At 3:30 P.M. on 8 June, Adi Sr. drove Baba, Kitty, Delia and Margaret there in his Chevrolet. Norina and Elizabeth followed in the Ford. All stayed at Kaka's residence. Baba took them to a movie one night to help them stop thinking of their upcoming separation.
On 10 June, Ezra Mir, a director who had met Baba in Hollywood in 1932, came to see him. Mir had just returned from Europe, where Gabriel Pascal had encouraged him to contact Baba.1 Baba told him to come to Nasik, where he would speak with him at length.
Baba left Bombay on the 11th for Nasik and then Meherabad, and the first Western group of five Britishers sailed for London on the 12th aboard the Rawalpindi , the same ship that had brought them to India six months before.2 About 50 Bombay lovers gathered to see them off, as well as press photographers and reporters.
The next day, the group sent this cable to Baba: "We depart under orders, but leave our hearts with you, Beloved."
Although Baba had detailed plans for visiting Cannes, the lovers could never be certain whether or not this plan was a ruse, and dreaded receiving a telegram from India saying, "Plans changed," or (less dreadful) "Postponed." This thought was uppermost in their minds as they departed.
Toward the end of June, Baba instructed Sam Cohen to stay in the Tiger Valley Cave at Panchgani, but he was afraid to be there alone by himself, and so Baba directed him to go to Europe via Colombo. Sam left on 23 June. Chanji met him in Bombay, where he boarded a train for Madras.
On Saturday, 26 June 1937, a Trust meeting was held at Meherabad from 9:00 to 11:30 A.M. Norina and Elizabeth drove there from Nasik with Ramjoo and Kaka, and returned the same night, after going to a film with Baba.
Baba intended taking the Eastern women with him to France. On 5 July, he informed Adi Sr., Adi Jr., Pendu, Padri and Vishnu about the forthcoming trip and warned them to keep it secret.
Baba directed Nadine to go to Venice, Italy for some work and she sailed from Bombay on 8 July on the Conte Rosso . Baba went to Bombay to see her off. With Nadine's departure, there were only eight Westerners remaining in Nasik: Jean and Malcolm, Norina, Elizabeth, Ruano, Tom, Rano and Nonny.
Footnotes
- 1.In 1935, Gabriel Pascal had enlisted Ezra Mir to work on the continuity of Baba's film script.
- 2.Since the English group's departure at the beginning of June, Baba only went to Nasik three other times before leaving for Cannes.