Looking up as if noticing the dilapidated condition of the building for the first time, Baba nodded that he was right.
Calling Pendu, Baba asked, "How much would you need to fix the ceiling?"
Pendu, knowing Baba's habit of telling them to pull down one building to use its material for another, replied, "Baba, it's quite all right as it is. We do not want it repaired."
"But the ceiling might fall on you any minute," Baba replied. "You might all die."
"Then we die," Pendu shrugged. "Your nazar is there. Nothing will happen."
But Baba kept insisting and finally asked Pendu, "Tell me what you want."
Pendu replied, "We need a brand-new building. This one is too old to be repaired, and besides, we are now so many, we need more space — not only for the mandali but for visitors as well. All these years we have been staying in buildings made of kutchera [rubbish, trash]. We need a pucca [solid] one now."
"I'll give you Rs.2,000," Baba replied, having in mind a building of bamboo sheets and a tin roof.
"It is all right, Baba. We prefer to stay in the old building," Pendu replied. "We like it."
"All right, I'll give you another Rs.1,000," Baba offered.
Pendu kept saying no until Baba sanctioned Rs.10,000 for the work.
A plan for a new hall at Meherabad was drawn up by Pendu, Padri and Kalemama. It was to be quite large, 126 feet in length by 40 feet in width, and Baba gave his approval. Application for formal permission to build it was submitted to the authorities in Ahmednagar on 26 October 1947, and construction began soon afterward. The building material came from a military auction held at the time.
Baba again decided to go on a mast tour, and left on Thursday, 16 October 1947, accompanied by Eruch and Gustadji. They went with Adi Sr. by car to Bombay, via Poona, where Jalbhai joined them. They arrived in Bombay early, so they took a stroll on the seaside and then drove to Bombay Central, where Baidul had made all the reservations. Meherjee and Nariman had bought a parcel of food and were waiting to see them off. At 7:00 P.M. they boarded a train to Ajmer, arriving there on the evening of the 17th.
During one train journey, in Bombay, again Meherjee offered to pay for first-class tickets for Baba's journey.
"Can you afford it?" Baba asked.