He would remark to Mehera how finely Gulmai combed his hair. Gulmai continued this duty as long as she was in Quetta. In her absence, Gustadji would attend to it. Later Mehera was given this special duty, which she continued until the end.
One day Rusi arranged an outing for the men and women at a nearby mountain. Baba scaled it as nimbly as if he were a deer; but none of the mandali, despite their best efforts, could reach the top. Standing on the mountain, Baba appeared majestic, as if he were unveiling his blissful radiance to humanity and declaring that the goal of life was to always be happy! The rays of the sun kissed Baba's lovely feet in worship, and the breeze gently smoothed back his golden hair, revealing to the world a tiny bit of his divine image.
"How beautiful he looks!" Age declared.
Like the Indian red-legged partridge enamored by the moon, the mandali gazed at Baba in wonder and adoration from their positions below him. The wind of love blew through their hearts and their eyes were moist with joyous tears. The rays of his roving glance touched and pierced their hearts. All were wounded by the tender penetration of his sight. They were so attracted to him that they could not look away. His photograph was taken, but how could a camera capture divinity's visage? His splendor was marvelous and only the pure of heart could see its haloed glow.
Meher Baba decided to travel to Karachi on 16 July 1924. Nervous remained in critical condition. Before leaving, Baba went to the Parsi cemetery with Phirozshah, selected the plot where Nervous was to be buried, and marked the spot with a stick.1 He gave Phirozshah Rs.2,500; 500 for Nervous' headstone and 2,000 for the Parsi Charitable Trust in Quetta.
Baba then told the mandali, "Do not lose courage. Do not leave any stone unturned to bring Nervous around — even at the eleventh hour."
But later he admitted that the case was hopeless and indicated Nervous would soon die. He even told the mandali to go to a movie after Nervous' burial to dissipate their inevitably gloomy mood — - and perhaps in honor of Nervous' unfulfilled dream of becoming a film actor.
Baba left for Karachi that afternoon with a few of the mandali. When he arrived at Mach station, he received a telegram of Nervous' demise.
Footnotes
- 1.Normally, Zoroastrians are taken to a Tower of Silence upon their death, but Quetta did not have one then. Five years later, on a trip to Quetta in 1929, Baba visited Nervous' grave.