So Keki asked the local gentleman, "A friend of ours is going to stay here for five months. Could you possibly arrange for his food? We will pay you Rs.500."
The gentleman replied, "I can arrange for his food, but there is no need to pay me."
"It is Baba's order! Food cannot be accepted without payment," Keki insisted.
"Which Baba?" the man asked.
"Meher Baba, our Master."
He had never heard the name and jokingly replied, "All right, if it is your Baba's wish, I'll accept the money."
Keki handed him the amount, and now this matter too was settled. But the property had no well. The man offered to have a well dug, and Keki and Nalavala were happily surprised by his cooperation and help. Their hearts were full at Baba's secret game. It was as if the man had been waiting to make all the required arrangements for Baba's stay.
Still smiling, the man asked, "Who is this Meher Baba?"
Keki Desai answered, "He is a great personality, but he neither meets nor gives darshan to anyone. According to his wish we cannot allow you to meet him. Meher Baba will come with his companions, but he will not see anyone."
The man was puzzled, but before he could question them further they left for Dehra Dun, where they sent a telegram to Baba informing him of the purchase of the plot at Manjri Mafi. Keki then returned to Delhi. Keki Nalavala would visit the property occasionally to ensure that the repairs were going according to schedule.
"Who was this anonymous local benefactor?" Age wanted to know. He was once a staunch communist who had served almost ten years in prison for agitating for independence against the British. He was a revolutionary freedom fighter who had tried to overthrow the government, and who consequently had undergone many hardships for his part in the Indian independence movement. While in jail he was responsible for leading an insurrection, for which he was made to sit on hot corrugated tin sheets in the middle of summer, and was thrown into solitary confinement.
One night in December 1945, fretting over his miserable lot, he burst out with this prayer: "Mr. God, if You really exist, free me from jail by tomorrow morning! If I am released, I will gladly accept You!"
Although this man was a confirmed atheist, his spontaneous outburst had come from the depths of his heart. "Mr. God" heard his prayer.