Mrs. Shahane came on 5 February and made Baba promise to visit her house in Ahmednagar soon. Kalemama's son-in-law Raosaheb Pandit of Panchgani and his family came the next day. They stayed for two days and left on the 8th, as did Kakubai. Sarosh brought Freiny Masi to see Baba on the 10th. Baba told her not to worry about her illness and asked her to stay in Nasik for two months with her sister Daulatmai.
On 11 February, Naval, Feram and Sailor arrived from Nasik and met Baba. Baba suffered "heart cramps" on the 13th and again at night. Early the next morning, after walking about a little, he felt better and wanted tea. Sidhu had not yet milked the buffalo and Baba became upset with him for not milking the buffalo in time.
Buasaheb returned to Meherabad on 15 February 1934 from Persia. His sudden departure from Nasik the previous year had caused a lot of inconvenience for the mandali, so no one spoke to him when he returned. As he looked from one to the other, they would turn their faces away. He had also left matters at the Circle Cinema in a mess, which added to the bitter feelings of the mandali.
Of his own accord, Buasaheb had done Baba's work of spreading his name and message in Persia. But Baba had never asked him to go there, nor liked it that he left his responsibilities in Nasik. Baba met him and told him to rejoin the mandali. When Buasaheb refused, Baba directed him to go to Nasik and become a partner in Sailor's tea stall (next to Circle Cinema) and a new restaurant to be opened. So Buasaheb left, though in his heart he suffered banishment and exile as he obeyed Baba. After a while, Buasaheb eventually resettled in Poona and opened a restaurant there. Although he no longer lived with Baba and the mandali, he remained in close contact with Baba and would come to Meherabad from time to time.1
For some time, Sampath Aiyangar had been especially anxious for Baba to come to Madras to celebrate his birthday. Accepting the invitation, Baba left Ahmednagar by bus for Dhond in the afternoon of 16 February 1934, accompanied by Adi Sr., Chanji, Naval, Pendu, Sailor, Sidhu and Dadu. Rustom, Ramjoo and Sayyed Saheb left Nasik and met the group at Dhond, where they boarded a train.
They reached Madras at five in the afternoon on the 17th, and Aiyangar and others received Baba with great joy and a traditional ceremonial reception. Photographs were taken on the station platform. Baba was then taken to Aiyangar's residence, Meher Bhavan, in Saidapet, a suburb of Madras, where he had stayed on his previous visit.
Footnotes
- 1.Baidul had also gone to Persia in 1932, where he was conducting a school according to Baba's instructions. At some point, he returned to India and rejoined the mandali, but the date of his return is not known.