Manija
Born : 15th December 1918 - Poona, India
Died : 19th August 1996 - Meherazad, India
Parents : Sheriar & Shireen Irani
Siblings : Merwan ( Meher Baba ), Jal, Adi & Beheram, Jamshed & Freiny
( b.1898 d.1905 )
- Shirmund ( b./d. 1910? ) & Jehangir ( b. 1900 d. 1902? ) both died in infancy.
Married : No
Meher Baba's sister
![Mani Irani, circa 1930's, possibly Nasik - 1933. Courtesy of the Jessawala Collection - AMB Archives, Meherabad, India.](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=311x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i7e42989d3ca1304c/version/1554926477/image.jpg)
![1937 : Having lunch on the road to Paris. Full image. ( L-R ) Kitty Davy, Meher Baba, Mehera Irani, Naja Irani, Khorshed Irani & Baba's sister Mani Irani.](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=710x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/ia1bf47c026243460/version/1591904919/image.jpg)
![MSI Collection - 1940s - Meher Baba's family : ( L-R ) Adi Jrn., Mani, Baba, Shireen ( mother ) Jal, Beheram](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=702x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/iadf0200b0ebc508f/version/1489204717/image.jpg)
![1937 : Villa Caldana, Cannes, France. Mani is on the far left on her knees . Courtesy of Mehera-Meher books.](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=710x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i4428704823be8061/version/1592957119/image.jpg)
![Back row ( L-R ) Goher, Mehera, Baba, Elizabeth, Ivy & Norina. Front row : Mani, Chamain Knowles & Meheru Irani.](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=710x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i105245e7cdc8eb88/version/1582133054/image.jpg)
Photos of Mani Irani courtesy of Glenn & Laurel Magrini
Photos taken by Bobby Buggia
![Lady Dorothy Hopkinson with Mani S. Irani in 1976. Jacko Caraco in background, right. Photo by Kendra Crossen Burroughs](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=710x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i7d225a659e5431e7/version/1703122414/image.jpg)
![Painted by Charlie Mills, 1998 "Mani" - Oil-20x24 - Courtesy of Elias Hanna - http://www.millsstudio.com/](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=407x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/iba710ab463be5b1f/version/1442566053/image.jpg)
![Painted by Charlie Mills, 2012 "Mani" - Oil-20x16 - Courtesy of AMBT, India - http://www.millsstudio.com/](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=407x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/ifcb45e44800b708f/version/1442565989/image.jpg)
![Mehera Irani ( seated ) with Mani and Roda Mistry viewing Meher Baba in the crypt on January 31st 1969. On the floor, the record player is playing "Begin the Beguine" by Hutch Hutchinson, this was played 7 times as per Baba's instructions.](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=533x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i092af127cd328879/version/1509388661/image.jpg)
![1969 Darshan program. The man next to her is Dr. Hoshang Bharucha, a long time Baba Lover from Navsari, India](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=617x10000:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i5a733a864bfa3593/version/1585681355/image.jpg)
In 1974 and 1975 Steven Hein videotaped Meher Baba's mandali on a reel-to-reel videotape recorder. Kristine Wyld arranged for the tapes to be converted to professional quality analogue Betacam SP tapes. Mandali Hall, Meherazad, India - 1975
BOOKS WRITTEN BY MANI
![](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=356x1024:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/ia2f743312dab06d0/version/1414676476/image.jpg)
82 Family Letters:
Letters from Mani Irani (Meher Baba's sister) to various families from 1958 to
1969.
1. 1969
Published by : Society for Avatar Meher Baba - New York ; 366 p. -
Hardcover
2. 1976
Published by : Sheriar Press - 376 p.
Hardcover
3.
1979
Published by : Sheriar Foundation - 366p.
Softcover
![](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=355x1024:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/if1f78959839ef3a1/version/1414759594/image.jpg)
God-Brother :
Stories from My Childhood with Meher Baba
1993
Published by : Sheriar Foundation
146 p.
- illustrated by Steve Jameson under the painting name of Wodin.
![](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=355x1024:format=jpg/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/i8875e90b91df542c/version/1414759792/image.jpg)
Dreaming of The Beloved
1998
Published by : Sheriar Foundation
80
p.
- illustrated by Steve Jameson under his painting name Wodin.
![](https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/none/path/se80bcf7e1bbfb507/image/ia3835de818003bf6/version/1414760995/image.jpg)
Tales from the New Life with Meher Baba
(Contributing authors) Narrated by :
Eruch, Mehera, Mani and Meheru,
1976
Published by : Beguine Library, Berkley, CA.
191 p.
BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT MANI
ARTWORK BY MANI
MUSIC BY MANI
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mani S. Irani | |
---|---|
|
|
Born |
15 December, 1918 Pune, India |
Died |
August 19, 1996 Meherazad, India |
Relatives |
Sister to Meher Baba |
|
Manija Sheriar Irani (December 15, 1918 - August 19, 1996) was the younger sister of Indian spiritual master Meher Baba, and one of his mandali. She was chairman of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust and the author of 82 Family Letters.
Besides Meher Baba's chief woman disciple Mehera Irani, Mani Irani was said by Meher Baba to be his second closest woman disciple and his spiritual sister. Mani was one of only four women out of twenty companions to accompany Meher Baba in his New Life phase, beginning in October 1949. By Meher Baba's directive given during his lifetime her remains are buried adjacent to Baba's samadhi in Meherabad, India.
Contents |
Early life
Mani was born in Pune, India, the sixth and
last child of Sheriar Mundegar Irani and Shireen Sheriar Irani. Sheriar and Shireen had one earlier daughter Freiny who died of plague at the age of six in 1902. Thus Mani was Meher Baba's
only surviving sister and the youngest in her family. Meher Baba was 24 years old when Mani was born, a period when he was still under the care of sadguru Upasni Maharaj in Sakori outside Ahmednagar. By the time Mani was old enough to know about her famous brother, he was already attracting disciples of his own in Meherabad. Mani attended Catholic school and longed to accompany her
brother and live in his ashram as his disciple even as a young
girl. She wrote persistently to him, pleading to be allowed to come.[1] Finally Baba made it possible through difficult family negotiations with their mother Shireen who was worried
about Mani's safety and health in the austere and harsh desert life of Baba's ashram outside Ahmednagar. As a result of such efforts Mani joined her brother as a full resident disciple in
September 1932 at the age of only 13.[2]