Rano later recollected: "Baba looked so fragile then that I was almost afraid to touch him, so I touched him very lightly. But when he embraced me, it was the strong embrace of the old days." It was the last embrace she had from Baba.
Baba's condition on Sunday, 19 January 1969, was somewhat better, but he had become quite weak. At times, he worshiped his lovers by remembering certain persons, but the worship was wearing out his body!
Baba sent for Usha and Bhasker that day, instructing Usha to bring sambhar again. This time Baba enjoyed the liquid dish very much and had it for both his lunch and dinner. Baba ate on his bed, with a pillow supporting his back and one under his legs.
The next day, 20 January, he informed Kokila to cook rice and "Marwari dal," and tasted a little of the latter. Rama had also been instructed to send fried eggplant, which Baba ate. Baba's appetite was minimal and he had little desire to eat. He would just pick at his food, and it was difficult to convince him to eat so that he could become stronger.
Sometimes when the mandali would attend to him, Baba would gesture he was not feeling hungry, and he would try to give his food to them to consume. Eruch resorted to the ruse of chewing paan just before going to Baba, so that when he was offered Baba's food he could say, "Sorry, Baba, but I have just had paan."
Goher would give Baba a straw with which to drink something nutritious.
Baba would pinch the straw in the middle when she was not looking and then gesture, "Now I cannot drink it; the straw is crushed."
It was an excuse not to ingest it.
During that week, Baba began making a "haaa-humph" sound. He had made a similar sound in the past, but this was more pronounced. He uttered it several times over the next few days. Eruch described it happening once when Baba was seated on his bed. Baba made a sound like " mmmmmm " and then put his hand over his mouth, as if to prevent further sounds from escaping. Eruch felt that Baba had broken his silence, but Bhau did not think that he had, and Eruch later agreed. Baba himself never commented on the incident.