Gulmai came at 9:00 A.M. on the 27th to see Baba, and Beheram came from Poona.
Bomanji was still living in Meherabad with his family. Soon after Baba returned, a quarrel broke out between Bomanji's wife Tehmina (Baily's sister) and their servant Bhagu (Jamadar's wife). Bomanji stopped Bhagu from coming to work and instead gave the job to Walu. The next day, neither of the servants turned up, as both were friends from Arangaon.
The matter was brought to Baba's attention on the 27th, and he criticized Bomanji,
"You stopped one and allowed the other to come? When you take food by the mouth, you eliminate the waste from the anus. One opening is good; another is bad. But you forget that both are necessary and life is impossible without them.
"Similarly, even if Bhagu were bad from your point of view, she is also good. She is sincere and has love. Although she has a mean temperament and is inquisitive by nature, she is good; and because of that, I have kept her at Meherabad. Do you remember how I once slapped Naja on account of her?
"Everyone is pozuli [nosy], especially you Iranis! When you yourselves are like that, why find fault with others?"
After inspecting the grounds, Baba became even more annoyed with Bomanji for not having watered the mango trees at Meherabad. He rebuked him,
"For my own special reasons, I planted these seeds. Why were you so careless about the saplings? I kept you here to look after the management of Meherabad. Is this the way you are doing it? If so, I will have to find someone else."
Baba instructed him not to have anything further to do with the garden and trees at Meherabad.
To change the mood, kites were flown, and Baba played marbles and atya-patya. The losers had their earlobes twisted by Baba. "Who can fathom the Master's moods, whims, and work?" Age commented. "One moment the atmosphere around him was serious and the next playful."
On Wednesday, 28 May 1930, Baba visited the Satha family at Akbar Press. Someone complained that Piloo Satha was lazy, but Baba corrected the person, remarking,
"Piloo's heart is good. He has faith in me. That is enough for me and I am satisfied with him."
Later that day, Kalemama and Kaka Shahane returned to Meherabad from Panchgani as instructed. Adi Sr. arrived from Nasik with Mehera, Mani and Khorshed, and brought them to Meherabad the following morning with Gulmai and Dolly.1
Footnotes
- 1.Mani had been staying with the women mandali in Nasik during her summer holidays.