RAOUL GEORGE VIDAS

Born : 17th July 1901 - Yaasi, Romania

Died : 6th October 1978 - Hollywood, California, USA ( 77yo. )

Parents : Rudolphe & Anne Vidas

MUSICIAN - VIOLIST ( prodigy )

AMERICAN

Raoul met Meher Baba in 1932 & 1934 when Baba visited Hollywood, Los Angeles.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vidas-7

https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/356367-guadagnini-documentary-film-in-french/

https://archive.org/details/78_ballet-music-from-rosamunde_raoul-vidas-walter-golde-schubert-kreisler_gbia0011723b

https://archive.org/details/78_air-for-g-string_raoul-vidas-walter-golde-fiorillo-vidas_gbia0087891a

1954

After Raoul's father Rudolphe died, it was decided to sell their Woodstock, New York home and live in Los Angeles.

Tom Riley was a young man and was in need of a job, so he placed an ad offering his services as a handyman.

Raoul hired Tom and so the packing up the families belongings proceeded.

One day whilst Tom was moving stacks of books from the library shelves he came across a small booklet by Malcolm Schloss called "Meher Baba". ( see below ).

This caught Tom's attention and he showed it to Raoul who then began to tell his connection with Meher Baba back in the early 1930s.

Whilst he was in working in Hollywood, be became very good friends with Mary & Douglas Fairbanks who invited Raoul on the 1st July 1932 to come to their Hollywood  home called Pickfair, where they were having a large reception for very special Indian spiritual figure called Meher Baba. Raoul made a positive connection with Baba.

Later in late December 1934, Baba made a visit to 'The Dunes' at Oceano, a coastal town north of Los Angeles. He invited Raoul to accompany him there. One night whilst there, a message was conveyed to Raoul that Baba would like you to come to India ( which Raoul had to cover the costs getting there ), but, there were 2 conditions he had to address before he could agree to go.

1) give up cigarettes   2) not to have any sexual contact for a certain period of time.

The following day he gave his answer to Baba, he could give up the cigarettes but not the sex.

He appeared saddened to Tom when he said that, he regretted his decision and put it down to his young age, of not truly understanding the enormity of his decision.

For Tom, this was his first connection with Meher Baba and then lived a life devoted to him.

The above encounter can be found in Tom Riley's book "More Light...."  pages 49-55

Paperback - Life-O-Riley Books, Myrtle Beach, SC.