Starting on 11 February, despite having a fever, Baba was driven to Meherabad every day for the next three days to inspect the preparations for the sahavas. As Eruch wrote to a devotee, "Baba's activities remain just the same as before, except that free and brisk movements are now absolutely restricted due to great pain [in his hip]."
By now, Pendu was able to walk (using crutches or canes) and was overseeing everything, as Baba had placed him in charge of the gathering. Helping him were Padri, Vishnu and a few nonresident close ones such as Nana Kher, Bal Natu, Minoo Kharas, Rangole, and Adi and Rhoda Dubash, who arrived on the 10th. In addition, Baba sent Bhau to Meherabad to be of assistance.
The work was proceeding very slowly, and one day, out of sheer frustration, Pendu burst out weeping at not finding sufficient cots available to rent. To make up for the shortage, Baba immediately sent Sadashiv Patil from Meherabad to Poona to bring 100 more, for a total of 825. A like number of mattresses and blankets were also rented, and two separate camps were erected, one for men (located to the south of the main building at lower Meherabad) and one for women (near the meeting tent, which had been pitched on the west side, near the railway tracks). Both areas had separate toilets, bathrooms, et cetera. Dining arrangements were made in a special larger tent which could seat 1,000 at a time. Electricity and water taps were connected, and although the arrangements appeared to proceed slowly, everything was ready on time, offering a warm welcome to all the lovers and devotees.
But, as Age noted, "For Meher Baba, these gatherings were nothing short of crucifixion! To embrace his lovers, to give them darshan and sahavas — all this was a terrible crucifixion for him. For in doing so, Baba was taking upon himself the sanskaras of the hundreds who came, and suffering under that load. It was not that Baba wanted to call meetings to converse with his lovers, to give discourses, to be jocular; this was all an outward show. Internally, Baba was bearing the burden of each one, and the burden was much more than the suffering borne by him as Jesus on the cross.
"Yet, it was all Meher Baba's infinite mercy and love that made him suffer so, specifically for his lovers and in general for the world.
None can imagine the limits of his love or the extent of his mercy. Baba was on a cross every moment of his current advent for the welfare of mankind, sacrificing his body, every particle of which was full of suffering."