Baba had previously cabled him twice concerning the importance of this matter, but Chanji still had no success.
Upon his return, Chanji confessed that he had not devoted all his time and energy to the errand Baba had given him, but was, instead, spending most of his time talking to people about the Master.
Baba reprimanded him, "You did not do the work for which I sent you and you ignored my telegrams. You say you have your head on my feet, but you go against my wish! So what is the meaning of your bowing down to me? It has become a ritual to place one's head on my feet, but its real meaning is that nothing except my will should be done. This I call bowing down!"
Baba concluded, "Go back to Bombay tonight and do not return without bringing a good boy."
Chanji promptly left.
After Chanji departed, Baba sent each of the mandali throughout the city of Nasik, directing them, "Search for a good boy like Aga Ali."
Everyone did his best and for three days, more than a dozen boys were brought to Gyas Manzil, but Baba sent each boy away, either immediately or after a few days. Baba was doing some special inner work with the boys, and the mandali had to serve the little fellows as if they were their servants, keeping them happy and in comfort. On occasion, Baba would play with the boys, and provide them with expensive clothes and rich food. The men had to serve the boys wholeheartedly, treating them like "little princes." No one knew what work Baba was engaged in with these youths, but for the mandali, it was a medium by which to crush their egos. The boys were capricious in their demands, and the men had to comply with their whims day and night.
Baba later explained to the mandali (on 3 December 1929), "If a good boy of my liking is found for my work here, Aga Ali will return from Persia. For the sake of Ali and to make my work easier, do your best to find a good boy. I still have much to do with Ali, and my work will be facilitated by his coming back to stay with me."
Although this matter of looking for the "ideal boy" was to continue for years, it was never easy. During this period, this work was the most prominent duty given by Meher Baba to the men mandali.