At 8:30 at night, arti was sung; a procession started at nine, and since there were no Petromax lanterns, torches were lit. The mandali decorated a gaadi-sofa for Baba on which they carried him.
The procession first wound its way to the Jhopdi at lower Meherabad. Baba halted and Gustadji was left to stay secluded in the Jhopdi. The procession then progressed toward the Post Office building where Baba had directed Masaji to remain secluded. A group of lezim dancers and drummers led the procession up Meherabad Hill, playing music and singing the entire distance. It took almost an hour to reach the top.
Baba allotted Hall No. 1 (west room) of the Water Tank to Anna 104, Biharilal, Yektai, and Nadirsha. Hall No. 2 (middle room) was assigned to Buasaheb, Baidul, Chhagan and Vishnu. Raosaheb was directed to stay secluded in the underground crypt-cabin.
Baba permitted darshan to all and, at 10:30 P.M., he retired to Hall No. 3 of the Water Tank where the boys Ali Akbar, Tukaram, and Kalingad were also to remain. Each person had their own partitioned space within the rooms. During this seclusion period, Pendu and Homi Bhatena were assigned the duty of cleaning the toilets and bringing fresh milk daily.
Kalemama and his son Babu returned to Kolhapur, and Kaka Shahane to Ahmednagar.
On 3 June, after staying in seclusion for two days, Baba sent for Chanji and informed him, "I now require some distant place for seclusion.
Go to Bangalore and Bijapur; find a suitable spot for me in the south of India."
Chanji left on the 6th, and was back after four days. He narrated the results of his search to Baba, explaining that he had not been able to find a place suitable for seclusion, and that Sampath Aiyangar (of Madras) was continuing the search and would soon report the outcome.1 Hearing this, Baba postponed his departure for Bangalore.
Khansaheb Irani owned Sarosh Petrol Pump, Sarosh Motor Works and Sarosh Talkies (movie theater) in Ahmednagar, and as mentioned, his son Rustom had opened a Sarosh Motor Works branch in Nasik. A new movie theater was under construction there, as well. Chanji's brother Naoroji was a contractor, and he was living in Nasik supervising the construction of the new movie theater, along with Naval Talati who was an electrical contractor. Padri also worked extensively on the project.
Footnotes
- 1.From June 1930, Sampath Aiyangar began publishing a new magazine devoted to Baba, titled The Meher Gazette.