It was absolutely unbelievable of Baba's mandali to behave like this ... They had had ample, more than enough of "food" from Baba during the years of their acquaintance and still selfishly wanted others to be away. [Those] poor, unfortunate, eager souls who so pitiably wanted Baba ... What a shame! I was disgusted.
Although Baba was not meeting outsiders, before going to the West he agreed to be interviewed. A 25-minute interview was given to James A. Mills, an American correspondent for the Associated Press, on Sunday, 20 March 1932, at 10:00 A.M.1 Mills' article was carried in most major newspapers in America under the headline, Indian Seer Starts for American Tour .
During his conversation, Mills told Baba, "Your followers attribute numerous miracles to you."
Baba spelled out in reply, "Anyone who becomes one with Truth can accomplish anything; but it is weakness to perform a miracle simply to show one's spiritual powers. Christ, who made the blind to see and the deaf to hear, who restored the dead to life, did nothing to save himself from suffering the agony of the world.
"The only miracle for the Perfect Man to perform is to make others perfect too. I want to make the Americans realize the infinite state which I myself enjoy."
On Thursday, 24 March 1932, at nine at night, Baba sailed from Bombay for England with his small group of six mandali, along with 800 other passengers, on the Italian ship Conte Rosso . The group going to China set off the same day from Colombo for Shanghai on the French ship Chenonceaux . This group was to be accommodated in Nanking, where Herbert Davy had arranged for their stay.
Memo and Mani had come to Bombay to bid Baba farewell, but Baba's father Bobo was indisposed. However, before his departure, Baba had stopped by the family's house in Poona, where Sheriarji met his beloved Merog for what was to be their last time together. Seeing his son's loving countenance comforted Bobo's heart, leaving God's Light burning brightly there.
Approximately 150 of Baba's lovers gave him a hearty and loving send-off on the docks at Ballard Pier. Waving farewell were Gulmai and her husband Khansaheb, Sarosh, Pudumjee, Vajifdar, Hilla, Jerbai, Sorabji Desai and his family, Manchershaw and Alamai Katrak, the Dadachanji family, Banubai and Manekji Confectioner, the Jessawala family, Khorshed Namdar and her sister, Meherjee, Maneck Ranji, Sadashiv Patil, Minoo Kharas and other followers from Bombay, Poona and Nasik.
Footnotes
- 1.Accompanying Mills was another AP reporter, J. Turner, who would be traveling on the same ship as Baba.