Teaching Among the Masses in India

Teaching Among the Masses in India[From the Guardian:]I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the printing of the Burmese edition of the ‘New Era’ but deplore the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu. The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness these remaining translations in their final and printed form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which have already been collected and distributed throughout the world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf.March 24, 1933He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, and he hopes that through your efforts the Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication. As you may know, this work has already been translated into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will be soon completed. This is really encouraging.[From the Guardian:]I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted and incessant activities in the service of our beloved Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion of the translation and early publication of the Urdu and Hindi versions of the ‘New Era’. The utmost effort should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting to visit India, this winter.June 8, 1933Baha’i MagazineHe was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with our Guardian’s wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however, not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the friends.The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the ‘Baha’i Weekly’, he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause. It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is endowed.Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated. She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable. The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of her stay in India.[From the Guardian:]Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate for you all the strength and guidance you need for the prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming visit of our able and brilliant international teacher Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in His Path.June 13, 1933Publication of Baha’u’llah & the New EraAs regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain that, through your perseverance and through the kind and invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ... the translation will be soon completed and be ready for publication.The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped that no delay will be caused this time.[From the Guardian:]The Serbian and Hungarian versions of “The New Era” have been recently published through the efforts of Martha Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere and redouble in your efforts.August 6, 1933Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important steps you have taken for the translation and publication of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese. It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers to follow his example.[From the Guardian:]I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of the ‘New Era’, and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service of this glorious Faith.September 10, 1933Passing Away of Brilliant Teacher—Mrs. KehlerThe sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic principles of the Administration and of liberating them from the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an eminent rank among the faithful.Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service as firmly and as successfully as she did.Twentyfive Printed Versions of Baha’u’llah & the New Era[From the Guardian:]I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the “New Era”, and it will please and encourage you to know that we have already twentyfive different printed versions of this precious book translated into Eastern and Western tongues.November 26, 1933Registration of Bombay AssemblyThe Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his genuine appreciation of the important steps which your Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country. He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope of its activities.The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is, in the Guardian’s opinion, a leading step towards the official recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be adopted should not only be based on that which the New York Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont’s ‘New Era’. He has already, in several communications addressed to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.December 27, 1933Bedrock of Baha’i Administrative OrderThe Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national.Another factor which, in the Guardian’s opinion, is essential to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence. It is not necessary that all the members should be present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them to the Assembly. The main point is that your national activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant and secondary considerations.[From the Guardian:]I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.January 2, 1934Accept Justified ResignationThe N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible posts in the administrative field.April 10, 1934Revival of the Spirit of FellowshipThe resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that through the continued development of that same spirit your Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the Cause.[From the Guardian:]The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.May 29, 1934Changes in Membership of Baha’i AssembliesHe fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English. But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest departure from the recognized and duly established principles governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly. It is only the body of Baha’i electors who can bring about any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the beginning of the Baha’i Year.June 5, 1934Intensify Teaching Throughout IndiaHe notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of the teachings throughout your country.He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure of the responsibility which Baha’u’llah has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha’i era is thus the age of individual responsibility—the age in which everyone is called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and vital obligation.This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of the believers throughout India and Burma.Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the Bengali translation of the “New Era”. He hopes that this work will soon be ready for distribution.November 25, 1934 “Kitab-i-Iqan” Translated in Many LanguagesI am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the “Kitab-i-Iqan” (Book of Certitude).You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has already been translated and published into Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps have also been taken for its rendering and publication into Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.November 27, 1934Persecution of the Baha’is in IranThe persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early Babis,...The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity with the principle governing the observance of Baha’i holidays, decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Bab’s martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to disappear....In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy.Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of His Cause?January 20, 1935Training of Baha’i TeachersWith regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed, Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The method you have adopted for the training of Baha’i teachers is, indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends. It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use of your Assembly’s suggestions and directions, and in this way help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.July 8, 1935Registration of L.S.A. of KarachiHe has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha’i Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these two countries.August 12, 1935Formation of an Assembly in LahoreHe is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment of a local Assembly in so important and central a town in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that country.October 17, 1935 Historic Step in Development of Administrative OrderHe wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say that the obtention of such an official recognition from the authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its position in the eyes of the public. May Baha’u’llah continue to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two valuable additions to the list of local Baha’i Assemblies, the administrative work of the Cause in India will make further and steady advancement.In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval, as well as his appreciation of this important action taken by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal. He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity and of true spiritual vision.Circulation of Abdu’l-Baha’s PhotographsRegarding the use of Abdu’l-Baha’s photographs; Shoghi Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however, suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.Splendid Initiative[From the Guardian:]My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination and solidarity which have characterized your accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in Baha’u’llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating the various organs of the Administrative Order of His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and be happy and thankful to Baha’u’llah.November 15, 1935Baha’i Holidays must be ObservedThe Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. This fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will, if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an importance as the observance of Baha’i holidays, is essential. It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open violation of the laws of their country.[From the Guardian:]The striking evidences of renewed Baha’i activity throughout India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty, solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, rejoice my heart and revive and enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have laid a firm foundation within the framework of the administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of their high destiny.November 22, 1935Effective Publicity Throughout IndiaHe feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the Indian public to the Faith.Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali translations of “Baha’u’llah and the New Era,” the Guardian very much appreciates your N.S.A.’s response to his call for speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will, when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.January 3, 1936He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation of the Administration throughout India and Burma. He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the history of the Cause in that country.Correspondence with the GuardianThe N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.“New-Era” in Sindhi & Bengali PrintedShoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the Bengali translations of the “New Era” have been already sent to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you are planning to submit to the government will be approved. He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.Union With Loved Ones in the Next World...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Baha’i Teachings are quite clear about. According to Baha’u’llah the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other. Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently Required[From the Guardian:]The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging. The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial. Now that the basis of Baha’i institutions has been firmly laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide you in this meritorious endeavour.March 10, 1936...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout India. He would suggest that those believers who have the means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated, with the view of establishing a new group. This, he feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast and exceptionally varied country like India.Voting is Sacred ObligationRegarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred obligation of every member of any Baha’i administrative body, whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is, as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it a privilege to shoulder.It is But a Beginning[From the Guardian:]The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, is highly reassuring and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in those states and provinces of India where the banner of the Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha’u’llah. To extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your immediate objective.May 31, 1936Daidanaw Baha’i SchoolMuch as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in maintaining this Baha’i school in Daidanaw which, in addition to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha’is, can be of great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout Burma.In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration. He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.July 10, 1936Two Main Principles to FollowWith regard to the problems confronting the believers; these, the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But the friends should be confident that the very progress of the Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives, no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God. This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies, moods and aspirations.Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility of these Baha’i administrative bodies to enable the community to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition which so severely rage against it.September 5, 1936Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to IndiaI am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction, as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local, national as well as international Baha’i funds, have endeared him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.For many years he has been a member of the American N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development and consolidation of the Administration ever since the early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted support, both financial and moral, which he so generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered the Faith in this connection.In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full benefit from Mr. Schopflocher’s visit to India. He is confident that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will, through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration in your arduous labours for the Cause.September 25, 1936 Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching CampaignOur beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly, assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge, continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning which the local and national assemblies and also the individual believers may show forth throughout the coming years can enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.[From the Guardian:]I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them, and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with success. May their example be followed by an increasingly large number of their fellow workers.October 22, 1936

Teaching Among the Masses in India[From the Guardian:]I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the printing of the Burmese edition of the ‘New Era’ but deplore the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu. The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness these remaining translations in their final and printed form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which have already been collected and distributed throughout the world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf.March 24, 1933He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, and he hopes that through your efforts the Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication. As you may know, this work has already been translated into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will be soon completed. This is really encouraging.[From the Guardian:]I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted and incessant activities in the service of our beloved Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion of the translation and early publication of the Urdu and Hindi versions of the ‘New Era’. The utmost effort should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting to visit India, this winter.June 8, 1933Baha’i MagazineHe was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with our Guardian’s wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however, not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the friends.The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the ‘Baha’i Weekly’, he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause. It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is endowed.Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated. She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable. The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of her stay in India.[From the Guardian:]Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate for you all the strength and guidance you need for the prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming visit of our able and brilliant international teacher Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in His Path.June 13, 1933Publication of Baha’u’llah & the New EraAs regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain that, through your perseverance and through the kind and invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ... the translation will be soon completed and be ready for publication.The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped that no delay will be caused this time.[From the Guardian:]The Serbian and Hungarian versions of “The New Era” have been recently published through the efforts of Martha Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere and redouble in your efforts.August 6, 1933Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important steps you have taken for the translation and publication of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese. It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers to follow his example.[From the Guardian:]I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of the ‘New Era’, and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service of this glorious Faith.September 10, 1933Passing Away of Brilliant Teacher—Mrs. KehlerThe sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic principles of the Administration and of liberating them from the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an eminent rank among the faithful.Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service as firmly and as successfully as she did.Twentyfive Printed Versions of Baha’u’llah & the New Era[From the Guardian:]I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the “New Era”, and it will please and encourage you to know that we have already twentyfive different printed versions of this precious book translated into Eastern and Western tongues.November 26, 1933Registration of Bombay AssemblyThe Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his genuine appreciation of the important steps which your Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country. He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope of its activities.The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is, in the Guardian’s opinion, a leading step towards the official recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be adopted should not only be based on that which the New York Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont’s ‘New Era’. He has already, in several communications addressed to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.December 27, 1933Bedrock of Baha’i Administrative OrderThe Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national.Another factor which, in the Guardian’s opinion, is essential to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence. It is not necessary that all the members should be present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them to the Assembly. The main point is that your national activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant and secondary considerations.[From the Guardian:]I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.January 2, 1934Accept Justified ResignationThe N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible posts in the administrative field.April 10, 1934Revival of the Spirit of FellowshipThe resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that through the continued development of that same spirit your Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the Cause.[From the Guardian:]The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.May 29, 1934Changes in Membership of Baha’i AssembliesHe fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English. But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest departure from the recognized and duly established principles governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly. It is only the body of Baha’i electors who can bring about any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the beginning of the Baha’i Year.June 5, 1934Intensify Teaching Throughout IndiaHe notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of the teachings throughout your country.He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure of the responsibility which Baha’u’llah has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha’i era is thus the age of individual responsibility—the age in which everyone is called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and vital obligation.This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of the believers throughout India and Burma.Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the Bengali translation of the “New Era”. He hopes that this work will soon be ready for distribution.November 25, 1934 “Kitab-i-Iqan” Translated in Many LanguagesI am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the “Kitab-i-Iqan” (Book of Certitude).You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has already been translated and published into Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps have also been taken for its rendering and publication into Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.November 27, 1934Persecution of the Baha’is in IranThe persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early Babis,...The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity with the principle governing the observance of Baha’i holidays, decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Bab’s martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to disappear....In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy.Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of His Cause?January 20, 1935Training of Baha’i TeachersWith regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed, Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The method you have adopted for the training of Baha’i teachers is, indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends. It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use of your Assembly’s suggestions and directions, and in this way help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.July 8, 1935Registration of L.S.A. of KarachiHe has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha’i Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these two countries.August 12, 1935Formation of an Assembly in LahoreHe is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment of a local Assembly in so important and central a town in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that country.October 17, 1935 Historic Step in Development of Administrative OrderHe wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say that the obtention of such an official recognition from the authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its position in the eyes of the public. May Baha’u’llah continue to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two valuable additions to the list of local Baha’i Assemblies, the administrative work of the Cause in India will make further and steady advancement.In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval, as well as his appreciation of this important action taken by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal. He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity and of true spiritual vision.Circulation of Abdu’l-Baha’s PhotographsRegarding the use of Abdu’l-Baha’s photographs; Shoghi Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however, suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.Splendid Initiative[From the Guardian:]My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination and solidarity which have characterized your accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in Baha’u’llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating the various organs of the Administrative Order of His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and be happy and thankful to Baha’u’llah.November 15, 1935Baha’i Holidays must be ObservedThe Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. This fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will, if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an importance as the observance of Baha’i holidays, is essential. It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open violation of the laws of their country.[From the Guardian:]The striking evidences of renewed Baha’i activity throughout India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty, solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, rejoice my heart and revive and enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have laid a firm foundation within the framework of the administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of their high destiny.November 22, 1935Effective Publicity Throughout IndiaHe feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the Indian public to the Faith.Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali translations of “Baha’u’llah and the New Era,” the Guardian very much appreciates your N.S.A.’s response to his call for speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will, when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.January 3, 1936He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation of the Administration throughout India and Burma. He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the history of the Cause in that country.Correspondence with the GuardianThe N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.“New-Era” in Sindhi & Bengali PrintedShoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the Bengali translations of the “New Era” have been already sent to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you are planning to submit to the government will be approved. He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.Union With Loved Ones in the Next World...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Baha’i Teachings are quite clear about. According to Baha’u’llah the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other. Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently Required[From the Guardian:]The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging. The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial. Now that the basis of Baha’i institutions has been firmly laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide you in this meritorious endeavour.March 10, 1936...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout India. He would suggest that those believers who have the means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated, with the view of establishing a new group. This, he feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast and exceptionally varied country like India.Voting is Sacred ObligationRegarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred obligation of every member of any Baha’i administrative body, whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is, as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it a privilege to shoulder.It is But a Beginning[From the Guardian:]The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, is highly reassuring and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in those states and provinces of India where the banner of the Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha’u’llah. To extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your immediate objective.May 31, 1936Daidanaw Baha’i SchoolMuch as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in maintaining this Baha’i school in Daidanaw which, in addition to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha’is, can be of great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout Burma.In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration. He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.July 10, 1936Two Main Principles to FollowWith regard to the problems confronting the believers; these, the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But the friends should be confident that the very progress of the Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives, no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God. This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies, moods and aspirations.Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility of these Baha’i administrative bodies to enable the community to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition which so severely rage against it.September 5, 1936Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to IndiaI am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction, as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local, national as well as international Baha’i funds, have endeared him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.For many years he has been a member of the American N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development and consolidation of the Administration ever since the early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted support, both financial and moral, which he so generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered the Faith in this connection.In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full benefit from Mr. Schopflocher’s visit to India. He is confident that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will, through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration in your arduous labours for the Cause.September 25, 1936 Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching CampaignOur beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly, assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge, continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning which the local and national assemblies and also the individual believers may show forth throughout the coming years can enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.[From the Guardian:]I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them, and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with success. May their example be followed by an increasingly large number of their fellow workers.October 22, 1936

Teaching Among the Masses in India[From the Guardian:]I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the printing of the Burmese edition of the ‘New Era’ but deplore the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu. The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness these remaining translations in their final and printed form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which have already been collected and distributed throughout the world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf.March 24, 1933He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, and he hopes that through your efforts the Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication. As you may know, this work has already been translated into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will be soon completed. This is really encouraging.[From the Guardian:]I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted and incessant activities in the service of our beloved Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion of the translation and early publication of the Urdu and Hindi versions of the ‘New Era’. The utmost effort should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting to visit India, this winter.June 8, 1933Baha’i MagazineHe was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with our Guardian’s wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however, not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the friends.The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the ‘Baha’i Weekly’, he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause. It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is endowed.Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated. She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable. The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of her stay in India.[From the Guardian:]Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate for you all the strength and guidance you need for the prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming visit of our able and brilliant international teacher Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in His Path.June 13, 1933Publication of Baha’u’llah & the New EraAs regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain that, through your perseverance and through the kind and invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ... the translation will be soon completed and be ready for publication.The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped that no delay will be caused this time.[From the Guardian:]The Serbian and Hungarian versions of “The New Era” have been recently published through the efforts of Martha Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere and redouble in your efforts.August 6, 1933Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important steps you have taken for the translation and publication of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese. It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers to follow his example.[From the Guardian:]I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of the ‘New Era’, and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service of this glorious Faith.September 10, 1933Passing Away of Brilliant Teacher—Mrs. KehlerThe sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic principles of the Administration and of liberating them from the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an eminent rank among the faithful.Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service as firmly and as successfully as she did.Twentyfive Printed Versions of Baha’u’llah & the New Era[From the Guardian:]I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the “New Era”, and it will please and encourage you to know that we have already twentyfive different printed versions of this precious book translated into Eastern and Western tongues.November 26, 1933Registration of Bombay AssemblyThe Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his genuine appreciation of the important steps which your Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country. He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope of its activities.The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is, in the Guardian’s opinion, a leading step towards the official recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be adopted should not only be based on that which the New York Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont’s ‘New Era’. He has already, in several communications addressed to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.December 27, 1933Bedrock of Baha’i Administrative OrderThe Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national.Another factor which, in the Guardian’s opinion, is essential to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence. It is not necessary that all the members should be present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them to the Assembly. The main point is that your national activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant and secondary considerations.[From the Guardian:]I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.January 2, 1934Accept Justified ResignationThe N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible posts in the administrative field.April 10, 1934Revival of the Spirit of FellowshipThe resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that through the continued development of that same spirit your Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the Cause.[From the Guardian:]The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.May 29, 1934Changes in Membership of Baha’i AssembliesHe fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English. But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest departure from the recognized and duly established principles governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly. It is only the body of Baha’i electors who can bring about any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the beginning of the Baha’i Year.June 5, 1934Intensify Teaching Throughout IndiaHe notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of the teachings throughout your country.He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure of the responsibility which Baha’u’llah has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha’i era is thus the age of individual responsibility—the age in which everyone is called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and vital obligation.This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of the believers throughout India and Burma.Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the Bengali translation of the “New Era”. He hopes that this work will soon be ready for distribution.November 25, 1934 “Kitab-i-Iqan” Translated in Many LanguagesI am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the “Kitab-i-Iqan” (Book of Certitude).You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has already been translated and published into Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps have also been taken for its rendering and publication into Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.November 27, 1934Persecution of the Baha’is in IranThe persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early Babis,...The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity with the principle governing the observance of Baha’i holidays, decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Bab’s martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to disappear....In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy.Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of His Cause?January 20, 1935Training of Baha’i TeachersWith regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed, Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The method you have adopted for the training of Baha’i teachers is, indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends. It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use of your Assembly’s suggestions and directions, and in this way help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.July 8, 1935Registration of L.S.A. of KarachiHe has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha’i Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these two countries.August 12, 1935Formation of an Assembly in LahoreHe is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment of a local Assembly in so important and central a town in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that country.October 17, 1935 Historic Step in Development of Administrative OrderHe wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say that the obtention of such an official recognition from the authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its position in the eyes of the public. May Baha’u’llah continue to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two valuable additions to the list of local Baha’i Assemblies, the administrative work of the Cause in India will make further and steady advancement.In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval, as well as his appreciation of this important action taken by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal. He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity and of true spiritual vision.Circulation of Abdu’l-Baha’s PhotographsRegarding the use of Abdu’l-Baha’s photographs; Shoghi Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however, suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.Splendid Initiative[From the Guardian:]My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination and solidarity which have characterized your accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in Baha’u’llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating the various organs of the Administrative Order of His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and be happy and thankful to Baha’u’llah.November 15, 1935Baha’i Holidays must be ObservedThe Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. This fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will, if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an importance as the observance of Baha’i holidays, is essential. It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open violation of the laws of their country.[From the Guardian:]The striking evidences of renewed Baha’i activity throughout India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty, solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, rejoice my heart and revive and enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have laid a firm foundation within the framework of the administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of their high destiny.November 22, 1935Effective Publicity Throughout IndiaHe feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the Indian public to the Faith.Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali translations of “Baha’u’llah and the New Era,” the Guardian very much appreciates your N.S.A.’s response to his call for speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will, when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.January 3, 1936He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation of the Administration throughout India and Burma. He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the history of the Cause in that country.Correspondence with the GuardianThe N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.“New-Era” in Sindhi & Bengali PrintedShoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the Bengali translations of the “New Era” have been already sent to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you are planning to submit to the government will be approved. He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.Union With Loved Ones in the Next World...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Baha’i Teachings are quite clear about. According to Baha’u’llah the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other. Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently Required[From the Guardian:]The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging. The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial. Now that the basis of Baha’i institutions has been firmly laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide you in this meritorious endeavour.March 10, 1936...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout India. He would suggest that those believers who have the means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated, with the view of establishing a new group. This, he feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast and exceptionally varied country like India.Voting is Sacred ObligationRegarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred obligation of every member of any Baha’i administrative body, whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is, as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it a privilege to shoulder.It is But a Beginning[From the Guardian:]The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, is highly reassuring and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in those states and provinces of India where the banner of the Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha’u’llah. To extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your immediate objective.May 31, 1936Daidanaw Baha’i SchoolMuch as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in maintaining this Baha’i school in Daidanaw which, in addition to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha’is, can be of great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout Burma.In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration. He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.July 10, 1936Two Main Principles to FollowWith regard to the problems confronting the believers; these, the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But the friends should be confident that the very progress of the Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives, no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God. This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies, moods and aspirations.Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility of these Baha’i administrative bodies to enable the community to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition which so severely rage against it.September 5, 1936Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to IndiaI am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction, as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local, national as well as international Baha’i funds, have endeared him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.For many years he has been a member of the American N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development and consolidation of the Administration ever since the early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted support, both financial and moral, which he so generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered the Faith in this connection.In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full benefit from Mr. Schopflocher’s visit to India. He is confident that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will, through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration in your arduous labours for the Cause.September 25, 1936 Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching CampaignOur beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly, assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge, continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning which the local and national assemblies and also the individual believers may show forth throughout the coming years can enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.[From the Guardian:]I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them, and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with success. May their example be followed by an increasingly large number of their fellow workers.October 22, 1936

Teaching Among the Masses in India[From the Guardian:]I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the printing of the Burmese edition of the ‘New Era’ but deplore the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu. The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness these remaining translations in their final and printed form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which have already been collected and distributed throughout the world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf.March 24, 1933He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, and he hopes that through your efforts the Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication. As you may know, this work has already been translated into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will be soon completed. This is really encouraging.[From the Guardian:]I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted and incessant activities in the service of our beloved Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion of the translation and early publication of the Urdu and Hindi versions of the ‘New Era’. The utmost effort should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting to visit India, this winter.June 8, 1933

[From the Guardian:]

I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the printing of the Burmese edition of the ‘New Era’ but deplore the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu. The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness these remaining translations in their final and printed form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which have already been collected and distributed throughout the world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf.

March 24, 1933

He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, and he hopes that through your efforts the Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication. As you may know, this work has already been translated into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will be soon completed. This is really encouraging.

[From the Guardian:]

I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted and incessant activities in the service of our beloved Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion of the translation and early publication of the Urdu and Hindi versions of the ‘New Era’. The utmost effort should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting to visit India, this winter.

June 8, 1933

Baha’i MagazineHe was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with our Guardian’s wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however, not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the friends.The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the ‘Baha’i Weekly’, he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause. It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is endowed.Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated. She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable. The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of her stay in India.[From the Guardian:]Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate for you all the strength and guidance you need for the prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming visit of our able and brilliant international teacher Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in His Path.June 13, 1933

He was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with our Guardian’s wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however, not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the friends.

The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the ‘Baha’i Weekly’, he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause. It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is endowed.

Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated. She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable. The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of her stay in India.

[From the Guardian:]

Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate for you all the strength and guidance you need for the prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming visit of our able and brilliant international teacher Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in His Path.

June 13, 1933

Publication of Baha’u’llah & the New EraAs regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain that, through your perseverance and through the kind and invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ... the translation will be soon completed and be ready for publication.The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped that no delay will be caused this time.[From the Guardian:]The Serbian and Hungarian versions of “The New Era” have been recently published through the efforts of Martha Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere and redouble in your efforts.August 6, 1933Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important steps you have taken for the translation and publication of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese. It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers to follow his example.[From the Guardian:]I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of the ‘New Era’, and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service of this glorious Faith.September 10, 1933

As regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain that, through your perseverance and through the kind and invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ... the translation will be soon completed and be ready for publication.

The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped that no delay will be caused this time.

[From the Guardian:]

The Serbian and Hungarian versions of “The New Era” have been recently published through the efforts of Martha Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere and redouble in your efforts.

August 6, 1933

Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important steps you have taken for the translation and publication of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese. It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers to follow his example.

[From the Guardian:]

I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of the ‘New Era’, and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service of this glorious Faith.

September 10, 1933

Passing Away of Brilliant Teacher—Mrs. KehlerThe sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic principles of the Administration and of liberating them from the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an eminent rank among the faithful.Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service as firmly and as successfully as she did.

The sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic principles of the Administration and of liberating them from the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an eminent rank among the faithful.

Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service as firmly and as successfully as she did.

Twentyfive Printed Versions of Baha’u’llah & the New Era[From the Guardian:]I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the “New Era”, and it will please and encourage you to know that we have already twentyfive different printed versions of this precious book translated into Eastern and Western tongues.November 26, 1933

[From the Guardian:]

I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the “New Era”, and it will please and encourage you to know that we have already twentyfive different printed versions of this precious book translated into Eastern and Western tongues.

November 26, 1933

Registration of Bombay AssemblyThe Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his genuine appreciation of the important steps which your Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country. He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope of its activities.The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is, in the Guardian’s opinion, a leading step towards the official recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be adopted should not only be based on that which the New York Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont’s ‘New Era’. He has already, in several communications addressed to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.December 27, 1933

The Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his genuine appreciation of the important steps which your Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country. He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope of its activities.

The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is, in the Guardian’s opinion, a leading step towards the official recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be adopted should not only be based on that which the New York Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.

The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont’s ‘New Era’. He has already, in several communications addressed to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.

December 27, 1933

Bedrock of Baha’i Administrative OrderThe Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national.Another factor which, in the Guardian’s opinion, is essential to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence. It is not necessary that all the members should be present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them to the Assembly. The main point is that your national activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant and secondary considerations.[From the Guardian:]I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.January 2, 1934

The Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national.

Another factor which, in the Guardian’s opinion, is essential to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence. It is not necessary that all the members should be present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them to the Assembly. The main point is that your national activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant and secondary considerations.

[From the Guardian:]

I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.

January 2, 1934

Accept Justified ResignationThe N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible posts in the administrative field.April 10, 1934

The N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible posts in the administrative field.

April 10, 1934

Revival of the Spirit of FellowshipThe resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that through the continued development of that same spirit your Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the Cause.[From the Guardian:]The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.May 29, 1934

The resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that through the continued development of that same spirit your Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the Cause.

[From the Guardian:]

The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.

May 29, 1934

Changes in Membership of Baha’i AssembliesHe fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English. But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest departure from the recognized and duly established principles governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly. It is only the body of Baha’i electors who can bring about any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the beginning of the Baha’i Year.June 5, 1934

He fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English. But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest departure from the recognized and duly established principles governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly. It is only the body of Baha’i electors who can bring about any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the beginning of the Baha’i Year.

June 5, 1934

Intensify Teaching Throughout IndiaHe notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of the teachings throughout your country.He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure of the responsibility which Baha’u’llah has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha’i era is thus the age of individual responsibility—the age in which everyone is called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and vital obligation.This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of the believers throughout India and Burma.Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the Bengali translation of the “New Era”. He hopes that this work will soon be ready for distribution.November 25, 1934 “Kitab-i-Iqan” Translated in Many LanguagesI am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the “Kitab-i-Iqan” (Book of Certitude).You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has already been translated and published into Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps have also been taken for its rendering and publication into Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.November 27, 1934

He notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of the teachings throughout your country.

He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends, without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure of the responsibility which Baha’u’llah has placed on them for teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha’i era is thus the age of individual responsibility—the age in which everyone is called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and vital obligation.

This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of the believers throughout India and Burma.

Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the Bengali translation of the “New Era”. He hopes that this work will soon be ready for distribution.

November 25, 1934 “Kitab-i-Iqan” Translated in Many Languages

I am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the “Kitab-i-Iqan” (Book of Certitude).

You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has already been translated and published into Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps have also been taken for its rendering and publication into Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.

November 27, 1934

Persecution of the Baha’is in IranThe persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early Babis,...The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity with the principle governing the observance of Baha’i holidays, decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Bab’s martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to disappear....In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy.Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of His Cause?January 20, 1935

The persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early Babis,...

The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity with the principle governing the observance of Baha’i holidays, decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Bab’s martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.

The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to disappear....

In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy.

Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of His Cause?

January 20, 1935

Training of Baha’i TeachersWith regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed, Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The method you have adopted for the training of Baha’i teachers is, indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends. It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use of your Assembly’s suggestions and directions, and in this way help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.July 8, 1935

With regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed, Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The method you have adopted for the training of Baha’i teachers is, indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends. It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use of your Assembly’s suggestions and directions, and in this way help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.

July 8, 1935

Registration of L.S.A. of KarachiHe has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha’i Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these two countries.August 12, 1935

He has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha’i Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these two countries.

August 12, 1935

Formation of an Assembly in LahoreHe is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment of a local Assembly in so important and central a town in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that country.October 17, 1935 Historic Step in Development of Administrative OrderHe wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say that the obtention of such an official recognition from the authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its position in the eyes of the public. May Baha’u’llah continue to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two valuable additions to the list of local Baha’i Assemblies, the administrative work of the Cause in India will make further and steady advancement.In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval, as well as his appreciation of this important action taken by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal. He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity and of true spiritual vision.

He is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment of a local Assembly in so important and central a town in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that country.

October 17, 1935 Historic Step in Development of Administrative Order

He wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say that the obtention of such an official recognition from the authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its position in the eyes of the public. May Baha’u’llah continue to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.

The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two valuable additions to the list of local Baha’i Assemblies, the administrative work of the Cause in India will make further and steady advancement.

In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval, as well as his appreciation of this important action taken by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal. He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity and of true spiritual vision.

Circulation of Abdu’l-Baha’s PhotographsRegarding the use of Abdu’l-Baha’s photographs; Shoghi Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however, suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.

Regarding the use of Abdu’l-Baha’s photographs; Shoghi Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however, suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.

Splendid Initiative[From the Guardian:]My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination and solidarity which have characterized your accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in Baha’u’llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating the various organs of the Administrative Order of His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and be happy and thankful to Baha’u’llah.November 15, 1935

[From the Guardian:]

My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination and solidarity which have characterized your accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in Baha’u’llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating the various organs of the Administrative Order of His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and be happy and thankful to Baha’u’llah.

November 15, 1935

Baha’i Holidays must be ObservedThe Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. This fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will, if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an importance as the observance of Baha’i holidays, is essential. It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open violation of the laws of their country.[From the Guardian:]The striking evidences of renewed Baha’i activity throughout India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty, solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, rejoice my heart and revive and enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have laid a firm foundation within the framework of the administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of their high destiny.November 22, 1935

The Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. This fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.

But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will, if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an importance as the observance of Baha’i holidays, is essential. It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open violation of the laws of their country.

[From the Guardian:]

The striking evidences of renewed Baha’i activity throughout India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty, solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, rejoice my heart and revive and enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have laid a firm foundation within the framework of the administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of their high destiny.

November 22, 1935

Effective Publicity Throughout IndiaHe feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the Indian public to the Faith.Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali translations of “Baha’u’llah and the New Era,” the Guardian very much appreciates your N.S.A.’s response to his call for speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will, when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.January 3, 1936He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation of the Administration throughout India and Burma. He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the history of the Cause in that country.

He feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the Indian public to the Faith.

Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali translations of “Baha’u’llah and the New Era,” the Guardian very much appreciates your N.S.A.’s response to his call for speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will, when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.

January 3, 1936

He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity, efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation of the Administration throughout India and Burma. He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the history of the Cause in that country.

Correspondence with the GuardianThe N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.

The N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.

“New-Era” in Sindhi & Bengali PrintedShoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the Bengali translations of the “New Era” have been already sent to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you are planning to submit to the government will be approved. He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.

Shoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the Bengali translations of the “New Era” have been already sent to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you are planning to submit to the government will be approved. He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.

Union With Loved Ones in the Next World...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Baha’i Teachings are quite clear about. According to Baha’u’llah the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other. Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently Required[From the Guardian:]The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging. The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial. Now that the basis of Baha’i institutions has been firmly laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide you in this meritorious endeavour.March 10, 1936...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout India. He would suggest that those believers who have the means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated, with the view of establishing a new group. This, he feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast and exceptionally varied country like India.

...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Baha’i Teachings are quite clear about. According to Baha’u’llah the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other. Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently Required

[From the Guardian:]

The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging. The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial. Now that the basis of Baha’i institutions has been firmly laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide you in this meritorious endeavour.

March 10, 1936

...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout India. He would suggest that those believers who have the means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated, with the view of establishing a new group. This, he feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast and exceptionally varied country like India.

Voting is Sacred ObligationRegarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred obligation of every member of any Baha’i administrative body, whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is, as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it a privilege to shoulder.

Regarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred obligation of every member of any Baha’i administrative body, whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is, as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it a privilege to shoulder.

It is But a Beginning[From the Guardian:]The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, is highly reassuring and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in those states and provinces of India where the banner of the Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha’u’llah. To extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your immediate objective.May 31, 1936

[From the Guardian:]

The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha’i service, is highly reassuring and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in those states and provinces of India where the banner of the Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha’u’llah. To extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your immediate objective.

May 31, 1936

Daidanaw Baha’i SchoolMuch as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in maintaining this Baha’i school in Daidanaw which, in addition to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha’is, can be of great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout Burma.In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration. He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.July 10, 1936

Much as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in maintaining this Baha’i school in Daidanaw which, in addition to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha’is, can be of great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout Burma.

In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration. He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.

July 10, 1936

Two Main Principles to FollowWith regard to the problems confronting the believers; these, the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But the friends should be confident that the very progress of the Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives, no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God. This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies, moods and aspirations.Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility of these Baha’i administrative bodies to enable the community to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition which so severely rage against it.September 5, 1936

With regard to the problems confronting the believers; these, the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But the friends should be confident that the very progress of the Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.

There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives, no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God. This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies, moods and aspirations.

Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility of these Baha’i administrative bodies to enable the community to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition which so severely rage against it.

September 5, 1936

Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to IndiaI am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction, as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local, national as well as international Baha’i funds, have endeared him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.For many years he has been a member of the American N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development and consolidation of the Administration ever since the early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted support, both financial and moral, which he so generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered the Faith in this connection.In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full benefit from Mr. Schopflocher’s visit to India. He is confident that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will, through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration in your arduous labours for the Cause.September 25, 1936 Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching CampaignOur beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly, assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge, continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning which the local and national assemblies and also the individual believers may show forth throughout the coming years can enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.[From the Guardian:]I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them, and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with success. May their example be followed by an increasingly large number of their fellow workers.October 22, 1936

I am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.

Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction, as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local, national as well as international Baha’i funds, have endeared him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.

For many years he has been a member of the American N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development and consolidation of the Administration ever since the early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.

His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted support, both financial and moral, which he so generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered the Faith in this connection.

In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full benefit from Mr. Schopflocher’s visit to India. He is confident that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will, through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration in your arduous labours for the Cause.

September 25, 1936 Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching Campaign

Our beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly, assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.

The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge, continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning which the local and national assemblies and also the individual believers may show forth throughout the coming years can enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.

[From the Guardian:]

I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them, and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with success. May their example be followed by an increasingly large number of their fellow workers.

October 22, 1936

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