"Nothing," he replied.
"Oh, do not feel shy. Tell me."
"There is nothing to tell, Baba."
"When I can know the thoughts of an ant," Baba informed him, "can I not know your thoughts, also?"
Bhagirath then said, "I want to go see my sister."
Baba responded, "Well then, why didn't you say so? All right, you have my permission to leave for three days. Go and then come back."
Rustom Gustad Hathidaru of Ahmednagar, later called Rustom Kaka , a young man then in his mid-twenties, had been coming with Adi Sr.'s father Khansaheb to see Baba since 1925. At the time, he would simply drive Khansaheb to Meherabad, having no interest other than giving him a ride. He paid no special attention to Meher Baba and would not salute him, and although Baba would lovingly inquire of him, he was not drawn to him. Rustom was a strict Parsi and thought that it was wrong to believe in one who did not follow the orthodox tenets of Zoroastrianism. This belief left him unaffected by Baba's love for years.
During Baba's stay at Meherabad in 1933, Rustom Kaka once again drove Khansaheb to Meherabad and he stayed aloof as usual. However, this time Baba called Rustom into his room. Baba was seated peacefully still for a while and then looked at him with a smile. Rustom Kaka was attracted by something unique in Baba's eyes which shook him to his very being. He could no longer restrain himself and fell at Baba's feet. Rustom Kaka could not resist the force of love; this was his first obeisance to Baba and he thereafter became solely dedicated to his cause.
After coming under the influence of Meher Baba, this once zealous Zoroastrian became so changed that seven years later he fell in love with a Brahmin girl named Silla Phadke and married out of his religion. Silla's parents were friends of the Shahanes, and she first saw Baba and heard him speak at the Shahanes' residence in Arangaon in 1925 when she was seven years old. Her family became devoted to Baba. Her father was a teacher and taught for a time at Meher Ashram.
After the Meher Ashram was disbanded, its former principal Dhake left to study law, financed by Baba. Dhake would occasionally come to visit Baba in Meherabad. One day when he was there with Baba and Adi Sr., Dhake humorously joked at Adi's expense. Adi was insulted and spoke cruelly in return to Dhake, hurting his feelings. Baba ordered Adi to fall at Dhake's feet and ask forgiveness, which he did.