THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

134 THE GOD-MANcentre was drawn up, and Baba laid down precisely what was to be done, a trust was to beformed, nine trustees were appointed, how the money was to be raised was considered and how itwas to be expended, and building was started. The main responsibility was laid upon PrincessNorina and Elizabeth Patterson who spent most of their time there, and were the centre ofimmense activity for a long period, during which the second world war started. On 17 December1939, the foundation stone was laid by Baba in the presence of Sir Mirza Ismail, Dewan ofMysore, and other public men of the state. There were many thousands of people present. ByJune of the following year two blocks of the centre were well in hand. There had been muchgoing to and fro between Bangalore and Meherabad. Then suddenly Baba brought his peopleback from the place and the entire scheme was dropped, though he had declared that he wouldopen twelve other centres in India before he spoke.In the interval, an additional storey had been made to the building occupied by the Easternwomen on the Meherabad hill, where the Western women lived in curtained cubicles. Also ahospital for women had been opened with a female doctor in charge, with Nadine Tolstoy asmatron, who had arrived with Irene Billo from Zurich. The experience of living together withrestricted privacy and limited movements, with concentration on tasks given to each of them byBaba, often apparently meaningless, led in the course of months to considerable difficulties andconflicts. There were disagreements and sharp quarrels, often jealousy, for the Western womenwere all of strong individuality.Baba permitted these discords to develop; he would then confront those involved with thesituation, make them face the issue, and, without compromise or easing over the troubles, bringthem together in love. He insisted on harmony, though he provoked differences. It was anexperience, often repeated, that those who passed through never forgot. He gave them many talkson life as a game: it is like playing chess, he said. 'I take interest in two things', he said (8 June1939), 'the mad and money, how to get it, how to spend it, it is my great game of chess; it is allthe same to me, playing ping-pong, dogs, children, resting.' There were talks on the Gita. Hesaid:"Had not Krishna brought about that war he would not have given the Gita; because everyonewas in the mood to fight. Had he said, Don't fight, nobody would have listened to him. When hesaid, Fight! he brought the real meaning of Truth into the world.