On the afternoon of 1 November 1957, while Baba was resting, the doorbell rang. Arnavaz answered it, and outside there were three disciples of Mirchandani, the man who claimed to be but who was not a real saint. They demanded to see Baba and said it was an order from their Master (Mirchandani) to bring Meher Baba to him since Baba had promised to visit him. Arnavaz explained that Baba was resting and no one was allowed inside. She tried to send them away, but Baba clapped and asked who was there.
She informed him, and he instructed, "Ask them to go. They should tell Mirchandani to come and see me here next month."
But the men refused to leave, and finally Baba permitted them to come inside.
One of the men had been waving his fingers trying to hypnotize Arnavaz, and seated before Baba he started doing the same thing to him. Arnavaz thought: "These crazy people are trying to hypnotize the Avatar." One of Mirchandani's followers, Alu Khambatta's relative, had previously been in Baba's contact. Baba gave him a handkerchief and, fortunately, he later left Mirchandani.
After speaking with Baba for a few moments, the men left. Adi Sr. and Waman had arrived in Bombay. Early the next morning Baba sent Adi to deliver a message to Mirchandani that he could come and see Baba at Ashiana at a darshan to be held there in December. But Mirchandani wanted Baba to come to his apartment and did not attend the darshan at Ashiana.
Baba departed with the men and women on 2 November in Adi and Meherjee's cars. On the way back, he stopped at the Dadachanjis' home in Dadar; at the J. B. Marzaban Sanatorium in Khandala, where the Siganporia family had rented a room and had his darshan; and Bindra House in Poona1 ("Baba looked pale and worn out," Eruch's sister Manu wrote in a letter, "[as did] all the mandali who accompanied him.")
The women got down from Meherjee's car at Bindra House while Baba went to Ramakrishnan's quarters at Kirkee. Baba spent almost two hours there, sorting out differences between the Poona Center members, urging them to cooperate and work together harmoniously.
It was two o'clock by the time Baba returned to Bindra House. The women had already had their lunch and tea, so Baba's lunch was packed and taken with them in the car. Savak Kotwal, who had regained his health, had come from Bombay with the mandali and, upon reaching Meherazad that same evening, he resumed his nightwatch duty as before.
On the morning of the 4th, with some of the mandali traveling in Adi's car, Baba was driven to Meherabad in Sarosh's car with several others. Baba was brought in his wheelchair near Gustadji's grave.
He told Kaikobad, "Although Gustadji has realized me as I really am, still pray that he may become one with God."
As Kaikobad began to pray, some village women gathered on the road and began staring at them. Their presence disturbed Baba's mood, and he had the prayers stopped. The mandali pushed him in his wheelchair to the Jhopdi. When the women on the road walked away, Baba again went to Gustadji's grave and scattered flowers over it. The mandali joined in. Baba also placed flowers on the tomb of Ali Shah.
Footnotes
- 1.The Jal Marzban Recreation Pavilion or Sanatorium was a large holiday home built close to the highway.