Baba also mentioned Russia:
"Russia is waiting its
chance. And if Russia enters the arena, all other large nations in the world
will stand against one another, and there will be a great war again. Then I will
enter the arena with my magic wand!"
A week later, war was officially declared between Japan
and China. Thus it was observed that Baba's travel seemed to have worldwide
ramifications.
Baba and the group reached Marseilles at six o'clock
on the morning of Friday, 13 August 1937 and were met by Kitty and Delia. Baba
and the women stayed at the Hotel Terminus for a few hours (where Baba had
stayed before), while the men dealt with the luggage. They then traveled by
train to Cannes, reaching there about four in the afternoon. Prior to Baba's
arrival, Kitty had gone to Cannes at the end of June and rented villas with the
help of Delia and Norina's sister Margherita "Ghita" Gilli Blum,
who was also devoted to Baba.
The arrangements were quite pleasant, but for some reason
Baba was dissatisfied with Shelly House , his and the Eastern women's
villa, and Norina was ordered to rent another. Norina, Elizabeth, Rano and Kitty
were staying with them. For the men mandali a second villa was rented, and a
third for the other Western men and women who had come: Delia, Ruano, Ghita,
Jean, Malcolm, Nonny, Sam, Christine McNaughton, Anita de Caro and Andrée
Aron. As at Nasik,
Ruano was appointed head of the household to manage the living arrangements in
the Westerners' villa.
When Baba arrived in Cannes, there were four Indian
princes of Mysore, Kapurthala, Indore and Nepal who were also trying to find
suitable accommodations. It was very difficult to hire a villa, but Norina used
her influence (with Baba's help in the background, no doubt) and another
villa was acquired which was approved by Baba. They moved into it on Sunday, 15
August. Baba's villa, situated on a hill, was called Villa Caldana ,
at Montfleury, and the mandali's was Capo di Monte located on Avenue
du Roi Albert.
Baba had asked Kitty to arrange for two maids, but she
had only been able to bring one from London named Betty. Baba did not want local women to do
the housework as he thought they would gossip about him and the group.