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

THE MASTS OF INDIA 153Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti in a state of filth. Kaka was sent to bring him to Baba, who gave himhis first bath for thirty years, his clothes having to be cut away with scissors. He was then reclothedand given the food he asked for; he then demanded a tonga, in which he seated himselftelling Baba to sit beside him. Baba left him at his hovel, which he refused to allow to be cleaned.For about two weeks Baba went regularly at 3.30 a.m. to sit with Chacha for an hour each night.Three years later Baba went again to Ajmer and again sat with the mast each night. Another visitwas made in July 1946. Then at the end of May 1947 Baidul was sent to Ajmer to bring Chacha toSatara, and with much difficulty did so. At Satara he sat for five weeks in the corner of a smallroom where Baba would spent most of his time giving him cups of tea and food. From these silentconferences Baba would emerge drenched in perspiration. Chacha refused to have a bath, andexcept for his tea-drinking would sit like a man dozing, his eyes half-open, unaware of thefunctions of his body. At the end of the first week in July Baba sent him back to Ajmer, where hewent joyfully; arriving at his hovel with Baidul in a tonga he refused to alight, and had to be tippedout. While he was away it was said that people would come and weep in his hovel, so greatly washe missed.The ashram at Satara was brought to an end. It was then August 1947, and a new series of toursstarted, when Baba left Satara for various places in Hyderabad. This princely state was mostly in avery primitive condition, with few good roads. The ruler was Muslim, the people almost entirelyHindu; at this time the Nizam had refused to accede to India and there was great politicaluneasiness. Baba visited many places and contacted a number of important masts, returning toSatara by the end of the month. Almost at once he moved to Meherabad, and in September was atMeherazad. A letter from Dr Donkin gives an indication of Baba's activities in September 1947:On 24th, he gave darshan to local Satara people, I should think 300/400 came, and we got hereon 27th by midday.On the first or second day, Baba suddenly got ill, and had quite a smart attack of broncopneumonia,with a temperature for a few days. Nilu and I were very busy treating him.I don't know whether there was any connection between this illness and the trouble in the Punjab,but it coincided with the worst days of the trouble up there. As well as being ill, he was in a terriblemood, digging and poking at everyone, and Nilu and I were very depressed for several days, beingvictims of this mood of his. On the