In Londa, on some pretext, Baba became angry with Vajifdar and ordered him to lie down on a bench on the station platform; Masaji was ordered to look after him, while Behramji was sent to bring fresh milk. Baba and Gustadji ate in a Hindu restaurant and brought food back for Behramji and Masaji. Vajifdar was given the milk and the journey resumed. Amazingly, by Baba's venting his rage at him, Vajifdar's condition steadily improved, and after a few hours he was completely well. All their luggage (except Baba's bedroll) was sprayed with a disinfectant at Castle Rock station.
Leaving the train at the port of Marmagao, they went by boat to Panjim and reached there after an hour and a half. They stayed in a large hotel owned by Christians. At Panjim and in the town of Old Goa, they saw various Portuguese churches and other Christian landmarks. The most important church they visited was the Basilica of Bom (Good) Jesus — which contains the body of Francis Xavier who is revered as a saint.1 The mummified body of the Jesuit priest and missionary has been preserved since the 16th century and is still displayed to the public once every few years. Goa is one of the few areas in India that is predominantly Christian, and this basilica is considered the most important place of Catholic pilgrimage in India. Baba made an extensive tour of the elaborate church, even climbing the dark spiral staircase of the disused bell tower.
Perhaps Baba was able to complete his work early, because after staying in Goa for only three days, he decided to return to Bombay. In Bombay, he again stayed at Irani Mansion in Dadar.
During the succeeding three months of September, October and November 1924, Baba was mostly at Meherabad, but he traveled back and forth between Bombay and Ahmednagar several times with one or two of the mandali. The purpose of his frequent trips was to establish a permanent place of residence for himself and the mandali. The plan to settle in Sinhagad had been abandoned.
The Master began regularly visiting the family of Nusserwan Satha at their large joint-family residence-cum-business complex in Ahmednagar, called Akbar Press — which housed a cotton mill and later a printing press. When Baba was staying at Meherabad, his mail would be addressed to Akbar Press, and Nusserwan would forward it by messenger to Meherabad.
Footnotes
- 1.Francis Xavier (1506–1562) was a Catholic priest who helped found the Jesuits. Called the "Apostle to the Indies," he spent eleven years as a missionary in southeast Asia and Japan, before settling in India.