mrs. Stannard, the Bahá’í Missionary. This gifted lady, who has studied all the religions of the world, and all the philosophies, and has come to the conclusion, not that they are all wrong, but that they are all right, has a new gospel to preach — not her own, but that of her Master, Abdu’l-Bahá, the head of the Bahá’í religious movement.²⁰

Other articles also appeared in such papers as the New Reformer of Madras, and the Daily Gazette of Karachi.

The popular response that the two Americans received throughout their travels was a sign of things to come, for in future years, American believers would continue to play an active role in the teaching campaigns of the Indian community.

The teaching campaign initiated in 1911, although not winning many new believers, was still of great importance in the development of the Bahá’í community in India, for it marked the first real attempt at a systematic teaching effort characterized by inter-community coordination. It not only paved the way for future plans but also gave the Bahá’ís of India their first true feeling of community spirit. Before this time, teaching activities were, for the most part, efforts of individual believers or communities, and rarely was there any real attempt made to organize anything beyond the local level. Thus, the Teaching Council of 1911 was in many ways the forerunner of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India and Burma.

December 27-29, 1920, is another significant landmark in the history of the

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‡ A modern Hindu movement advocating a monotheistic religion based upon the Upanishads, and social and educational reforms according to Western principles.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma and of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bombay bidding farewell to Martha Root (seated, in the center) after her lengthy tour of India and Burma in 1939.

[Page 20] The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India and Burma, 1935-36.

Bahá’í Faith in India. It was on these dates that the first All India Bahá’í Convention was held in the city of Bombay. Representatives of all the major world religions were present, as well as Bahá’í delegates from throughout the country. Although there were no official figures on the number of Bahá’ís residing in India during this time, it was estimated that there were nearly 175 followers present at this conference.²¹

There were several important resolutions passed at the conference from which the following were taken: (1) that funds be collected to build a Bahá’í temple in India, (2) that a school be started in Bombay for the education of Bahá’í children, (3) that a Bahá’í library be established in India, (4) that a publishing society be established to translate Bahá’í literature into different Indian languages, and (5) that there be a greater expansion in teaching activities and distribution of literature.²² It was to these objectives that the Bahá’ís of India now turned.

It is significant to note that the first All India Bahá’í Convention and the death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were separated by less than a year. It was as if the India community sensed the new course the Faith would take under the guidance of Shoghi Effendi. From this point forward, the Cause in India, in accordance with the Guardian’s plans for the community, was to an ever-increasing degree become oriented towards executing its teaching plans and activities within the framework of an international administrative structure, the center of which was the Guardian himself.

Between the years 1921 and 1938, the objectives initiated by the first All India Bahá’í Convention were pursued vigorously. Consequently, there were notable accomplishments in all areas of endeavor during this period. The guidance of these projects was entrusted to the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma, which Shoghi Effendi saw fit to create in April of 1923. The role he bequeathed to this body is evident from the content of the following message which he sent in November of 1925, “I pray that your newly constituted National Spiritual Assembly may grow from strength to strength, may co-ordinate and consolidate the ever-expanding activities of the friends in India and Burma and inaugurate a fresh campaign of Teaching that will redound to the glory and power of the Most Great Name.”²³ The National Spiritual Assembly met periodically in Bombay. Mr. Hashmátu’lláh of Karachi was elected India’s first National Secretary. Ten years later, in January of 1933, this body was incorporated with the Government of India.

Organized teaching activities and the distribution of literature were greatly increased during these years. One of the largest teaching events took place at the centenary celebration of the birth of the founder of the Arya Samaj, Dyanand Saraswati. The commemoration was held in Mutra in the year 1925. It is estimated that it was attended by nearly two million people. The Bahá’ís were granted special campgrounds and were allowed to distribute their literature. During the five-day event, almost 5,000 booklets explaining the principles of the Faith were distributed.²⁴

The Guardian constantly encouraged the Bahá’í community of India and Burma to increase their teaching activities. He continually stressed the point that it was part of their duty as Bahá’ís to spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh. For example, in a message to the Bahá’ís of India dated November 25, 1934, he said, “The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realize the full measure of the responsibility which Bahá’u’lláh has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message.”²⁵ And again, “... an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance.”²⁶

In an effort to stimulate teaching activity Shoghi Effendi sent several pioneers from various parts of the world to the subcontinent. Among the most famous of these traveling teachers was Martha Root. She made two tours of India, one in 1930 and the other in 1937-38. A short synopsis of her work shows that she delivered public lectures from Karachi to Madras, including major presentations in the colleges and universities of Lahore, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Delhi, Aligarh, Lucknow, Cawnpore, Allahabad, Benares, Patna, and Calcutta. She also broadcast radio messages in both Mysore and Hyderabad, and met with many of the leading personalities of the country including the poetess, Sarojini Naidu. Her work was so impressive that the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma in a letter to the Bahá’ís of the United States said of her, “Martha Root has opened the whole of India for us, and it now devolves upon us to so utilize these openings as to produce the best results.”²⁷

There were numerous other teachers who also took to the highways and railways of India during these years to

[Page 21] help spread the knowledge of the Faith to a greater number of the inhabitants of the subcontinent. Mahfúz’ul’Haq Ilmí carried on active propagation in Delhi and other cities of northern India, while Pritam Singh made several teaching tours of the colleges and universities of this section of the country. Shirin Fozdar spoke to over 1,000 people in the town hall of Calcutta,²⁸ and Keith Ransom-Kehler [later appointed a Hand of the Cause] made a two-month lecture tour which involved talks in most of the major cities of the country. Thus, the teaching work which Shoghi Effendi prescribed as a vital necessity to the maintenance of the Faith in India was consciously and systematically increased.

Advancements were also made in the field of publishing between the years 1921 and 1938. Many Bahá’í books were translated into several different Indian languages, including ‎Gujrati Gujarati‎, Bengali, Sindhi, Hindi, and Urdu. J.E. Esslemont’s Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era was one of these texts. Shoghi Effendi had personally encouraged the Bahá’ís of India to translate this work. In March of 1932, he wrote, “I wish to urge you to take as soon as you possibly can, the necessary and most effective steps to ensure the translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Urdu and Gujarati.”²⁹ One of the major accomplishments in publishing was the establishment of a Bahá’í monthly magazine, the Kaukib-i-Hind. The magazine was published in Urdu and had over 200 subscribers. In addition, over 200 articles appeared in newspapers and magazines throughout the country, including many articles in Telugu-speaking areas. In fact, the Brahmo Samaj of Madras translated over 2,000 booklets entitled “The Dawn of the New Day” into several Dravidian languages.

Concerning the other goals which the All India Bahá’í Convention of 1920 had set for the Indian community, we can relate the following: a Bahá’í school for children was successfully established in Poona, and in September of 1937, the first Indian Bahá’í summer school session was held, to which Bahá’ís from throughout the country came to receive instruction in various aspects of the Faith from history to administration. Although a separate Bahá’í library was not completed, Bahá’í books were presented to a number of major libraries around the country.

The efforts in all areas of endeavor made by the Bahá’í community of India during these years marked a great step forward in terms of increasing the public’s knowledge of the Faith. Furthermore, under the guiding hand of Shoghi Effendi and their National Spiritual Assembly, the various Bahá’í communities in India slowly began to function as a unit. The time had come when Shoghi Effendi could truly speak of the “Indian Community.” However, even with the inter-community organization that marked this period, the number of new believers to join the Faith was practically nil. Over the 18 year period only three new Local Spiritual Assemblies had been added to the list of Assemblies in the country, and not more than 50 new believers had been enlisted. To be continued.

1. Nabíl-i-A’ẓam, The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Revelation, transl. and ed. Shoghi Effendi, (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1932) p. 652.
2. Nabíl, Dawn-Breakers, p. 589.
3. Mirza Husayn of Hamadan, Táríkh-i-Jadíd, transl. E.G. Browne, (Cambridge, 1893), p. 246.
4. Mirza Husayn, Táríkh-i-Jadíd, p. 247.
5. Mirza Husayn, Táríkh-i-Jadíd, p. 241.
6. H.M. Balyuzi, The Báb: The Herald of the Day of Days, (Oxford: George Ronald, 1973), p. 137.
7. Mirza Husayn, Táríkh-i-Jadíd, p. 244.
8. E.G. Browne, ed., Materials for the Study of the Bábí Religion, (Cambridge, 1961), p. 238.
9. Star of the West, vol. XXII, no. 3, June 1931, p. 76.
10. Bahá’í Newsletter of India, no. 31, May 1944, pp. 1-2.
11. Siyyid Moustafa Roumie, “Bahá’í Pioneers: A Short Historical Survey of the Bahá’í Movement in India, Burma, Java Islands, Siam and Malay Peninsula,” vol. XXII, no. 3, June 1931, p. 78.
12. Siyyid Moustafa Roumie, “Bahá’í Pioneers,” July 1931, p. 112.
13. Bahá’í Newsletter of India, no. 31, May 1944, pp. 1-2.
14. Bahá’í Newsletter of India, May 1944, p. 2
15. Sydney Sprague, A Year with the Bahá’ís of Indian and Burma, (London, 1908), p. 15.
16. Sprague, Bahá’ís of India, p. 17.
17. Star of the West, vol. 2, nos. 7, 8, August 1911, p. 14.
18. William Sears and Robert Quigley, The Flame, (Oxford: George Ronald, 1972), p. 112.
19. Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 2, April 1914, p. 22.
20. Star of the West, April 1914, p. 22.
21. K.K. Bhargave, “Echoes of First All-India Bahá’í Convention,” Star of the West, vol. 12, no. 13, November 1921, p. 220.
22. Star of the West, vol. 13, no. 1, March 1921, p. 21.
23. Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, (New Delhi: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1970) p. 11.
24. The Bahá’í World, vol. II, 1924-26 (New York: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1926), p. 42.
25. Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 50.
26. Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 59.
27. The Bahá’í World, vol. VIII, 1938-40, (Bahá’í Publishing Trust: Wilmette, 1942), p. 61.
28. Bahá’í Newsletter of India, no. 8, March 1937, p. 5.
29. Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 33.

Bahá’í Youth Committee of Karachi, India, circa 1935.

[Page 22] Don Rufino Fuentes, a Mayan Bahá’í, at the ruins of Uxmal.

Bahá’í Proclamation and Deepening Film

Step by Step

An artist, a mechanic, a field laborer, an accounting manager, a policeman, a hospital administrator — what have these people in common? They’re Bahá’ís and they appear in a new Bahá’í film, Paso a Paso, produced by Kiva Films.

The film, which is titled Step by Step in English, depicts the growth of the Bahá’í Faith among Indians, blacks, and Latins in Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama. Unified by their common belief in Bahá’u’lláh and His Message, these persons comment on their faith and what it means to them.

These native teachers share their views on such widely varying topics as prophecy, the unity of mankind, world peace, universal governing institutions, and a divine civilization. Simply, clearly, and directly they discuss how the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is unifying all mankind, step by step, through the infusion of Divine Love.

Feasts, the local Spiritual Assembly, elections, and other aspects of Bahá’í administration are explained.

In addition, the 29-minute, color-and-sound film mentions ancient Mayan prophecies concerning world peace, the Return, and a spiritual revival, and relates these to the newest Bahá’í House of Worship in Panama. It complements two earlier films, El Alba and The Dedication. Designed for television use, this new film is also suited to public meetings and other proclamation events. The film is also universally suitable for teaching and deepening.

How to Get the Film

To obtain rental information and purchase prices, write to your publishing trust or national Bahá’í distributor. If you do not know the name and address of the one serving your area, you may send your inquiry to the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre, 1640 Holcomb Road, Victor, N.Y. 14564, U.S.A. for forwarding to the proper organization.

Specify Step by Step, Product Number 20672, for the English edition, or Paso a Paso, Product Number 20671, for the Spanish version.