Chapter 3: Manzil-E-Meem

Meher Baba had not bathed during his entire six-month stay at Upasni Maharaj's ashram in Sakori, and his clothes had become ragged and full of lice. Reaching Bombay by train, he went to Munshiji's house on Charni Road. Munshi was now an important official in the Bombay Backbay Reclamation Scheme. He was very happy to see Baba, but was shocked by his condition. He pleaded with Baba to bathe, and Baba consented to do so with Munshiji's help. Before bathing, Baba agreed to be photographed, and Munshiji sent Sayyed Saheb in his car to bring a friend of Munshiji's who was a photographer. After Baba had bathed, either that day or a few days later, a second photograph was taken of Baba in a suit and tie.

Baily was present and commented to Baba that it would have been better not to have taken the first photo, before his bath, in a torn sadra and dirty clothes. Baba smiled and stated:

A time will come when my photograph will be taken every day, in great numbers, in different poses. Photos of me will be sold everywhere. They will appear in newspapers of different languages of the world, in books and magazines, at residences, businesses, religious places, government and private offices. Wherever your eyes look, my photos will be seen — on lockets tied around necks, on coat buttons, on rings showing my face, small and big enlargements of my photos will adorn the walls, life-size oil paintings of me, also. Over and above that, my image will be seen on the cinema screen — sitting, standing, sleeping — in all postures; smaller than the smallest channa dana [pea size] and bigger than life-size. There will be no end to my photos.

Bombay, January 1922

After lunch, Baba wrote to Sadashiv Patil in Poona to arrange the immediate construction of a jhopdi (thatched hut) for his own personal use. As he had explained in Sakori, Baba reiterated in the letter that, on his return to Poona, he intended to rest at night in this hut instead of at his parents' house.

Later, accompanied by Munshiji, Baba visited Dr. Ghani's dispensary again and inquired how he was doing. Ghani bitterly complained that the dispensary had shown no progress, very few patients had come, and he was disgusted with his medical practice. Baba noticed that the room was very dusty and asked, "How can you expect patients to come to such a dirty place? Don't you ever have it swept?" Baba himself took a broom and swept the whole area. He advised Ghani, "If you sweep your dispensary and keep it clean yourself for six months, instead of having the servant do it, you will prosper both materially and spiritually."