At the beginning of August 1949, Baba informed the mandali that he would be coming to Meherabad from Meherazad to "discuss and decide about the mandali's future." Five days of meetings were scheduled from 15 to 20 August. Arrangements were made in advance for the out-of-town lovers invited to the meetings to stay at Meherabad. They arrived on Sunday, 14 August 1949. The invitees included Minoo Kharas, Pappa Jessawala, Gadekar, Ghani, Was Deo Kain, Harjiwan Lal, Daulat Singh, and a few other men. All were advised that no one should be absent during the days of the meetings.
The mandali were also to be present at the meetings.
Baba repeatedly warned everyone: "However busy you may be, do not fail to be present all the time ... I will not be available afterwards ... There will be no more chances like these ... I will need no further work to be done by anyone ... Take all that I say with the utmost seriousness ... I mean all that I say these days ...
"May God help all those who may take anything lightly or allow themselves to be misled by their own individual fads and fancies."
Baba arrived at Meherabad on Monday morning, 15 August, for the first day of the meetings. He embraced Gustadji and Kaikobad and then entered the hall at 7:15 A.M. Throughout the proceedings, Baba conversed in Gujarati mostly through the alphabet board, which Adi Sr. would read. Ramjoo translated Baba's words into English and Vishnu translated them into Marathi.
Feram Workingboxwala wrote detailed notes in shorthand; Baba had instructed Feram to "stick to me like a leech, and try not to miss anything that I say to anyone during these days."
The meeting commenced. Baba began by stating:
Listen to what I am about to tell you and pay full attention to it. Whatever is going to be discussed here in these five days, and the decisions taken, will be made known to all. Today, we shall have a general discussion about the basis and the lines on which we have to start making the ultimate arrangements and adjustments. This will facilitate the final decision or decisions that have to be arrived at.
There are three points that I have already decided upon most definitely about myself. What I want from you is to help me to help all to adjust themselves as best they can to fall in line with my own decisions, in one way or the other.