Chapter 40: Age Weeps Again

Poona, 1967

At Meherazad, Baba's seclusion continued. He sat with the men in mandali hall in the mornings and afternoons, and when he would be carried back and forth from the hall to his room, the garden boys Shankar, Bapu, Kashinath and Bhanudas Pund would be called to carry his lift-chair. Baba would joke with these village boys, asking them for instance, "How many bhakris did you eat today?" And he would pat their backs as many times as the number eaten, and exhort those eating less to eat more and grow stronger.

Sarosh and Viloo were permitted to see Baba for five minutes at 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 5 July 1967, and Goher's brother Jal two days later on the 7th with Feram. Kaikobad was brought back to Meherazad on the 8th, and Padri, who had been staying at Meherazad in Baba's absence, returned to Meherabad. Adi brought Rama, Mehernath and Sheela on the 9th and they all saw Baba.

For the 42nd anniversary of Baba's silence, on Monday, 10 July 1967, Baba instructed his lovers to observe complete silence from midnight of the 9th of July to midnight of the 10th. Those who were not able to do so were instructed to fast without water for twelve hours, from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. on the 10th.

On 8 July, Judge Mukharji delivered a speech in Calcutta in celebration of Silence Day, which he titled "The Eloquence of Silence." The speech was sent to Baba in advance, and on the occasion Baba sent this telegram to him, and also to others:

I bind myself with silence that, when I break it, mankind will realize what real freedom is.

To Deshmukh, Nana Kher and the Nagpur group, Baba sent this message:

My love blessings to all those who in celebration of my silence anniversary celebrations are enjoying the beauty of silence and who, in silence, are awake for the attainment of the destination of the pilgrimage of life.

On the morning of 10 July at Meherazad, Baba called the men and women mandali to the hall to listen to an audio tape that had been sent by Harry Kenmore. The audio tape was of the public program recently held in New York City at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel. Elizabeth, Kitty, Darwin Shaw and Kenmore were the main speakers. (Rustom Kaka towed a generator to Meherazad to power the tape recorder.)

Irwin Luck sent Baba a handmade book he had compiled of various quotes and photographs that Irwin titled The Silent Master, Meher Baba. It arrived at Meherazad on 10 July, and Baba cabled Irwin the following day: