It was quite cold at Manjri Mafi and Motichur. Due to the lack of proper clothing and diet, remaining on only dal and chapatis once a day, both the men and women companions' health gradually deteriorated. All sorts of ailments began plaguing them. Pendu had pleurisy and pain in the chest; Eruch, lumbago and a sprained foot that was becoming chronic; Murli, a broken wrist, weakened further by the labor; Vishnu, a crippling rheumatic knee; Nilu, sciatica and left knee-joint trouble due to his duty of carrying water; Aloba, physically weakened by severe fatigue caused by fever, carrying loads of water and other hard work; Kaka, a heart condition; Baidul, aches and pains throughout his body; Gustadji, his old age and increasing weakness; Mani, fever and cough developing into bronchitis; and the youngest woman, Meheru, was also sick. Yet Baba expected the companions to remain cheerful and appear happy — even when feeling rotten!
One day Baba dictated (especially in regard to Saint Francis):
“”Why were the saints, saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful and patient when it was difficult to be patient. And because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.
April 13, 1950, was the most significant day of the Kumbha Mela, when hundreds of thousands of different sects of sadhus and mahatmas were to form into processions and march to the Ganges River to bathe in the sacred water. The men and women companions had never before witnessed the event. Baba, therefore, arranged for them to stay at Hardwar on that day. On Wednesday, 12 April, Baba left Manjri Mafi in a station wagon with the women companions — Mehera, Mani, Meheru, Goher, Naja, Kumar's wife Subhadra and Freiny Nalavala. Subhadra brought her newborn daughter Amrit but she was concerned that if the baby cried it would be a nuisance to Baba.1 Surprisingly, the infant did not cry even once. Eruch, Kumar and the Mahant's servant-boy Dilip went to Hardwar by train, and all stayed in Sansarchand Gohal's large house. The rest of the companions and Keki Nalavala, Elcha Mistry and Burjor Chacha came the following day.
“”Upon their arrival, Baba remarked to them: "I and the women had absolutely no sleep last night, as there was such a great din and noise going on outside the whole night."
