It was only to please Stokes, Rustom and his other lovers that Baba had played this role by agreeing to attend. The conference had already scheduled and announced a meeting on 29 October to hear Meher Baba's address, but Stokes was informed that they would not be able to arrange any accommodation for Baba and his group, or contribute to any of his expenses. One of the executives of the conference sent a telegram from Chicago suggesting that Baba cancel his visit, which Baba did.1 After receiving the cable, Baba decided instead to stay a month in Europe and then return to India.
The next day, Mr. Munshi, a Parsi from Hyderabad, came to see Baba. He had composed a poem in Persian about Baba which he wished to recite, but when the man came face to face with Baba he could not utter a word in the Master's presence. He stood transfixed, gazing at Baba, then quietly left.
The following day, Mr. Munshi tearfully told Chanji, "I wanted to kiss Baba's sadra, but I could not do so, thinking it would be disrespectful. I could see nothing but light around Baba. I cannot explain it. It is the greatest good fortune to have had his darshan and my great luck to have met him. What a privilege to be traveling with him on the same ship! I feel that this is why I have been sent to the West — only so I could meet a Buzurg [Great Being] like Baba!"
Mr. Munshi subsequently told some of the other passengers about Meher Baba.
On Sunday, 1 October 1933, Baba complained that he had a terrible toothache. Adi Jr. approached the ship's doctor, who refused to dispense any medicine without first seeing the patient. Chanji tried to circumvent this by going to him with a request that he be given some medicine for gargling. The doctor, however, mistook him for the patient Adi had spoken to him about and promptly examined Chanji's teeth. Chanji protested that his teeth were fine and that he did not need any medicine. Even though Chanji tried to explain that he was not the patient, the doctor ignored his pleas and applied the medicine to Chanji's teeth. He told him to sit still for half an hour. After fifteen minutes, the doctor poured a very bitter preparation into Chanji's mouth. Chanji had gone to fetch medicine for Baba only to return with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Footnotes
- 1.The conference (which coincided with the Chicago World's Fair) was organized by the Fellowship of Faiths and is known as the Second World's Parliament of Religions. Forty-four thousand delegates attended.