One day at Meherabad he asked, "How many shirts have you sewn?"
They replied that they had made about 50.
"Is that all?" he inquired. "Can't you do the work more quickly? By now you should have sewn at least 200!"
They accepted this challenge and returned to Ahmednagar.
After some time, Baba permitted Mehera, Daulatmai and Small Khorshed to move to Meherabad and they were accommodated in the Post Office. Dowla Masi, Naja and Big Khorshed joined them from Poona. Thus, these six women became the first women to stay permanently at Meherabad. The shirts they had stitched so lovingly were distributed by Baba to the poor of Arangaon.
Once Baba called Mehera and told her, "From today you are my orderly."
Gustadji was instructed to give Baba's trunk to her, in which all his personal belongings were kept. Mehera was told to prepare and send Baba's tea, wash his clothes and clean his plate and glass daily.1
Baba would come to the ladies' verandah early in the morning.
He would call out to Naja, "Eh Najru! It's past six, time to awaken!" Naja would hurry out of bed and Baba, sitting on an empty tea crate, would melodiously sing, "I will always be the handmaid of my Master!"
Singing this one line, Baba would sometimes dance a few steps — like Krishna with his gopis (women disciples). At other times, when he would sing Tukaram's bhajans he would appear extraordinarily happy and radiant. However, when his mood would be spoiled by one of the ladies' carelessness, his words were as if thunderbolts were crashing and the heavens were about to fall! Such moments would leave the women awestruck.
During one occasion, Baba asked Mehera if she knew a song in English and, if so, to sing it. Mehera sang the song Swanee composed by George Gershwin, and Baba asked her to teach it to him. After Mehera repeated it, Baba sang the American tune quite beautifully.2
On Monday, 17 November 1924, Baba retired to his Jhopdi at Meherabad at 6:15 P.M., and began observing silence for one week. He remained secluded in the Jhopdi with the door shut, while Padri kept watch on the verandah day and night. Occasionally Baba would eat (at times on alternate days, taking tea four times a day on the days he did not eat), but Padri had instructions to keep his eyes down and not look at his face while bringing his meal.
Footnotes
- 1.Mehera personally attended to Baba until the last and he did not assign this special duty to any other of the women mandali.
- 2.Swanee! How I love you! How I love you! /My dear old Swanee! /I would give the world to be /among the folks in D-I-X-I-E! /Even though my mammy's waiting for me/Praying for me down by the Swanee!/The folks up north will see me no more, /when I get to that Swanee shore.