In spite of that, Baba agreed to increase the financial help he was giving to Manek. This was very hard to swallow for Adi Sr., who found Manek's replies to Baba "nauseating."
Baba would invariably tell the mandali that he was facing financial difficulties in his work, and recently he mentioned discontinuing the scores of "monthly allowances" he was providing to different individuals and their relatives. But in this instance with Manek Mehta, he was helping someone who, in Adi's opinion, was not worthy of Baba's support! As Adi wrote in his diary:
Lately Baba has been hinting about the insufficiency of funds that the entire mandali will have to face. Such a state has begun to prevail. It is enough to cause acute anxiety. Another person in Baba's place would be engulfed in confusion and worry. Baba forgets every bit of anxiety the moment he disconnects himself from the question. Still, the material necessity stands out boldly for the subsistence of the mandali, families and several other dependents for work and livelihood. The trend of expenses cannot be checked. During the impending crisis, Manek Mehta's request for increase of monthly allowance is met with by agreeing to double it to make it Rs.1,000 per month!
Looking to the uncertainty of the monies coming in, it is frightening to undertake additional responsibility. Wonderful it is to find the current state of unrestricted generosity running concurrently with the tide of monetary crisis!
The 'restless' behavior of purposeful anxiousness is exhibited by Baba outwardly. It does not seem to touch the inner stability of his being One in identity, seeing and living with all souls and all things.
On Saturday, 25 December 1948, Baba took the women to Meherabad at 7:00 A.M. to spend Christmas Day there. He picked up Gulmai at Khushru Quarters on the way, and some of the Ahmednagar women devotees also came, such as Viloo, her sister-in-law Soona, Meheru Damania, Franey, Silla Kaku, Jibboo, Goher's mother Khorshed and her daughter Roshan, Roshan Satha and her cousin Meheru (Mehta).
At lower Meherabad, Pendu and Ramjoo fought that day and Baba warned them that he would disband the Meherabad mandali and ashram if they could not get along with each other. Eruch arrived from Poona with Naggu, Najoo Kotwal and Sushila. Gadekar, Keki Desai and Ali Akbar (Aloba) also came.
After the women's "fancy-dress" contest that evening on the hill, Baba left for Meherazad around nine that night.