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

THE MASTS OF INDIA 147his superb face and eyes 'that shone like burnished swords', made him arresting. He was said tohave sat at that spot for six years, exposed to sun, rain and wind. When Baba reached Ranchi, hesent A. S. Baria, known as Kaka, who had been with him when he first contacted Karim Baba afew weeks earlier, to bring the latter from Calcutta to Ranchi. Karim Baba made no responseexcept to laugh when asked to leave. Kaka, however, was undismayed, being used to the whims ofmasts and ready to cope with any difficulty. He went away and bought a new kafni, or tunic, andlungi, or loin cloth, interested two Muslims in a nearby restaurant to help him, and engaged avictoria cab to stand by a little way off. When he invited Karim Baba to exchange his rags for thenew tunic and lungi, the mast got up without a word and allowed himself to be clothed in the street.By this time a small crowd had gathered, for Karim Baba was a well known and respected holyman. Although Kaka feared that the crowd might have resented the removal of their saint, theymerely looked on, astonished, while he was persuaded to walk to the cab. Karim Baba would atfirst only sit on the step, but after a while was got to sit on the floor, for he would not occupy theseat, and was taken to the railway station. There Kaka found a third-class compartment andinstalled his prize, getting one of his Muslim assistants to buy the railway tickets, settle his billsand bring his bags. Just before the train moved Karim Baba spoke for the first time, saying, 'Tikatnikalgaya aur gari chhuti' (the ticket is taken and the train has started). Soon Karim Baba becamerestless and put one leg out of the window, saying nothing. Kaka was puzzled but decided that themast wanted to visit the toilet. This was in fact so, and when he had relieved himself 'picked outthree or four coins of one or two annas, and an odd copper piece, from his ordure, washed themthouroughly under the tap, tossed them in his mouth, and swallowed them.' It afterwards appearedthat this was a regular practice of his. They arrived at Ranchi without further incident, and contraryto his usual custom Baba did not bathe the mast. Dr Donkin says:"In Ranchi, Karim Baba was lodged in a special little room, and Baba would go several times aday to feed him, and sit alone with him. Karim Baba was usually silent, but from time to time hewould utter some short phrase with the sudden vigour of a lid blowing off a boiling kettle…he usedto laugh and sing when Baba sat with him, and one would sometimes wake up at an odd, unknownhour in the dead of the night, and hear him singing sweetly and gently to himself. It moved