Katherine Laura ( Kitty ) Davy " Saroja "

1930s - Courtesy of the Jessawala Collection - AMB Archives, India. Image rendition by Anthony Zois.

Born : August 28, 1891 - Kensington, London, England

Died : December 3, 1991 (aged 100) - 4:50 am - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,United States

Buried : Upper Meherabad ( near Baba's tomb/samadhi ), India

Parents : John William ( 1858 ) & Helena Kitty Davy ( 1860 )

Sibling : John Ernest ( 1889 ), Martha Helena ( 1890 ), William Edward ( 1892 ),

Angela Cardine ( 1893 ), Herbert Nightingale ( 1899 ), Frances V. ( 1900 )

Nationality : ENGLISH - AMERICAN

"Saroja" means Lotus Flower. Meher Baba gave her the name.

Kitty welcomed Meher Baba in 1952 during visit to the Meher Center in Myrtle Beach. Kitty was living at the Center.

Kitty welcomed Meher Baba in 1956 during visit to the Meher Center in Myrtle Beach. Kitty was living at the Center.

welcomed Meher Baba in 1958 during visit to the Meher Center in Myrtle Beach. Kitty was living at the Center.

Kitty attended the 1962 East-West Gathering for Meher Baba at Guruprasad, Poona, India.

14th May 1933 : KItty Davy arriving in Marseilles from India on the SS BRITTANNIA

See the end of this page about the SS Brittannia.

Click on the underlined name to visit the web page about this ship. SS. BRITTANNIA

http://mandalihall.org/talks/speakers/Kitty_Davy/

I have sometimes heard it said that Kitty was allegedly a reincarnation of St. Teresa.

However, this story indicates Baba only said that she was of the Teresa "type":

Filis Frederick writes: The first week when I was Baba’s guest at the Center, in ’52, He stirred up many vivid dreams in my head every night, then He made me tell Him each one the next day in front of the women. One night I had an amazing dream of Kitty dressed in a nun’s habit, with sparkling dark eyes. Somehow I knew she was St. Theresa d’Ávila. I asked her how we should proceed on the Path, especially, should we join a spiritual order or go it alone? She said, “That is a question that can only be answered when Baba comes again.” And there was Baba coming up the stairs with His illimitable smile! I woke up and looked out the window and saw Baba looking at me with the exact same smile. When I related the dream to Him, I left out the part about Kitty being Theresa — I was too shy — but it was interesting that Baba, looking into my eyes, spelled out immediately on His alphabet board, “My four favorite saints are St. Theresa, St. Catherine, St. Francis and St. Augustine.” For me, He authenticated that Kitty was the St. Theresa type. Baba called her “Saroja,” meaning Lotus; the Saroja Library at the Center is named for her.

— From Filis Frederick, “Heroines of the Path"

in The Awakener Magazine vol. 20, no. 2 (1983 )

1930S

( L-R ) Margaret Craske, Kitty Davy (behind), Delia De Leon, Norina Matchabelli, Korshed Irani, Mehera Irani & Mani Irani.

MSI Collection ; India - Kitty with Norina

MSI Collection ; Nasik, India 1937 - seated holding child in her lap

MSI Collection ; India - Kitty with Adi Irani

1932, Havan, Nth.India ; Kitty is on the far left.

THESE NEW YOUNG LOVERS

To bring the final picture into focus — here is what some of them say and feel about Baba:

Dudley Edwards:

To me Baba means the end of separation, that melting point beyond embrace.

Christine Cook:

When I first saw a picture of Baba I felt I had found someone long ago lost. It was wonderful to find a Perfect One at last. Life has become an exciting challenge — very difficult at times. The world seems a smaller, more credible place.

Barbara Amos:

All I really know, is, that I Love Him.

Katie McInnerney:

Since coming to Baba I've realized that I could not live without Him. I can't cry as much — and everything's gone wrong. Its the same and as bad as a lover.

Craig San Roque:

Baba and the coming to Baba is slowly coming clear to me, the only reason for being anywhere, anytime.

Georginia San Roque:

You are many different things to all our different selves, and, we are all One in You.

Martin Cook:

Meher Baba represents for me, the ultimate authority — God.

Peter Townsend:

I feel that never will I be able to stand back from myself and pretend any more that God is a myth — that Christ was just another man. That Baba was simply a hypnotic personality. The fact is coming home to me like a sledge-hammer, — not through words I read in books about Baba, not through even His own words, but through my ordinary daily existence, that Meher Baba is the Avatar, God Incarnate on our planet — the Awakener.

As I write I think of the fact that synonymous with the thought of Baba, comes thought of the Baba Lovers who discovered Baba in the same way, and at the time I did. I think of the thrill of the excitement and drama at realizing that the 'game' of looking was over and the 'real' work of serving and loving the Avatar was beginning.

Mike McInnerney:

How can it be explained that when Baba hits you, it's like wrapping yourself in an overcoat made out of yourself, — things from then on are never the same, you just get warmer and warmer.

Ronnie Lane:

I am positive in myself That Baba is the man He says He is.

Sue Lane:

To me Baba is the source of all strength. Without tuning into Him I am a limp lifeless rag. When I have the sense to listen to Him, His generosity overwhelms me. He hands it out by the ton. I consider myself most fortunate to have had my valves opened.

Michael Morice:

Baba is something inside me — the real me — that I try to discover. Also I tend sometimes to forget that He is a very special person whom I never met, but who knows me and perhaps sent me a little bit of grace.

Barbara Morice:

I am happy to have at least realized that no matter what — Baba and His love is really all there is.

Sebastian Baker:

Coming to Baba was a new morning, an old greeting, a half familiar hand-shake with an old friend, met before.

Karen Townshend:

All my comments are wordy, crass and untrue. I try to love Him, He's easy above all others to love, but I still find it very hard.

The age gap does not seem to disturb these new young lovers; they have taken us to their hearts as we have them to ours. Their love and their clear intuitive understanding of Baba in all phases is very remarkable. They seem to belong to His New Life period when He ushered in a new type of thinking and living. They are the 'new humanity,' the future is theirs and their children's children. Baba will help them through their problems and trials, which are bound to come, — to hold on to his Daaman, for He has set His seal of love on them. This applies as much to America, as to here, for during my visit there (Summer 1970), I found the same thing happening; the love, generosity and kindness showered on me I can never forget.

THE ENGLISH SCENE -

EARLY & LATE BY DELIA DE LEON

The Awakener Volume 17 Number 2 1977

photo: Kitty Davy, Adi K. Irani and Delia de Leon at opening of Oceanic, July, 1976

Kitty holding the umbrella at U.Meherabad, India - Courtesy of MN Collection

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.

Kitty standing next to Baba's right wearing a dark hat

Valu Pawar & Kitty - August 1938, Ahmednagar, India. (Photo courtesy of MN Publications)

1938 : Nasik, India. Kitty standing in the middle holding a hat.

Adi K. Irani Secretary Collection -- Twenty First Letter
Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust, Archives, Meherabad

This telegram from Chanji to Kitty was sent after Baba sailed from Bombay for Portofino on 18 July 1932. Baba had returned to India from China only three days before setting off again for Italy.

MSI Collection ; India - Kitty is far left, then Adi S Irani, Delia De Leon and Margaret Craske

1937 : Meher Baba's Birthday celebrations in Nasik, India. Kitty is standing in the centre-right in a dark top.

1952 : Kitty with Dr.Goher Irani boating at the Meher Center lake, Myrtle Beach, SC. Image rendered by Anthony Zois.

New York World Trade Fair

Mid-1950s : Kitty on the Meher Center - Courtesy of the Shaw family photo collection.

Image is from the Meher News Exchange - Oct. 1973. Courtesy of Dennis Schlaen

Kitty at the Meher Center, Myrtle Beach, SC. Image rendered by Anthony Zois.

Painting by Charlie Mills, 1996 : "Kitty" - Oil-20x16 - Courtesy of Joy Miller - http://www.millsstudio.com/

Kitty's eldest sister was Martha May Cluse, her daughters was Zilla & youngest Virginia ( Jenny )

Kitty's brother was Herbert Davy

Kitty's youngest sister was Angela Lambett

Kitty's parents were John & Helena Davy

Kitty with the Meher Baba's Women Mandali at Meherazad, India

India ( L-R ) Banumasi Kerawala, Kitty Davy, and Mehroo Bilamoria-1984; Courtesy of Anne Giles

U. Meherabad, India ; India ( L-R ) Banumasi Kerawala, Kitty Davy, and Mehroo Bilamoria-1984; Courtesy of Anne Giles

U.Meherabad, India. Judith Garbett (red top) with Kitty and others. ( cropped image )

September 1981, India : Mani S. Irani, Kitty, Mehera Kleiner ( young girl ), Mehera J. Irani, Davana Brown, Andrea Winzimer and Meheru Irani. AZ

Elizabeth, Kitty, Margaret & Charles Haynes on Dilruba's porch, Meher Center, Myrtle Beach. Courtesy of Charles Haynes.

Kitty's 100th Birthday - Meher Center, Myrtle Beach, SC.

Kitty ; Photo taken by Sher DiMaggio Zois

Kitty with Wendy Haynes ; Photo taken by Sher DiMaggio Zois

Young girls dancing for Kitty. Photo taken by Sher DiMaggio Zois

Kitty helped to her transport vehicle from the Meeting Place. Photo taken by Sher DiMaggio Zois

June 1991 ; ( L-R ) Jane Haynes, KItty & Wendy Haynes Connor

( L-R ) Joy Miller, Wendy Connor, Kitty & Stella Hernandez

Kitty assisted by Marshall Hay at Baba's Samadhi ( Tomb ), India

Kitty with Marshall Hay and Shiela Krynski at Meherazad, India

Kitty with Marshall Hay and Jeff Wolverton

Kitty Davy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Katherine Laura Davy
Born	August 28, 1891( 1891-08-25) Kensington, London, England
Died	December 3, 1991 (aged 100) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States
Other names	Kitty Davy
Occupation	Music teacher, Mandali

Kitty Davy, born Katherine Laura Davy (August 28, 1891 - December 3, 1991), was a mandali of Meher Baba.

Kitty Davy was born in Kensington, London, England, the daughter of John and Helena Davy. Kitty and her brother Herbert Davy first heard of Meher Baba in 1931 from Meredith Starr after visiting Starr's meditation retreat at Combe Martin in Devonshire, England. Kitty and Herbert were instrumental in making provisions for Baba's first arrival in London in September 1931 and Kitty was part of a very small group to greet Baba for the first time at London Victoria station.^[1] Kitty also made preparations for Meher Baba to stay at the Davy family’s residence at 32 Russell Road, Kensington.

Later Kitty Davy was among the first westerners to travel to see Meher Baba in India in 1933.^[2] Along with several other western women Kitty came and lived as a resident mandali at Meherabad with Meher Baba in India from November 1937 until 1952.^[3] She was also among the western women who accompanied Meher Baba on his Blue Bus Tours throughout India in 1938-39.^[4] In 1952 during a trip to the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Meher Baba asked Kitty to stay and assist the Center's founders Elizabeth C. Patterson and Princess Norina Matchabelli in the Meher Center's operations. Kitty then lived and worked on the Meher Spiritual Center until her death at the age of 100 in 1991. Her ashes are interred near Meher Baba's samadhi in Meherabad, India.

She was the author of the book Love Alone Prevails: A Story of Life with Meher Baba (1981) which recounts the 50 years of her life spent following Meher Baba.

References

^ Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher", Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 1405
^ Meher Baba Words, The Master's Glossary C, D
^ Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher", Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 2241
^ Meher Spiritual Center Website

External links

Meher Baba with Kitty in Venice. Courtesy of Lord Meher p.1506

Courtesy of Lord Meher, Vol 6-7 : Bhau Kalchuri - Kitty (L) & Maragret Craske (R) carrying Baba during a picnic at Trimbak , India 1937

The Awakener ; Vol.20, No.2 - Portofino 1933 - Kitty seated ( middle )

MEHER SPIRITUAL CENTRE, MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA - 1950s

KItty (left) with Elizabeth Patterson at the Center

Original Kitchen, Meher Center, probably in the 1960s. — with Kitty Davy, Elizabeth Patterson, Murshida Ivy Duce and Laura Delavigne

Courtesy of Charles Haynes ; (L-R) Kitty Davy, Elizabrth Patterson & Jane at the Myrtle Beach Center toasting Richard & Laurie Blum's wedding.

Kitty with Elizabeth Patterson attending a wedding. Courtesy of Charles Haynes

JULY 1964 - At her desk at Dilruba, Meher Center, Myrtle Beach, SC.

Kitty at her dest at Dilruba, Meher Center, Myrtle Beach, SC.

VIDEOS

DAVY FAMILY GENEALOGY

LETTERS

Courtesy of : HEART TALK – Adi K. Irani Secretary Collection – Fifty Third Letter
Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust, Archives, Meherabad

This letter from Kitty Davy was written while Baba was en route to Shanghai where He arrived on

22 June 1932. This is the last of these letters to Baba from His early Western lovers for a little while.