Upon arriving in the town, Baba was in a splendid mood, and gave Chanji a new hat and Vishnu a new coat.
Baba returned to Yezd, but still found it unsuitable for his seclusion purpose and decided to leave. On the day of his departure, 28 October, Baba was invited to visit the Zoroastrian Marker School, where a large crowd had gathered to see him, along with hundreds of schoolchildren from different schools .1 The principal of the school asked Baba when he would break his silence and speak.
With a sly smile, Baba dictated on the alphabet board, "After four months."
Later, a throng of people surrounded Arbab Khushrav's house, so Baba had to slip away without even being able to eat. When the crowd came to know of the Master's departure, there were tears in the eyes of some. Even though they had been unable to bid him farewell, his remembrance was in their tears.
Reaching the town of Kerman at 9:00 A.M. the following morning, Baba had the cars driven into a garage, and he and the mandali stayed there behind closed doors.
He explained, "I do not wish to stay in this town, nor do I want to see anyone. So take care that no one comes to meet me."
Despite precautions, one man named Rustom Sohrab Irani came to know of Baba's arrival. He entreated Baba to stay at his luxurious bungalow, but Baba refused. Rustom then sincerely requested that Baba pay a visit to his house, at least, assuring him of a private entry where he would not be seen. To this also Baba did not agree.
But news of Baba's arrival had spread and a large crowd gathered outside the garage to meet Meher Baba. The police had to be called to disperse them. Because of the large functions held in the Master's honor in Yezd, people had learned of Baba's trip to Persia and many wished the country's ruler, Reza Shah, to meet him. Some were very eager to bring about this meeting, but Baba adamantly refused.2
The group quietly left Kerman for Baam early on Wednesday, 30 October 1929. Halting along the way, Baba felt hungry and directed Masaji to prepare something by the side of the road. But when Baba found out they had nothing with them, he taunted Raosaheb about the poor arrangements he made as the manager. Raosaheb lost his temper. "In Yezd or Kerman," he replied angrily, "I requested so many times to buy potatoes, butter, bread, yogurt and fruit, but you refused. I knew well that we would not be able to buy such food on the road. Now, what am I to do if you feel hungry? Offer you grass or hay?"
Footnotes
- 1.The Marker orphanage and schools for poor Zoroastrian boys and girls had been established by the Bombay philanthropist P. D. Marker.
- 2.Colonel Irani had met Reza Shah in April 1926 when the Colonel traveled to Persia as part of an official delegation, representing the Zoroastrians of India at Reza Pahlavi's coronation ceremony as Shah of Iran.