You should start a Temple Fund; the site need not exceed two or three acres, and should be inside Delhi or near the city limits.
You will be able to consult with the members of Australian N.S.A. at the time of the Conference in New Delhi about literature; they will certainly assist your Assembly with the publications.
Baha'is from India, Pakistan and Burma are eligible for your Asian Teaching Committee.
Consolidation can mean the establishment of the institutions you enumerate, but it is not essential at present; to increase the assemblies and groups, and bring in new believers, is the most important part of consolidation; as the plan unfolds, he will have to see what other things are really essential and call your attention to them.
Consolidation of the Manifold Institutions
[From the Guardian:]
The splendid efforts, so devotedly exerted by the members of the Baha'i communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, extending over more than a decade, in connexion with the launching and prosecution of no less than three successive Plans, formulated for the promotion of the interests of the Faith in South-East Asia, have raised their prestige in the eyes of the Baha'i World, and have fitted them to undertake, at this auspicious hour in the evolution of its institutions in the Indian sub-continent and its neighbouring territories and islands, yet another collective enterprise, of still vaster dimensions, of far greater possibilities, requiring the utmost exertion and consecration for a period of no less than ten years, and culminating in the Most Great Jubilee, designed to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of the Mission of the Founder of their Faith.
The task they now assume involves the consolidation of the manifold institutions which, through the operation of three successive Plans, have been patiently and laboriously established, as well as the erection of the administrative structure of the Faith in the virgin territories along the shores, and in the vicinity, of the Indian sub-continent, in the Islands of the Indian Ocean, in African Dependencies, and as far as the Islands of the South Pacific Ocean.
Through the prosecution of the Plans initiated by your Assembly these communities have acquired the training and experience that have qualified them to embark upon so extensive and momentous an undertaking-an undertaking which if victoriously consummated will eclipse all the joint efforts and enterprises which have illuminated the pages of Indian Baha'i history since the inception of the Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation.
The first and most sacred obligation confronting them, on the morrow of the launching of their Ten-Year Plan, is the despatch and settlement, during the current year and the one succeeding it, of pioneers in the sixteen virgin territories and islands, assigned to your Assembly according to the provisions of the aforementioned Plan. The opening of the six dependencies along the eastern and western coasts of the Indian subcontinent must be given careful attention, and must be carried out with promptitude and vigour. The despatch and definite settlement of no more than one or two pioneers in each of these territories and islands is a task not only of great urgency but of infinite merit, and constitutes the most important feature of the initial phase of the Plan.
Next in importance and of no less urgency is the selection and purchase, either within or in the outskirts of the capital-city of India-in which the Administrative Headquarters of the Faith has already been established-of the site of the
First Mashriq'ul Adhkar of the Indian sub-continent, covering an area of approximately one or two acres at least which can gradually be enlarged in the course of the coming years.
Collateral with this vital project is the preparation in conjunction with the Australian National Assembly of a suitable pamphlet by your Assembly, and the adoption of energetic measures for its translation into the languages allocated to the Australian and Indian National Assemblies.
While this threefold objective is being assiduously pursued, the process of the multiplication of local Assemblies, of groups and isolated centres must be maintained, nay accelerated, for upon it will depend the early formation of independent National Spiritual Assemblies in India, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon and South-East Asia.
The responsibilities devolving upon your Assembly in the course of the opening stage of the Plan are enormous, sacred and pressing. All Baha'i communities participating in this glorious enterprise must bend every effort, and sacrifice to the utmost of their power to ensure the unqualified success of the great work that lies immediately ahead.
There is no time to lose. The newly launched Plan demands a vigilance, an expenditure of effort and resources on a scale unprecedented in Indian Baha'i history. Baha'i communities in East and West, embarked on a similar Crusade, are vying with one another and with your Assembly in the world-wide field of Baha'i pioneering. The glory of the prizes to be won, the benefits that will accrue to all participants are unimaginable.
I direct my appeal to your Assembly and, through its members, to all communities participating in this unprecedented enterprise, to arise to this great and unique occasion that now presents itself, at this critical hour in the fortunes of mankind and at so significant a stage in the evolution of the Faith, and to resolve, with inflexible determination, to consummate, at the appointed time, this fate-laden enterprise on which all our hearts are set and upon which the immediate destinies of the Cause of Baha'u'llah so largely depend.
In my hours of prayer and meditation in the holy Shrines I will supplicate on behalf of your Assembly, as well as on behalf of the communities you represent, that Divine Guidance may direct your steps, that God's sustaining grace may aid you to overcome every obstacle, that His strength may be poured out upon you, that His providence and love may enfold you, and that the inspiration of the Dawn-breakers, who proclaimed the birth of His Cause, may carry you to ultimate and total victory.
June 21, 1953
The Most Important Thing is to Serve
The most important thing we know from the Teachings is to serve. In carrying out the Plans of God we are strengthened, blessed and purified; we attract the loving attention of Baha'u'llah; our efforts are confirmed; and we are enabled through His power to achieve great victories for His Faith.
He urges you, one and all, as one soul in many bodies, to consecrate yourselves to fulfilling the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan. He feels sure that when the proper unity and dedication prevail in the National Body, it will be sensed by the mass of the believers, and react upon their efforts. As Abdu'l-Baha said, nothing is impossible if we have faith; and this must always be the standard for all the Baha'is. As we have faith, so are our powers and our blessings.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty enable you to lend a fresh and unprecedented impetus to the onward march of the Faith, revive the spirit of its supporters, enlarge its limits, multiply its local institutions, consolidate its foundations, safeguard its rights, spread abroad its fame, and aid its followers to discharge befittingly their responsibilities, and concentrate on the attainment of the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan, on which the immediate destiny of the entire community depends.
December 26, 1955
Youth & the Ten-Year Crusade
The Guardian urges as many of the Baha'i youth of India, Pakistan and Burma as possible to attend the historic Conference to be held in New Delhi, in October. At that Conference, plans will be made for the carrying of the Message of Baha'u'llah, during the coming ten years, far beyond the borders of their homeland; and it will be the youth who will shoulder a great part of this and the other tasks that will be given to your Community. In fact, the settling of these virgin fields both close to your own lands, and in far-off areas, is the very first responsibility of the believers, in this Ten-Year World Crusade. Therefore, each one of you should think now seriously what you are going to do about it, and start making your plans accordingly. The sooner the virgin fields are settled, the sooner will be witnessed the tremendous power that is released in this day; and the bounties that await those who go forth to pioneer in these lands, are great indeed.
May 28, 1953
Translation of Literature
Naturally it will be difficult for the Faith to be established in the new territories or amongst the new tribes if they do not have at least a pamphlet for distribution to the new contacts.
He therefore feels that along with the sending of pioneers into the virgin areas, the translation of literature into the languages assigned to the Indian National Assembly should take place.
The Guardian feels that one of the existing pamphlets would be satisfactory, or a new one, which you may feel it desirable to prepare. At this time it is not necessary to enter into the question of translation of Baha'i books, simply a pamphlet, which can be used for teaching purposes.
The Guardian wishes you to budget the necessary funds to cover this work, and to see that it is actively pursued, so that the literature will be available at an early date.
June 8, 1953
Keynote of the Crusade
Our beloved Guardian has been greatly encouraged by reports reaching him from all parts of the Baha'i world; of the victories already gained, and the plans being laid for the prosecution of the Ten-Year Crusade.
They have evoked his awe-inspiring, and soul-stirring cablegram of May 28th, calling for the immediate settlement of all the 131 virgin areas of the Plan, just as quickly as possible. He is convinced, that the friends will arise and translate their enthusiasm into Action, because the Keynote of the Crusade, must be Action, Action, Action!
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write your Assembly to amplify some of the aspects of his dynamic message.
The settlement of these virgin areas is of such an emergency nature, that he feels pioneering in one of them takes precedence over every other type of Baha'i service-whether it be in the teaching or administrative fields of the Faith. So important is it that the National Assembly may delay initiation of steps to fulfill other phases of the Plan, until all these areas are conquered for the Faith. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to interfere with the placing of pioneers in each of the 131 goal countries.
In America some 150 people have volunteered for pioneer service, and some of them already are preparing to leave for their posts. The beloved Guardian fully expects the dear friends in India, Pakistan and Burma to follow this example, and quickly settle the areas allotted to them.