On 3 August, Baba rose at five, and at eight o'clock he called all the boys and presented each one with new coats, books, pencils, photographs of himself, and books about his life (probably Dastur's booklet).
Two days later, something quite different occurred. While Baba was seated on his gaadi with all the boys gathered around him, he called each boy for a "special prasad." And what was that prasad? A kick in the pants from Baba! For the first time, a physical reprimand was meted out to all the boys of the Prem and Meher Ashrams. Phonograph records were then played and a prasad of sweets was distributed.
Baba's special prasad was not without meaning, for within a few days the behavior and attitude of the boys seemed to undergo a radical change. The boys began meditating more and more, some even rising at 1:00 A.M. to begin their meditation, and they would meditate on their own without being instructed to do so. Within a few days, more than half a dozen boys were ready to be transferred to the Prem Ashram. The marvelous part of it was that this new group of spiritually inspired boys included some of the ones who had been the worst troublemakers. The mandali in charge of the boys were quite impressed to see how Baba's special prasad had its effect.
During a discourse on Sunday, 5 August 1928, Baba emphasized to Gustadji's brother, Homi Hansotia, who had arrived in a Mohammedan outfit and announced that he had converted to Islam:
Mukti [liberation from all future births and deaths] is not possible without surrenderance to a Perfect Master. The outer forms of religions, their rites, ceremonies, and shariat, are bindings, and religion itself is a prison. This "conversion" of yours is nothing but jumping from one prison to another.
To celebrate the Parsi New Year the school was closed on 9 August, and cricket was played. From 10:30 until noon, Baba's feet were washed by the boys. Earlier during the cricket match Baba's knee was injured, but despite the pain and being on a fast, Baba played as actively as ever. He later served food to everyone, which they ate under the shade of a tree with Baba seated among them. At three o'clock cricket was played again, but this time Baba did not participate due to his injury, but he watched from the sidelines.