But each time Baba began giving darshan, Bharati was lax about collecting the fruit, and Baba would immediately point it out to him. After a while, the Bharati was not thinking of Baba or the darshan, but only of oranges and bananas! He was probably sorry he ever wrote to Baba about his diet.
At 4:00 P.M., the few Australians, whose flight from Ceylon had been canceled, arrived at Guruprasad and approached the dais for their first embrace from Baba.
Amar Singh Saigal had to return to Delhi for important work in Parliament, so he too came for an embrace. His companions, Hem Singh and Ganesh Singh, who had accompanied him for Baba's contact, remained.
The weather had been quite hot at first, but after Baba's fatherly sermon a slight shower fell. The children remained quiet and unperturbed.
Baba asked all, "Are you feeling tired? If so, I will stop. I am not tired."
Voices throughout the crowded pandal joined in a loud, "No!"
Baba said, "We should thank the Indian climate for the slight showers that fell again, as they have helped somewhat to cool the oppressive heat."
After the rain started on the first day, Baba asked Jal Dastoor of Bombay, who was helping direct the people in line for darshan, "Why don't you turn the key ?"
(Meaning, Jal should make it stop raining.) Jal replied, "I don't have the key, you have it!" That day, when the rain let up almost immediately, Jal joked, "Baba's chabi [key] worked!" And Baba laughed.
At one point, Baba noticed an invalid woman amongst the crowd. It was his old lover, Baily's sister Tehmina Bomanji.1 Baba signaled Dolly Bastani to bring her, and Dolly lifted Tehmina and carried her through the crowd near Baba.
At 5:00 P.M., the darshan was stopped. Baba directed that those who had still not had their turn should be present in the meeting pandal the next afternoon at 1:30 P.M., and those who had already met him should come at 3:00 P.M. Baba's arti ended the program, and all departed for their respective places.
About 50 men, women and children from Chirala in the Guntur district of Andhra had come for Baba's darshan. After arranging fodder for their animals, the villagers locked their houses and traveled to Poona. As they were poor, they could only afford to stay for two days, but during both days they had no chance of meeting Baba. Deeply disappointed, they went to the train station that night to return home.
At that moment in Guruprasad, Baba remembered them and instructed that they be sought out and given this message: "Those from Chirala can see Baba tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."
Bal Natu found them at the station and delivered the message. The villagers' joy knew no bounds. They postponed their departure, convinced that Baba knew their hearts.
Footnotes
- 1.Tehmina's husband Bomanji, who had lived at Meherabad with his family for a few years from 1925, had recently expired.