When Manek returned home, he did so, and the next time he went to Meherazad, he sang the arti before Baba.
Baba, however, did not like it and said, "Put a better melody to it and bring it tomorrow. I will help you."
It went on like this for a number of days; Baba did not like any of his tunes.
At last, Baba warned Manek,"If you don't find a tune I like, then put all your [musical] instruments in a box, nail it shut and throw it into the Sina [River]!"
The whole night Manek was anxious and miserable. He described what happened next:
I was very sad. I did not know what to do ... I placed my violin, harmonium and tabla in front of me in a semi-circle, looked at them and prayed for inspiration. But alas, no inspiration came through! I could not sleep all night, struggling to find the right music for the arti. Around 4:00 A.M.someone shook me. I started hearing divine, melodious, indescribably sweet sounds and the notes. I hurriedly wrote the notation and later sang it for my father.
At 7:00 in the morning I took out my bicycle and proceeded to Meherazad as Baba called me at eight o'clock. Hardly had I reached the approach road when I saw Aloba waiting for me there. "Why are you late?" he said. "Baba is waiting for you. Baba came at 7:30 and has been asking for you. Go quickly." I rushed to mandali hall and sat in front of Baba. He asked me to sing the tune for the arti. He heard it and remarked, "Very good. I am very happy. How did you compose it?" I narrated the entire story, on hearing which, he said, "Did I not tell you that I would help you?" Then he said, "Do not sing this arti now. Sing it when I drop my body. We were shocked to hear Baba's words.1
To Bhau, Baba commented, "After I drop my body, this arti will be sung all over India."
Keshav Nigam and Pukar were staying in Meherazad for the darshan meeting. One day before going to Baba's room in the afternoon, Bhau stopped to chat with Keshav for five minutes. Keshav told him of the work being done in Baba's name in Hamirpur and remarked, "Many things are going well, but Baba's biography should be written in Hindi. There is a demand for it and it is absolutely necessary."
Footnotes
- 1.Glow International, Spring 2012, p. 25.