He continued:
I have been seeing the Westerners and giving them my embrace and love and also discourses. Today is the first day of the East-West Gathering. I want the Easterners to come to me one by one and put their hands on my knees, and I will pat each one. That will amount to my embracing and meeting them. Come; come one by one. All of you will not be able to come to me today. Those remaining can come tomorrow.
The purpose of this gathering is not to give discourses or messages to my lovers. Many discourses and messages have been given in the past. Another volume of discourses will soon be printed in Australia. More than all messages and discourses, your love for me will bring you to me as you should come to me.
After this was translated and a song sung by the Poona bhajan group, the contact began. First the Australian group met Baba, followed by the Eastern women. Suddenly, it turned very dark and rain began to pour down. Age noted, "The gods in heaven, gladdened at the sight of the Father of all creation on Earth meeting his children, let loose a shower of love! The Father of all humanity bathed his children inside and out, showering them with his blessings!"
Tex Hightower recollected: "The feeling inside the pandal was volcanic. We have all been in heavy rain before, but here there was something, not ominous, but such a feeling of immense power . I saw Baba weaving back and forth in his chair. His face held an expression of power. It was an awesome sight."
The cloth roof of the pandal flapped furiously in the wind and began to tear in places. Water cascaded down, soaking men, women and children who awaited their turn to approach the Father. Almost everyone was shivering. Water was everywhere and the dirt floor turned to mud. But even with this sudden 30-minute downpour, Baba went on contacting his lovers who were approaching him in two rows. He motioned to Ramakrishnan to hurry the lines of people so that each would not have to wait long.
Baba instructed the Western women to enter the Guruprasad bungalow, change out of their wet clothes and put on whatever would fit them from the women mandali's wardrobe. It was an amusing spectacle of "East-West" exchange, and no doubt carried some hidden significance.