Those who are with me for a longer period [the mandali] should be especially careful in abiding by my orders.
On the departure of all for their respective places, Baba assigned different duties to the mandali. Pendu was appointed manager of the journey; Sadashiv, in charge of food; Aloba, of luggage; Kumar, "Commander-in-Chief;" Chhagan, to cook Baba's food and as night watchman; Eruch, Baba's personal attendant; Nana Kher, Kaikobad's attendant; Ramjoo, keeper of the diary; Meherjee, Nariman and Dhake, Baba's companions; and Vishnu, accountant.1 Gadekar, Madhusudan and Thade from Poona were also called to accompany Baba.
One of the "works" Baba did at Meherazad on 14 November before his departure, was to sign the charter for Sufism Reoriented, as promised.
On one occasion, while the charter was being drafted, Baba sent this telegram to Ivy Duce: "My Sufi charter must not be changed except for speling [ sic ] or sentence structure."2
Baba's left leg had not yet completely healed after the car accident in America. A cast was made, but he did not use it. Baba's general health, too, was not good: he was feverish with a sore throat, and often complained of an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen. Sarosh drove him and Don to Ketkar Hospital on 11 November for another X-ray. Adi Jr. had come from Poona and went with Sarosh to Meherazad.
This circular about his health was issued throughout India prior to his departure on the journey to plunge humanity into the Ocean of Fire:
It is well known that a fracture of the "lower third," as it is called, takes a long time to heal, and the break in Baba's leg has been no exception to this fact.
Since his return to Meherazad, Pimpalgaon, Ahmednagar, Baba has been periodically having X-rays taken of his leg to check on the progress of the callus formation and bone union. The last X-ray taken showed no union of the fibula bone in the area of the break. The doctor says that if this condition continues, a below-knee plaster might be needed again; therefore, during this active Fiery Life program, when time is available, Baba will return to Ahmednagar for further X-rays and consultations as to the progress of the bone union in his leg.
Baba wants all to know that, whether he comes to Pimpalgaon or not, his Fiery Life work will continue until the end of April.
Footnotes
- 1.Kaikobad could not see well at night, so Nana Kher would stay near him.
- 2.Ironically, the telegraph clerk misspelled "spelling".