Francis was occupied with composing poems, ghazals and songs.1 Every morning, he would read one of his compositions to Baba. One day, as he was reading a couplet of a song, Baba spontaneously dictated two more lines:
He who seeks my pleasure Finds the divine treasure.
Ginde and his family were permitted to have Baba's darshan at 9:00 A.M. on Sunday, 12 June 1966, as did Harjiwan Lal's son Inder. The following day the Collector of Poona, M. A. Deshmukh, along with a few other civic officials, were permitted a fifteen-minute audience. That year the Sindhi principal of the Dastur School (which Baba had attended) was also permitted to meet Baba for the first time. She related that one of the prayers recited at the school was Baba's Master's Prayer.
Baba also held a meeting of the Poona Center workers in June. He discussed their progress, and various problems which they faced in disseminating his messages to those in and around the city of Poona, and about their own quarrels and disagreements. It was surprising to the mandali to see Baba looking so lively during this long session, as he listened to the workers, encouraged some, admonished others and counseled them all. On such occasions, it seemed that all the immeasurable tiredness in Baba's eyes, usually observable to the mandali, had been put aside. Baba appeared vigorous and healthy, as if his physical body was not straining under the pressure of his Universal work.
During the meeting, Baba often mentioned Bapusaheb Shinde, whose absence was sorely felt.
Before leaving Poona, Goher again had Baba's blood and urine tested. Blood samples were taken on 25 June, and urine was collected two days later.
Adi came to Poona on 28 June and saw Baba. That day, Jim Mistry had a heart attack at Guruprasad and was taken back to Bombay by Nariman for treatment.
While the others prepared to leave Poona, Sheela Kalchuri was ordered to stay behind at Bindra House with the Jessawalas, as her medical treatment was not yet finished.
The night before Baba departed, he called her to his room at about 8:00 P.M. and remarked, "I want to say goodbye to you now, because if I embrace you tomorrow before the others, I will have to embrace everybody."
Baba hugged the girl and sent her back to Bhau's room, but Sheela was extremely unhappy about being left behind. She cried that night and insisted to her father that she should return with them to Ahmednagar.
The following morning, Baba called her again and said, "I heard you crying last night. Don't be depressed."
Footnotes
- 1.Francis Brabazon's book of ghazals, In Dust I Sing, is dedicated to Baba — "the Pulse of whose Poetry is the expanding universe and the Melodies of it are the yearnings of all hearts."