Padri saw Baba at 8:00 A.M. on the 20th. Once when Padri came to Meherazad at this time, he remarked to Baba, "We are old now! It is better to close up shop!"
Baba chuckled and replied, "What are you saying? Close the shop? This shop will now be opened!
On the morning of Tuesday, 21 January 1969, Baba was helped to sit up in bed. He complained of a choking sensation in his throat and he breathed with difficulty, wheezing for half an hour like an asthmatic patient. He asked for hot tea and after drinking it, along with a pill of Belagal (theophylline), the wheezing subsided. He complained of feeling terribly weak and said he would only have liquids that day.
Baba experienced a slight, mild choking sensation when he rose the next morning and was made to sit up in bed. Goher had already given him a pill earlier that morning, which helped to suppress the attack and ameliorate the symptoms to some extent.
Baba repeated, "Don't worry. Even if I go into a coma, you must not worry. I will come out of it in a couple of days."
That day, Baba was in a very happy mood and enjoyed playing checkers with Francis and Kaka in the morning and evening. Kaka sang his "Ho, ho, ho!" kirtan before Baba, so Baba tried to make him sing the line: "Sai Baba, Babajan, Meher Baba che Bhagwan [are God]!"
Eruch repeated the phrase over and over again, but Kaka simply stuck to his favorite "Ho, ho, ho!" Those present laughed heartily at Kaka's efforts, and the tense and serious atmosphere of many months in Meherazad was lightened. Although Baba's body was being crushed under the load of his infinite suffering, he was giving courage to the mandali by appearing happy.
The day before, Baba had appeared quite ill. But that day he looked much better. Don had come both days to check on Baba and expressed his wonder at the change. According to Baba's wish, Viloo sent him a lemon tart, which he ate.
Chhagan had come to Meherazad on the 20th. He sent vegetable pulao for Baba on Thursday, 23 January 1969, and Baba ate some of it. On that day from 3:00 P.M. until 10:30 P.M., Baba was in excruciating pain. His body was very stiff and tense because of the severe jolts he would get whenever he tried to relax. His spine was also stiff, and turning over in bed was an ordeal for him, despite the men's support of his back and body. The tension caused frequent spasms which made his breathing difficult, and he had more choking sensations in his throat, adding to his suffering.