“”Baba explained: "Although you are with me all the time, yet you cannot really see me." To illustrate his point, Baba put his hands in front of his face and asked those sitting near him, "Now can you see my face, although you are so close to me?" When they answered no, Baba gestured, "That is how the thick curtain of maya hides my face from your sight. But," he added, "do not let it worry you. Let your only worry be how to love me and obey me more and more."
Very few workers and devotees from Ahmednagar had been called for Mehera's birthday. Sarosh complained about this to Baba. In response, Baba fixed the afternoon of Sunday, 13 January 1963 to see them.
In the morning that day, Begum Akhtar, 49, the celebrated singer from Uttar Pradesh, was brought to Meherazad by Adi and Meherjee, along with Golwalkar, the music director of the Poona All India Radio station. Baba had several of Akhtar's records and she was one of his favorite artists. Previously, in 1937–38, Adi had invited Begum Akhtar to sing before Baba, and expressed his willingness to pay her roundtrip traveling expenses from Calcutta to Ahmednagar, and make all the arrangements for her journey.
“”But she demanded an exorbitant fee, and at the time, Baba informed Adi: "Don't call her now; one day she herself will come."
And here she was, coming on her own!
In response to a message from Golwalkar, Akhtar was to have sung before Baba in Guruprasad the previous summer, but she had been unable to do so because of a serious illness. Meeting Baba now, Begum Akhtar wept copiously. It seemed as if she had been in Baba's inner contact for years. She told him, "From the day I heard of your call, I have been craving your darshan, and I sing a special ghazal before your photograph every day."
“”She beseeched Baba to allow her to sing it before him, to which Baba replied, "I am in seclusion now and not in the mood to listen to ghazals."
Begum Akhtar pleaded, and Baba replied, "I will give my permission only on the condition that you agree to come to Poona and give a performance of four to five hours at Guruprasad on any day in April or May. If you agree, I will hear one ghazal now."
She was delighted and lovingly accepted the condition. The "Queen of Ghazals", as she was known, (who used to charge Rs.1,000 per day) herself came to Baba begging with a prayer to allow her to sing for him. Such is Love's wonder!
