Baba went to Meherabad on Saturday, 6 January 1945 to see Kaka Baria, who had returned from Bombay after completing some work for Baba. Baba was eating only once a day during this period. Adi Sr. would come to Pimpalgaon daily from Ahmednagar for instructions, and would relay messages between Baba at Pimpalgaon and the mandali at Meherabad.
Baba went to Meherabad on the 26th to meet Dhake, whom Baba had called from Rahuri to discuss certain legal matters.
On Wednesday, 31 January, Baba left Pimpalgaon and moved with the women to Rusi Pop's house in Ahmednagar, not far from Khushru Quarters.1 This move to Katie and Goher's parent's home was necessitated because of some minor construction and renovation work which was to take place at Pimpalgaon under Kalemama's supervision. After moving to Ahmednagar, Baba called Rano from Meherabad, and thus Mehera, Mani, Meheru, Rano and Walu were now with him at Pop's.
Baba left Ahmednagar with Baidul and Kaka on Friday, 2 February 1945 for mast work in Jhansi, where, on the 4th, he contacted fourteen masts. Among the most memorable was a mastani called Punjabi Mai . Baba also recontacted Allahuddin , a naked mast with very long hair and a beard, who for many years had sat with his back against an old tower, gazing upwards toward the sun or starry sky, all day and all night.
Auliya Baba was the highest mast in Jhansi. So old was he that he could not walk, but he would shuffle his feet along the ground. This saintly mast was filthy and would often abuse passersby, but with others he would be very jolly.
Baba returned to Ahmednagar on 6 February.
Discussions were held with the mandali about the one-month meeting scheduled for May. Baba went back and forth to Meherabad for the discussions, sometimes sending for the mandali to come to Ahmednagar. It was finally decided that one group head from each city should be invited to a smaller meeting at Meherabad of 40 persons (which included the mandali), to decide about the monthlong meeting, once and for all!
As mentioned, the number of men intending to come to the one-month meeting had reached 500. This involved several difficulties, as Baba explained in this circular, issued by Adi Sr. a few weeks later (on 1 March 1945):
Footnotes
- 1.It was a rented house, belonging to Colonel Antia.