Sunday being a holiday, the doors of the club would be open and all the members would attend. However, on that day there would be no games and the members gathered would enjoy singing sessions. Even in this, Merwan was most prominent. His sweet and melodious voice created a unique joy amongst us. Without the accompaniment of tabla or harmonium, just by playing his dholak [an Indian drum] with both hands, he would sing the Urdu, Gujarati, Farsi songs and shairees [couplets] so melodiously that the members would start swaying. In the midst of the song, several members would utter in praise, 'Wah, wah, Merwan' and 'Shabash [Well done]!' Passersby would often stand outside the club listening and appreciating the music.
There was only one European club member, named Richard Dique, who could not speak any language other than English. Merwan started giving Richard lessons in Persian so that it would become his second language. Richard was a sincere boy, good-hearted and intelligent, two years younger than Merwan, but tragically, not long after joining the club, he died suddenly.
During the existence of the Cosmopolitan Club, a boy named Ramnath, who lived in the same building where the club was located, was extremely drawn to Merwan. He was a Punjabi whose parents were deceased, and he was cared for by his elder brother. Ramnath became so obsessed with Merwan's companionship that he became a member of the club just to be able to see Merwan every day. A close friendship was formed between the two teenagers.
Ramnath was the first Buddhist in the club. He was devoutly religious and well-read in Buddhism and other religions. With firm faith, the youth tried his best to follow Lord Buddha's precepts and he would always repeat Buddha's name. Merwan and Ramnath would go off to a secluded spot to meditate on God together. The two boys particularly liked going to the burning ghats , the Hindu crematory grounds, where they would sit repeating different names of God. The two boys usually went to the ghats at night and sometimes stayed as late as ten o'clock — exchanging their views on God, religion and spirituality. Ramnath lived only for these sessions with Merwan and disliked worldly subjects, which he found tiresome.
One day Ramnath showed Merwan a new book he had purchased on the life of Gautama the Buddha titled Buddha Bhagwan (Lord Buddha). Thumbing through the pages, Merwan came to a passage where Buddha said: "When I return to Earth, I will be called Maitreya [Merciful One]."