As Baba's seclusion continued, there began an influx of youngsters, mostly college students, "making a pilgrimage" to the Meher Center in Myrtle Beach. Many came from Chapel Hill, New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Detroit, Lexington, Miami, Chicago and other distant cities in America. Kitty or Elizabeth would always interview these youngsters before allowing them to stay in the cabins on the Center. Baba had a new rule at the Center enforced besides "No alcohol" — "No drugs."
In England, Peter Townshend, a famous rock n' roll musician of the group The Who, heard of Baba. Townshend became close to Delia DeLeon in London and dedicated several record albums to Baba. Other young people came into Baba's circle of contacts including another British singer Ronnie Lane of Small Faces.
At Guruprasad, every morning Francis would read one of his ghazals to Baba, and Baba would ask him to repeat it three times. As Francis recollected: "Each reading brought the blessing of his embrace, and every embrace contained the seeds of the next lines of poetry."
Once, Baba complimented Francis, "Just as now, in my present advent, I use the ghazals of Hafiz to cite examples of love's ways, similarly when I come back after 700 years, I will quote from your ghazals. That is why I am having you repeat the same ghazals three times — so that I might memorize it and not forget it when I return."
Wonderful is Baba's humor!
The following is one of Francis' ghazals that Baba particularly enjoyed:
The evening pianos have faltered into silence — because of love. The night trumpets have wailed their last notes of violence — because of love. How earnestly we pursue our roles in God's great game — because of love. The freshening dream — the kiss, ever new and the same — because of love. Who, if he could hear his own voice, would go singing — because of love. The end remains covered, else few would make a beginning — because of love. The difference between being pelted with eggs and showered with roses — because of love. Is less one of talent than one's fate-share which time discloses — because of love. We sleep; sometimes we dream; and awaken to a new day — because of love. A billion years of wayfaring: yet we still don't know the way — because of love. We would not yet even have broken out of the Beast-cage — because of love. If it were not for God-Man's compassion and holy rage — because of love. Tomorrow is another day for the battle's violence — because of love. The few remaining hours of the night are for wine and shelter — because of love.
For some time, Baba had been updating his will. At Guruprasad, on Saturday, 17 June 1967, Baba again executed a Last Will and Testament, which Eruch and Mani signed as witnesses.1 Copies of Baba's will were sent to Elizabeth, Margaret, Ivy and Delia.
Footnotes
- 1.See Appendix J for the full text of Baba's Last Will and Testament.