Chapter 17: Meetings & Darshans

According to the circular issued in March 1944, a meeting was held in June to resolve the problems of having the 200 signatories stay with Baba for one month. The out-of-town lovers arrived on Friday, 9 June 1944 and stayed at Meherabad. Twenty-four men were present in the meeting held the next day, the 10th, at 3:00 P.M. at Khushru Quarters, Ahmednagar.  At the meeting, Baba stated:

I have called you, select members of my mandali, to discuss and decide certain points mentioned in my latest circular. All these points could easily have been settled and acted upon before the war or soon after the war began. I have kept on postponing the time for this, however, knowing that as the war progressed, these same problems would become more and more difficult to solve. Unless they were most difficult to solve, my work could not be done to perfection. Now, the time has come when the work must be done.

During the meeting, it was decided that Baba would visit Nagpur in September and Allahabad in October for darshan programs, and that the signatories would be with him for one month in Raipur in December. Due to the trouble in obtaining visas to Iran, it was decided that, before the end of 1944, Baba would instead visit the "No Man's Land" of Peshawar for his spiritual work.

Baba then turned to Chanji and remarked before those present, "You can attend the Ahmednagar and Allahabad programs — if you are alive!"

Chanji said, "Baba is always making me the butt of his jokes like this." Everyone chuckled and took it lightly. But this time, Baba wasn't joking. Chanji was sent to Nagpur and Raipur to make arrangements, with Jal Kerawalla's help.

The meeting ended at 7:00 P.M., and everyone returned to Meherabad. Baba was staying at Pimpalgaon, but went to Meherabad the next day to see his lovers. All returned to their respective places on the 12th.

Sayyed Saheb was an early mandali member, who had suggested the name Meher Baba in 1920. He had not been present at the meeting, but he came from Nasik to see Baba on 13 June, and stayed at Meherabad for two days.

Chanji returned to Ahmednagar and reported to Baba at Meherazad on the 28th. He had seen bungalows in the Nagpur and Chindwara areas, but Baba preferred Raipur. Chanji was sent to Bombay to make train reservations.