Maharaj seemed pleased to have Baba's disciples around him. When they were seated near his cage, he pointed to them and asked Gulmai, "Do you love these persons?"
She replied, "Yes, they are Baba's, and as Baba is yours, I love him. These people are also yours, so I love them as my children."
Maharaj said, "That is good. Keep that attitude. You are a real mother. Love all in the world as your children."
Later he told her, "I am hungry. Prepare bhujias [fritters of chickpea flour and vegetables] today. I like the way you prepare them with neem leaves, mixed with neem-leaf chutney. Bring it to me, and I will share it with these children."
Gulmai prepared the snack and took it to Maharaj in the evening at his hut. He ate a few and shared the rest with Baba's followers. He then narrated the story of how he used to eat neem-leaf chutney and give it to others to eat, but they never felt its bitter taste. He also told the story of how he had once asked a woman to prepare khichdi (dal and rice cooked together) mixed with excrement, which she did to prove her love for him. Before leaving Sakori, Gulmai requested that Upasni Maharaj come to Ahmednagar for Rustom and Freiny's wedding, but he did not favor the idea.
Meanwhile, at Happy Valley after the villagers departed late at night, Baba became restless and left with the mandali at 11:30 P.M., walking to Ahmednagar in the dark. They reached Khushru Quarters at 2:00 A.M.
Rustom and Freiny's wedding was to be held in four days. Preparations were going on, and a number of guests had already arrived. Hostility had been brewing for some days and there was an underlying tension in the compound, since very few of the Parsis and Iranis believed in Meher Baba's status as a guru. At that time, genuine knowledge of spirituality was limited among the Zoroastrian community. The Parsis had no mystical tradition for acknowledging saints and advanced souls, as did the Hindus and Muslims. They looked upon Meher Baba and his followers as deluded, if not mad, and considered them fools to be mixed up in, as they called it, "spiritual nonsense."