In the afternoon his followers would come to sing, perform music, or play games near the hut. Baba too sang and accompanied himself on the dholak. Afterward, tea, sweets or fruits would be offered as prasad. The visitors left by 7:30 P.M., and the mandali stayed for an hour more while Baba had dinner (usually masala [spiced] dal with ghee and chapatis) brought by his uncle Masaji.1 At nine o'clock everyone, except Baily or Arjun, was told to return home.
Baba and Baily entered the Jhopdi and latched the door from inside. Baba would lie down on a thin mattress and cover himself with a sheet, while Baily wrote for a few hours by the light of a kerosene lantern. From points and information given by Baba and according to his instructions, Baily had begun writing a Gujarati biography of Upasni Maharaj, which he titled Sakorina Sadguru [The Perfect Master of Sakori].
Every Thursday (the traditional Guru's Day), Baba would visit Kasba Peth, and his followers would gather around him at the temple room he had rented from Sadashiv Patil, next door to the toddyshop. Baba would lead the arti ceremony and distribute prasad of fruits or sweets. He would discourse and ask about the welfare of each person present, inquiring about each one's personal or business matters, problems and responsibilities.
During this period when Baba was living in the hut near Fergusson College, he would visit this room frequently to meet those who were interested in following him. Arti was performed in this room in the morning and evening.
Every Sunday a large number of people would come to the hut for his darshan. The gathering was so festive that, to a stranger passing, by it appeared that a fair or carnival was being held. Ghani, Sayyed Saheb, and Lateef would come from Bombay, and Ramjoo would come from Lonavla. From Kasba Peth, Sadashiv, Kondiram, Arjun, Gustadji, Vishnu (the youngster whose mother had cooked for Baba), Sayyed Jamadar (a former police constable), Marya, Vithal, Chowdhary, Madho Gavhane, Babu Cyclewalla, Bala Tambat and others would attend the darshan.
Among those close ones called to Poona was Gulmai. Once when she arrived, the mandali were sitting outside the hut singing bhajans accompanied by Baba, who was playing an ektara — a one-stringed instrument. Greeting her with a smile, Baba stood up and led her by the hand to where they were sitting.
Footnotes
- 1.Masaji was now working as a cook in a large fire-temple in Poona.