Jimmy and his wife Roda requested that Baba perform the navjot (sacred thread ceremony, usually done by a Zoroastrian priest) of their three sons Meherwan, Falu and Sarosh, and Baba agreed. On 14 May, two days before the ceremony, Baba embraced the three boys. Falu had the mumps, and afterwards Baba complained of having caught it from him.
He reprimanded Roda and her sister, Nargis, "Had you any love for me, you would have seen to it that Falu did not come near me! It proves that you love him more than me! What sort of love is it when you are not attentive to my health?"
Baba's persistent complaint that he had caught the mumps and about his health in general took a serious turn, and the possibility of postponing the navjot was raised.
But Baba informed Jim, Roda, Nargis, Arnavaz and Nariman, "Don't postpone it; but keep Falu a good distance from me."
Monday morning, 16 May 1960, was fixed for the occasion, and on that day lovers from Bombay, Poona and other places assembled in Guruprasad. With his own hands, Baba handed each of the three lads a sadra and kusti (thread), as this message from him was read by Eruch in English and Soman in Marathi:
May Ahuramazda, Zoroaster, Meher Baba free you from the superfluous binding of shariat and help you to lead a life of good thoughts, good words and good deeds, and bestow on you the grace of loving Baba. I have given you this emblem of superficial binding to make you free from this binding and give you the real binding of love.
Unless you free yourselves from the bindings of ceremonies and begin to love God as He should be loved, you can never, never know the Truth.
Baba embraced the boys (including Falu), and the Gujarati arti was sung. Despite complaining about his health for the past two days, that day he looked as fresh and radiant as a thousand blossoming roses, and his smile filled the hall. Jim and Roda served lunch to the more than 150 people gathered. The group from Hamirpur left the following day, after having darshan in the morning, and Baba handed each of them a packet of snacks from Jim and Roda, and tea and ice cream were also served.