Under no circumstances, even if one or two of the men die, should anyone expect any sort of help from him.
The third stipulation was discussed at length. It was finally concluded that Asthma could accompany them, despite his father's forbiddance. Regarding the fourth condition, Baba had intimated, when he first mentioned the journey, that one or two of the men might die in the near future.
Afterward Baba repeated his earlier remarks that during the journey he would be in such a spiritual state that he would be totally helpless and perhaps would have to suffer inwardly or outwardly at the hands of yogis, sadhus and mahatmas, which Upasni Maharaj, Swami Vivekananda and Ghous Ali Shah had all suffered in a similar manner.
On Saturday, 23 June, the kafnis and other articles arrived for the journey. Baba and the mandali donned their new outfits on this date and were photographed by Sohrab. Baba decided to send Asthma to Ahmedabad to obtain his father's permission before joining the group in Kashmir. Gustadji and Behramji were now ordered to eat once every 32 hours instead of once every 24 hours.
That evening, Baba and some of the men went to the Empire Cinema in the cantonment and saw a prison drama, Heliotrope , which all enjoyed.
The next day, after further discussion, Baba made a change in the itinerary. Kashmir, it was felt, would be too cold with not enough warm clothing or suitable food, and no one spoke Kashmiri (the local language). Baba had decided that they would start from Calcutta, instead of Kashmir, and from there proceed to Bombay on foot. Sadashiv and Vajifdar were telegraphed to meet them in Calcutta. The agreement on stamp paper was signed by each man and preparations were made to leave for Calcutta the following day. All their other luggage was packed in trunks except for two shirts, two pants, one blanket, one kafni, one bottle of drinking water, a bar of soap and a wooden staff.
On 25 June, Phirozshah was sent to the railway station to buy tickets for Calcutta, but Baba again broached the topic of their destination.
He asked, "Which would be better — to begin the foot journey from Gujarat or Calcutta?"
Gustadji enthusiastically replied that Gujarat was better. (It was his home state.) Baba then sought each man's opinion. Gustadji suggested a walking expedition from Ahmedabad, but only his brother Slamson supported this idea; the other men preferred Calcutta as the starting point. Baba, in the end, approved of Ahmedabad and sent Pendu to cancel the order to buy tickets for Calcutta.