At 7:30 in the morning, a "triangular" cricket match was played between three teams, headed by Baba, Rustom and Chanji, and at its conclusion prizes were handed out. A bhajan program was held until nine o'clock at night. After the singing, Baba suddenly announced that he desired something to eat. All were surprised because he was intending to fast for several months.
Baba remarked that he would have a meal on two conditions: "I will only eat certain dishes and the food has to be ready in seventeen minutes."
The mandali stopped everything and rushed to cook the food. Several men went to Shahane's house to bring some items. Rustom barged into the women's quarters and told them that Baba wanted to eat bhujias. As they did not have any chickpea flour prepared, Naja quickly boiled some chickpea pulse while Mehera and Khorshed ground it into powder. Naja and Dolly then began frying the bhujias, Soonamasi cut the onions, and within seventeen minutes, the bhujias were ready and sent to the men's side. Baba felt very happy with their efforts, though he ate only a little and distributed the rest to the mandali.
An idol of Ganesh (the Elephant God) was placed in Sai Darbar on Saturday, 11 September 1926 to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi .1 Baba was worshiped, and he personally served food to the students.
The mandali were given the duty of singing kirtan every night. Arjun, Mohan, Sayyed Saheb and Vishnu would each perform, which all enjoyed. During this period, Vishnu's mother, Kakubai, and his sister, Yamuna, were staying in Meherabad.2
Chanji went to Bombay on 11 September and returned (with his brother Naoroji and his family) on the 13th with a typewriter. Whenever Baba gave discourses or explanations to the boys or mandali, Chanji would take down in shorthand what was said. Later he would write his notes in full by hand, often staying up until midnight with his compilation. The next day he would hand Baba the recent explanations for corrections. Baba would peruse them and return them with his remarks. Chanji would then type Baba's explanations in their final form.
From the 11th of July 1926, Chanji had been maintaining a separate diary of daily events at Meherabad (which previously Ajoba, Pandoba and Nadirsha Bharucha had done for a certain number of days each).3 Thus, it is mainly due to Chanji's efforts that the record of Meher Baba's activities is bountiful.
Footnotes
- 1.The holiday is also called Ganpati. Ganesh is the Hindu mythological son of Shiva.
- 2.Kakubai never returned to Poona and remained at Meherabad for the rest of her life.
- 3.Nadirsha Dastur was a Parsi from Poona who had been staying at Meherabad since 1925.