This year the Foundation has written to you asking for your help in raising money to finance, amongst other things, the Tape Preservation Project. Some of you may not know what this is. Others may have already made a contribution to this project in the past and are wondering why more money is needed.  Hopefully these notes will help answer some of your questions, for example:

• What is the Tape Preservation Project?
• Why is it important?
• What has been done so far?
• What remains to be done?
• How much will it cost?
• Why does it cost so much?
• How long will it take to complete the project?
• Why does it take so long?
• What remains when the preservation process is complete?
• When will the collective start to benefit from the project?
• How do I make a donation?

If, after reading this, you would like more information, please feel free to write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What is the Tape Preservation Project?             [top]

Tape Preservation Project is the name given to the job of preserving all of Shri Mataji’s talks and speeches for posterity.  Over the past 30 years the words of Shri Mataji have been recorded in various audio and video formats which together comprise a priceless heritage of pure love and knowledge for the benefit of all mankind. 

The aim is to secure this great heritage for future generations through the:

1. long-term storage of source material in optimal climatic and secure conditions
2. creation of a complete archive of Shri Mataji’s teachings in digital format
3. optimisation of each event so as to ensure the integrity of the content and the highest possible quality in terms of the video and audio reproduction.
4. production of masters from source material that can be used to make high quality products available to seekers and Sahaja Yogis.

Why is it important?            [top]

The tapes of Shri Mataji are unprecedented in the history of spirituality because they provide seekers today and tomorrow with an uncorrupted version of an incarnation’s teachings, as well as the direct experience of the divine nature of the teacher. Unfortunately, over the years Shri Mataji’s tapes have not always been well looked after; some are damaged and the location of others is still unknown.  A significant number are in a very precarious condition, damaged by fungus and the crystallising of chemicals.  Unless urgent action is taken, their deterioration will continue and many may even be lost forever.

What has been done so far?          [top]

1. in 2006 a company, called Devi Productions, was established in Austriato carry forward the preservation project.  The company is run by Sahaja Yogis and its statute is defined in such a way that company members cannot make monetary profit from the project.
2. A long-term storage facility for source materials has been established and presently houses about 4,200 hours of tape (approximately 1,400 events).
3. About 3,200 hours of tape have been converted into digital format, thus avoiding their further deterioration.
4. About 420 hours of tape have been optimised (about 140 events).

What remains to be done?           [top]

1. It is hoped that about another 450 events (1,500 hours of tape) can be recovered from various sources and added to the archive.
2. About 2,500 hours of tape will then remain to be digitised.
3. About 5,000 hours of material still need to be optimised.

How much will it cost?            [top]

On average it currently costs about 2,200 euro to produce a master DVD.  Given that there remain approx. 1,600 still to be completed, another 3.5 million euro are required to complete the project.

At present about 20% of costs are covered by the Commercial Unit of the Foundation. The rest is paid for with donations from the Sahaja Yoga collective.  Over the next few year we hope to increase the contribution of the Commercial Unit.  However, the continued support of Sahaja Yogis is indispensable.

This year we are asking the collective to contribute € 150,000 to the project.

Why does it cost so much?             [top]

Most of the machinery used by the Preservation Project has already been bought so its costs are substantially made up of the wages of three paid, full-time people.  These people are paid a modest but dignified amount according to European standards.  They are highly skilled professionals and they are Sahaja Yogis, both essential qualities for the job. They could certainly earn a lot more if they were to look for ‘normal’ employment, but are willing to take a pay cut because they recognise the value for mankind of the job they have been asked to do.

How long will it take to complete the project?                [top]

This depends on a number of factors.  At the present rate it could take anything up to 10 years. However, we are currently looking for ways of speeding up the process which, in the long run, will also allow us to save some money.  For example, we would like to train more Sahaja Yogis to do some of the jobs involved in preservation process setting up small teams in different countries who can work on project in their free time.  Ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Why does it take so long?             [top]

The table below describes the steps in the process of preserving an event on tape.  Steps 1 to 4 are cyclical and continue until the best possible source material is found.  The time it takes to complete this cycle is variable and depends on the ease with which good source material can be found.   The optimisation phase is particularly laborious and time-consuming as it requires not just refined technical skills but also sound judgement as a Sahaja Yogi.  The Focus is on producing a result which conforms to the highest quality standards so as to ensure availability and access to Shri Mataji not only for today’s seekers and Sahaja Yogis, but for generations to come.

What remains when the preservation process is complete?             [top]

When will the collective start to benefit from the project?               [top]

The work of Devi Productions has so far allowed the Foundation to distribute about 140 fully-preserved, high quality DVDs of Shri Mataji’s speeches.  Of these, 22 titles are produced with subtitles in anything up to 16 languages.   The standard of the sound and image on the DVDs is clearly superior to anything else which is currently available.

This year the Foundation plans to release 70 new titles, an annual figure that should increase in future years.

Clearly it will be several years before all Shri Mataji’s speeches are available in this way.  However, we believe it is worth taking the time to ensure that the job is done properly, given that what we are doing today will serve generations to come.  In the meantime, Sahaja Yogis are free to make their own copies of Shri Mataji’s, as long as they pay the royalty that is applicable.  If you are unsure how to pay the royalty fee or how much it is, please refer to your country coordinator.

For more information please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .