Baba met the women on Meherabad Hill, gave Pendu and Padri instructions about the birthday celebration and returned to Pimpalgaon in the afternoon.
On Sunday afternoon, 28 December 1947, Baba came to Meherabad again with the Pimpalgaon women mandali and stayed four days, sleeping at nights in Kaikobad's cottage at lower Meherabad. Baba watched a volleyball match between the Arangaon military camp team and the mandali, and then had his supper in the hall before retiring.
On the 29th, after coming down from the hill, Baba met out-of-town devotees, such as Minoo Bharucha, Pilamai, Meherjee and Nariman and their families. He listened to Khak Saheb recite couplets for an hour in the hall, and then there was a singing performance by Narsingrao Qawaal from Nanded.
On the 30th, a number of members of the Poona Sufi Society and the Theosophical Society, where Ghani had delivered lectures about Baba, came for the day. Ghani told Baba that Habibullah E. Hakim, the society's secretary, was a very learned man, holding multiple degrees.
“”Baba asked him, "What is the sum and substance of all that you have learned?"
Hakim replied, "The sum and substance of all that I have learned is that Reality is One."
“”"Have you realized that Reality?"
Hakim replied, "Intellectually I have, but spiritually, I'm not sure if I have or not."
“”"Are you ready to renounce everything that you have to realize that Reality?"
Hakim said, "I am ready to accept anything," but then qualified it by stating, "to the extent to which I can."
“”Baba looked at Ghani and made a gesture of slitting his own throat, remarking, "People are ready to sacrifice their life to realize the Reality, while this fellow is saying to the extent with which he can."
Ghani interjected that Hakim was a government servant, with a family and many liabilities, so it wouldn't be possible for him to give up everything he has.
“”Baba then asked Hakim, "Will you be able to follow the instructions I may give you from time to time?" to which Hakim agreed.
On 31 December, Mehera's 40th birthday was celebrated. Narsingrao Qawaal sang again, on the hill from 9:00 to 11:30 A.M. and again at lower Meherabad from 8:00 to 11:00 P.M. Baba liked his singing very much.
Baba returned to Pimpalgaon at noon on Thursday, 1 January 1948, with Mehera, Mani, Meheru, Goher, Walu, Norina and Elizabeth.
At Pimpalgaon, Baba discussed publishing work with Ghani and Deshmukh. Deshmukh left on the 3rd, but Baba said that Ghani would not be allowed to leave until he finished working on the foreword to Don's mast book ( The Wayfarers ). Baba took the women to two films at Sarosh Cinema on 2 January. The next evening at 7:30 P.M., Adi Sr. drove Baba to Chhagan's house in Bhingar, where Baba stayed for three hours.
Baba had continued to keep in touch with his Western lovers throughout 1947. Jean Adriel had been busy working on a screenplay titled Avatar for Baba's film project which Gabriel Pascal had agreed to direct. However, after perusing it, Baba found the script unsuitable for either the East or the West. This seems to have put an end to that particular phase of Baba's work as none of the film projects were ever realized.
Quentin Tod had passed away in May 1947. For a time, he had drifted away from Baba, but when Margaret Craske returned to England, she met Quentin just two weeks before he died. He told her that his love for Baba had returned, stronger than ever, and he regretted leaving him.
Also out of the picture but not forgotten, Kim Tolhurst of the original Kimco group in England had not been in contact with Baba or his disciples since 1933. By coincidence Kim met Margaret Craske one day on the steps of Carnegie Hall in New York City, and asked about Baba.
