Framroz Hormusji Dadachanji, known to generations of Meher Baba's lovers simply as 'Chanji,' holds a unique place in history as the Avatar's first secretary. His meticulous diaries, correspondence, and notes preserved an invaluable record of Baba's activities from 1926 until his death in 1944—a treasure that has served as the foundation for much of what we know about Baba's early ministry. Yet the story of how this heartbroken man came to devote his life to the Master is itself one of the most dramatic in all Baba literature.

Chanji was born in Bombay on November 23, 1892, into a Parsi family. After education in Parsi schools in Bombay and a year of college in Karachi, he learned shorthand and typing—skills that would later prove invaluable. He worked for Greaves Cotton Company, and during World War I enlisted as a journalist on the hospital ship Takada. After the war, he worked variously as a salesman, accountant, correspondent, and theater manager. Eventually, he owned a cinema in partnership with his best friend—the Madeleine Theater near the corner of Grant and Lamington Road in Bombay.

In December 1916, Chanji married Jerbai F. Karkaria in a double wedding ceremony alongside his brother Naoroji. He loved his wife deeply and devoted himself to her happiness and comfort. But his world shattered when he discovered that his wife had been having an affair with his best friend and business partner—the very man he trusted most. The affair led to a scandalous divorce in 1920 or 1921. Chanji was devastated beyond repair. Unable to bear his misery any longer, he went to Chowpatty Beach in Bombay in 1924, intending to drown himself in the sea.

That day, Meher Baba happened to take a walk with Naval Talati along the same beach. Baba's gaze fell upon the man sitting in a pensive mood, and He asked Naval who he was. When Naval didn't know, Baba walked over to the stranger. The man turned out to be Naval's acquaintance. He was irritated at being disturbed: 'What do you want?' Baba replied, laughing, 'We don't want anything.' When the man asked why they were bothering him, Baba said: 'To tell you that only bliss and joy are destined for you!'

Astonished, Chanji protested that happiness was not his lot. Baba explained: 'Your false idea of happiness will vanish to bring you real bliss. It will be removed to find true joy. So why be miserable and unhappy?' As Chanji gazed at Baba, something broke within him—his painful reverie dissolved and the sorrow gripping his heart lifted. Baba said: 'You have a very important part to play in My cinema!' When Chanji replied that he owned a cinema, Baba laughed: 'I am talking about the Universal cinema.'

The next morning, Baba impatiently sent Naval to bring Chanji. The broken man came, narrated his woes, and sobbed uncontrollably at Baba's feet. Baba took him in His arms, patted his cheeks, and spoke the words that changed Chanji's life forever: 'Leave everything and come to Me.' Chanji, then 31 years old, began visiting Baba regularly and eventually became His first secretary.

From July 11, 1926, Chanji began maintaining a separate diary of daily events at Meherabad—a practice he continued until his death eighteen years later. He handled all of Baba's correspondence single-handedly, often carrying his portable typewriter even in crowded third-class trains. He traveled with Baba throughout the world—to England, America, Egypt, Europe, and across India—drawing up itineraries and recording his Master's work with tireless energy.

Baba subjected Chanji to constant testing and ego-crushing, using him as what one might call a spiritual scapegoat. In Europe, Baba's reproofs often reduced Chanji to tears. Once when Rustom gave Chanji new clothes, Baba scolded him so severely that Chanji threw the clothes down, crying: 'I can no longer stay with you!' Later, Baba embraced him and explained: 'Don't you know I have My reasons for treating you like this? This is mercy. This is My grace.' Chanji wrote in his diary: 'Everyone wishes to be with Baba, but few know the price of it.' And: 'The Master's words of reprimand "cut deeper than a dagger."'

Chanji was a kind man with a forgiving heart. Remarkably, he never hated his former wife and partner for their betrayal. Through his influence, his entire family—parents, four brothers, one sister, their spouses and children—and numerous other Parsis and Iranis in Bombay devoted their lives to Meher Baba's cause.

Chanji was very fond of boiled potatoes, but Baba had casually ordered him not to eat them, warning cryptically: 'They will eat you!' Chanji took the order lightly. In the summer of 1944, Baba traveled to Kashmir with a group of mandali. Baba had earlier made an ominous remark to Chanji during a camping trip in Kashmir: 'You will have to die here.' When Baba arrived in Srinagar and found Chanji eating potatoes, he fell ill with typhoid soon after. He died on August 25, 1944, at the Kashmir Nursing Home at age 52, with Baba's name on his lips.

Baba Himself attended the funeral and strewed flowers over his remains. He dictated a cable: 'CHANJI HAS COME TO ME FOREVER. HE HAS JOINED ME ETERNALLY AND NO ONE SHOULD WORRY.' Baba later said of him, 'Chanji was not only my disciple, he was my friend.' Lord Meher itself salutes him: the treasure of Meher Baba's divine words and working that he preserved would serve as a memorial to his love and discipleship, and his notes would inspire the world for generations to come.

Chanji was buried in the Parsi cemetery in Srinagar, and later a ceremonial grave was established at the Meherabad Memorial Tower. After his death, his diaries and notes were organized by Feram Workingboxwala—a task that took nine months to complete. These records, including the 'Tiffin Lectures' of the 1920s, continue to nourish seekers to this day. Adi K. Irani succeeded him as Baba's official secretary.