The program before the Jhopdi was especially interesting, as two celebrated sadhus of the district, Balaram Bua and Lotangan Bua, were the principal singers. They were genuine holy men and were gifted with exceptional voices. Thirty to forty of their followers sat around them, playing finger-cymbals as the sadhus sang. When Baba arrived and took his seat, the tempo of their devotion intensified. Balaram could not control his joy and began dancing! After their bhajan was over, both sadhus laid their heads on the Master's feet, and Baba himself garlanded them.
Later, Abdur Rehman sang Persian ghazals before Baba. At the conclusion of the singing programs in the evening, Upasni Maharaj's birth was celebrated according to the Hindu custom of worship. A group of Arangaon villagers formed themselves into a long procession. Shouldering an elaborately decorated palanquin with Baba's photograph, they marched from Arangaon toward Meherabad. With a band of musicians playing and dancing, the parade moved in ecstatic waves. Fireworks were lit, colorfully exploding on the ground and in the sky. When the parade arrived at Meherabad, the air rang with cries of joy and praise.
The birthday of the Master's Master truly became a holy day. While attending to the minutest detail of the extensive celebration, Baba gave his darshan to thousands, talked to many of his followers, and moved from place to place with rapid strides — constantly keeping a watchful eye on all that was occurring.
To end the festive day, a film portraying the life of the Hindu saint Sakhubai was shown. Baba was very fond of the life stories of saints and gurus, and urged children and adults to study their lives. The following story of Sakhubai should interest those who long to know the lives of real saints:
Sakhu was her given name. From childhood, she was a devotee of Lord Krishna and spent her private hours alone in worship. Misfortune befell her; she was married to an unkind man who had no religious inclination. Her mother-in-law was a cruel woman who showed no fear of God. She harassed Sakhu terribly, scorned her devotions and kept her overworked maintaining the household. Sakhu's duties became so many that she was hardly allowed time to eat and sleep.
One day, after she had an inner experience, Sakhu escaped the house and left on pilgrimage to Pandharpur to have darshan of Vithal (Lord Krishna). A very large celebration was being held there, and pilgrims were praying for a manifestation of Krishna.