Many of those gathered bowed to him. Some brought garlands, which they placed around Baba's arm. Some brought money, but they were not permitted to leave it at his feet. One poor woman did place a coin on Baba's left foot. Baba left it there for a while, but later moved his foot and the coin fell away. He covered it with gravel and sat for a long time gazing at the spot.
"I love them all," he spelled out to the Westerners, "big, small, high, low, rich, poor — all!"
Occasionally he would bend down, pick up a stone and throw it to one of the Western men.
He also told them, "I am whatever anyone takes me to be."
Almost 7,000 people had gathered that day, but because Baba gave his personal contact to Feram Workingboxwala, the Satha family, Waman Padale, Bhagirath and Kokila Tiwari, Adi's sisters Piroja and Dolly, Rustom Kaka's family, Kaka Chinchorkar, Pandoba and Dhake, Baba had no time left to hand out prasad to everyone present.
After three hours, at six o'clock, despite Sarosh's request that he stay for another half an hour, Baba climbed on top of Adi's Chevrolet and, waving to those still waiting in line, was slowly driven out of the compound. He then took his seat and returned to Meherazad. Khushru Quarters is located in a predominantly Muslim section of the city known as Zendi Gate . During this function, many Muslims had come, as well as Parsis and Hindus. Meher Baba's love is for all mankind, and every caste and religion shared in it equally.
The next day, 27 September, Dr. Natarajan and Spiers went to Meherabad, where Padri, Adi Sr. and Krishna gave them a tour.
Baba was not scheduled to come to Meherabad until the meetings, but he came unexpectedly that morning, explaining to the Westerners, "I did not want to come, as I have other things to deal with, but the women [mandali] had presents they wanted me to give you with my own hands, and to distribute my photographs, which I have signed."1
The Japanese man Hitaka had returned from Calcutta, and Baba ordered him to keep silence from midnight that night to the evening of the 28th — to think of Baba alone and read his messages.
As Baba would not be coming to Meherabad the next day, and there would be no time for him to meet the Westerners again individually, this was, in a way, his goodbye to them.
"To all you meet and see, give my love," he said, "the only thing worth receiving."
Footnotes
- 1.Baba signed over 300 photographs, meant for those in the West who loved him. Names of some specific recipients were included in the packet of photographs given to each of the men who had come to India.