On Friday morning, 23 July 1948, a one-hour darshan was held at lower Meherabad in the new hall. Baba arrived at Meherabad quite early with Gulmai, Norina and Rano, and Baba was garlanded. About 250 Baba lovers from Sholapur, Barsi, Poona, Bombay and Ahmednagar arrived that morning at nine o'clock, after their train stopped at Meherabad to let them descend. Minoo Kharas and Minoo Pohowala (now business partners) had come from Karachi. All gathered inside the hall at 9:30. Everyone stood up as Baba entered, and cried out, "SADGURU MEHER BABA KI JAI!" The prayer The Seven Names of God was then sung. Baba met each group individually, though they were not allowed to take his darshan or ask questions. Subhadra Bundellu, from Poona, sang bhajans. She and her brother Krishna had found out about Baba from Gadekar, and had met Baba at Meherabad the year before. Ramakrishna Jaju (a prominent Congress leader of Sholapur) gave a short speech commemorating the occasion, and elaborated on Gandhi's work and his connection with Meher Baba. Jalbhai told a joke ("Which is the highest mountain in India? Mount Everest? No, Mount Batten!")1 At 10:30 the ceremony was over.
A group of Parsi men and women from Bombay came late and missed the program. They went to Viloo's and then Khushru Quarters. When Baba heard about their situation, he went in Adi's car to look for them. He found them near Sarosh Motor Works and they were very happy to have his contact.
Madhav Rao Misal's family was permitted Baba's darshan on the 26th.
Elizabeth, who had gone to America on business for two months, returned on 27 July.2 She rejoined the other women and Norina staying at Pop's until the construction at Pimpalgaon was finished. Baba took the women to Meherazad the following day to inspect the work.
From the 29th, Baba began going to Meherabad every morning to see Jean and Delia. They had a joint interview and Baba asked about people connected with them in America and England, especially Delia's sister Minta. He also stated he would discuss publishing matters with Delia at a later meeting. He met with them separately at three subsequent interviews on 31 July, and on 2 and 4 August 1948, and asked each to tell him everything that had happened to her during their years of separation. Delia explained how unhappy she was about the way she worked for him, and how she felt inadequate in the way she conveyed him to others.
With a serious expression, Baba listened intently to all she said, and then spelled out, "From now on you will work for me 100 percent to my satisfaction and to your own peace of mind."
He instructed her to write to several people in the West giving them all the news about him.
Footnotes
- 1.Louis Mountbatten was the Viceroy of India at the time.
- 2.While in America, Elizabeth transferred ownership of her Myrtle Beach lands to Baba. It remained in his name for eleven and a half years, at which time Baba transferred it to the newly created tax-exempt Meher Spiritual Center.