Pappa Jessawala and Kaka Baria had been sent to Ankai on 26 July 1940. They returned to Meherabad on the 28th, after visiting some caves on the hill. Two days later, Baba sent a group of five men — Pappa, Gustadji, Pleader, Savak and Swami Bhabananda — to stay at Ankai in the caves for one full year, coinciding with Baba's seclusion at Meherabad. Gustadji was already observing silence and Pleader, Savak and Bhabananda were ordered to remain silent also. Pappa was to be their spokesman, and Baba instructed all "to obey" Pappa. Baba directed Pappa to look after the others well.
While the group was preparing to depart for Ankai, Baba encouraged Pappa seriously, "Your austerities on the mountain will result in your spiritual progress."
How Pappa's and the others' "spiritual progress" was achieved will be seen soon!
Swami Bhabananda, after his pilgrimage to Rameshwaram and Pandharpur, had stayed on in Bangalore and then accompanied the mandali to Meherabad. Kale, Adi Sr., Ghani, Dattu Mehendarge and Sidhu were still living in Bangalore. Since the Byramangala construction work had come to a halt on 8 July, Padri, Masaji and Murli had moved back to Bangalore.1 Naoroji Dadachanji had rejoined his family in Bombay. Kaka Baria and Chanji were in Bombay distributing literature about Meher Baba.2 Chhagan was in charge of the mad ashram at Meherabad and staying with his wife and daughter in the Arangaon Family Quarters. Baidul was in charge of the mast ashram up the hill. Pendu, Sailor, Homi, Don, Nilu, Masaji, Krishna, Kalemama, his brother Annasaheb Kale, Vishnu and Vishnu's mother Kakubai were all staying in lower Meherabad. Masaji, Kalemama and Annasaheb Kale were also ordered to observe silence from the 1st of August.
On Thursday, 1 August 1940, Baba retired into seclusion in the mast ashram on Meherabad Hill at 4:00 P.M. after reading the day's mail.3 He fasted on water the whole day. Thereafter, he began eating only once a day, as he had instructed some of his lovers to do. No one (including the mandali) was allowed to see him, except for Vishnu, who would go to him with the mail, telegrams and messages. Since all correspondence had stopped, there were hardly five or six letters received each day.
Footnotes
- 1.Ghani was editing the Meher Baba Journal. When he informed Baba at the end of July that he had had a severe case of bronchitis, Padri typhoid, and Dattu rheumatic pain and coughing, Baba wrote back: "Sufferings are blessings."
- 2.A small booklet Meher Baba by His Eastern and Western disciples, containing reprints of articles from Everyman and Meher Baba Journal, had recently been printed in Bangalore.
- 3.It was a national holiday in India that day, in honor of the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, one of India's Founding Fathers.