ChaptersChapter 19Page 2,797

Chapter 19: The New Life

1949Page 2,797 of 5,444
He wished to settle some family matters at Bangalore.
Baba gave him a pitying look and replied, "You still aren't familiar with the New Life conditions? I forgive you and give you until evening to reconsider."
That evening, though still worried and confused, Daulat Singh said to Baba, "I only want to stay with you."
Baba advised, "Forget your worries; keep a merry mood and carry out your duty with all your heart."
Taking into consideration the individual complaints, Baba handed each man and woman an additional blanket. Don received a mosquito net, and seven of the companions were given white sheets to protect themselves from the mosquitoes. On being informed that a few of the companions had insufficient clothing, Baba ordered that the extra clothes worn during the journey from Ahmednagar to Belgaum could be worn instead of surrendering them to him.
Later Baba remarked, "I do not feel very satisfied at the way the bed sheets were given to only select ones. It smacked of favoritism, though it was not. In the New Life, every man is to be treated equally. No thought of small or great is to be entertained."
Baba asked Vishnu to buy sheets for everyone and, referring to Don, observed, "In his case, the little consideration in giving him a mosquito net was not a concession or favoritism. Compared to the other men, he has suffered most and yet he does not grumble. On the contrary, I find him keeping a very good and cheerful mood. His tastes in food, his habits of sitting, sleeping, toilet and bathing are altogether different. But without mulling over them, he keeps himself cheerful. Not to make a hard life harder, he has been shown some consideration which, in truth, is neither a concession nor partiality."
Baba fixed the following schedule and assigned final duties for the companions:
5:30 A.M. — Rise
6 A.M. — Tea
11:30 A.M. — Lunch
2:15 P.M. — Afternoon tea
6 P.M. — Supper
8 P.M. — Sleep
Vishnu, Murli: marketing.
Kaka, Baidul: cooking, assisted by Murli when available.
Eruch, Daulat Singh: cleaning vessels.
Nilu, Adi, Pendu, Aloba, Don: supplying water for both men and women.
Don: going to the railway station in the morning for mail and telegrams, and cutting the grass in the compound.
At night, Daulat Singh's mind was in turmoil and he kept worrying, asking the other companions if he had committed a mistake. He did not know how to clean pots, but still he was trying, and while doing so would soil his clothes. His love for Baba was exemplary. Having lost his medical practice and everything he owned during Partition, he had left his entire family behind in difficult circumstances to join the New Life.
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