To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout India, and Burma. Care of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Decembers, 1923
My dearest friends:
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to renew the bonds of fellowship and affection that have always united our hearts in the service of our beloved Master. I need not recall to your minds the warm and abiding place which that gifted Dominion has always occupied in our Beloved's heart, and the high hopes He cherished for its future 'contribution towards the triumph of the Movement in those distant regions of the earth.
I am sure the hour has struck when those dearly-beloved pioneers of the Master's Cause, scattered throughout the length and breadth of that vast and promising land, should unite, consolidate their forces, and effectively combine for the laying of a firm foundation for the future progress of their noble task. It is my earnest hope and my most cherished desire that at the forthcoming convention the vigour and enlightened efforts of the Bahá'í youth of India, coupled with the generous support and devotion of the old beloved Parsee friends, and reinforced by the vast numbers of the ardent followers of the Faith in Burma, may, by imparting power and brilliancy to its proceedings, herald an era of unprecedented activity for the ultimate recognition of the Cause by the peoples of that country.
Decembers, 1923
My dearest friends:
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to renew the bonds of fellowship and affection that have always united our hearts in the service of our beloved Master. I need not recall to your minds the warm and abiding place which that gifted Dominion has always occupied in our Beloved's heart, and the high hopes He cherished for its future 'contribution towards the triumph of the Movement in those distant regions of the earth.
I am sure the hour has struck when those dearly-beloved pioneers of the Master's Cause, scattered throughout the length and breadth of that vast and promising land, should unite, consolidate their forces, and effectively combine for the laying of a firm foundation for the future progress of their noble task. It is my earnest hope and my most cherished desire that at the forthcoming convention the vigour and enlightened efforts of the Bahá'í youth of India, coupled with the generous support and devotion of the old beloved Parsee friends, and reinforced by the vast numbers of the ardent followers of the Faith in Burma, may, by imparting power and brilliancy to its proceedings, herald an era of unprecedented activity for the ultimate recognition of the Cause by the peoples of that country.
I shall welcome with genuine satisfaction every effort which that talented and untiring servant of Bahá'u'lláh, our highly esteemed sister Mrs Stannard, may exert in this connection, and would feel truly gratified to learn of her determination to play a conspicuous part in the presentation of the Cause in the eyes of the enlightened public. May the sustaining grace of God, the power of Bahá'u'lláh, and the loving counsels of our beloved 'Abdu'1-Baha guide you and aid you in your mighty endeavours for the accomplishment of your task.
I shall eagerly await any particulars you might wish to send me regarding your various activities in the service of the Cause, and I trust that during the interval between now and Ridvan a complete and careful arrangement for the successful conduct of the coming Convention will have been drawn by all the friends and assemblies of India and Burma, and to which, I assure you, I shall be most pleased to contribute my humble share of cooperation and advice.
Hoping to hear from you, individually and collectively, and assuring you of my constant prayers on your behalf, I am your brother and fellow-worker,
Shoghi
Haifa, Palestine
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages of Shoghi Effendi to the Indian Subcontinent: 1923-1957)
