Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
1962Page 4,809 of 5,444
Weeks passed and the boy who had disguised himself as a girl started to undergo subtle physical changes, which he was afraid and embarrassed to admit. His body was changing into a girl's, and to his utter horror he was indeed showing all the signs of being pregnant. Finally, the boy, not knowing what else to do, confessed to his family what was happening. The family now knew that they had cursed themselves. They had no recourse but to confess to the leader of the hijaras that they had tried to deceive him and beg him to lift his curse from their son.
The hijara explained that he did not curse the boy and could not undo his blessing, and that the child was destined to be born. Within months that boy turned into a woman who bore a child, and the family became devoted to the hijara. Thus his name and fame spread.
Baba was to leave Poona for Meherazad on Sunday, 8 July 1962. Adi arrived in Guruprasad on the 7th to drive some of the mandali back to Ahmednagar the following day. That night, heavy monsoon rains fell, and continued the next morning. So instead of seeing his Poona lovers at Bund Garden to bid them farewell as planned, Baba sent Aloba to call them to Guruprasad, where he gave the almost 200 people gathered an hour of his company. After arti was sung, each person was allowed to kiss Baba's hand before he or she returned home.
Baba and the mandali left at 8:30 A.M. Baba sat first in Joseph Harb's car and, after driving some distance, changed into Meherjee's car for the trip to Ahmednagar. Adi drove the DeSoto and Waman drove Adi's car. Reaching Ahmednagar, Baba stopped briefly at Sarosh Motor Works, where he met Gulmai, Sarosh, Rangole and the Khilnanis.
When Baba reached Meherazad the same morning, Kaka was happy to see him. In Baba's absence, only Kaka stayed in Meherazad. His only companions were Sidhu, the garden boys and the two dogs Peter and Mastan, whom Baba dearly loved.
The eight men mandali staying at Meherazad after Baba's return consisted of: Eruch, Pendu, Kaka, Baidul, Kaikobad (who returned from Meherabad on 20 July), Aloba, Bhau and Francis. Six women formed Baba's women mandali: Mehera, Mani, Meheru, Naja, Goher and Rano. These fourteen individuals remained with Baba until the end.