History

Meher Baba at 16 years old in 1910

Avatar Meher Baba was an Irani born in Pune, India to a Zoroastrian family.He was the second son of Sheriar Mundegar Irani, a Persian Zoroastrian who had spent years wandering in search of spiritual experience before settling in Pune, and Sheriar's young wife, Shireen.His original name was born Merwan Sheriar Irani.His schoolmates nicknamed him "Electricity". As a boy he formed The Cosmopolitan Club dedicated to remaining informed in world affairs and giving money to charity. Money was raised by donations and sometimes by gambling e.g. betting at the horse races. He had an excellent singing voice and was a multi-instrumentalist and poet. Fluent in several languages, he was especially fond of Hafez's Persian poetry, but also of Shakespeare and Shelley.