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

156 THE GOD MANwho had died in 1944. He was living in an old graveyard on Grant Road. Baba sat with him forsome time. Three other masts were contacted and Baba went by car to Meherabad.He had completed the first and second phases of his plan and started on the third and final phase,which was to distribute grain and cloth (one and a half yards of cloth and eight pounds of jawar) topoor people in the Ahmednagar district. This was done between 17 and 24 February. He washedtheir feet as well as distributing the prasad, and to some people, when they arrived after thedistribution was over on each occasion a small sum of money was given. At one village namedVisapur, where he was to meet a thousand people at a refugee camp, the news had got around thattheir feet were to be washed by a saint - for Baba's identity was being kept secret. They refused,saying they should wash his feet, so that nothing was done there except that Baba made acontribution to the camp funds. The distribution intended for the refugees was made on 7 March ata town called Vambori, where Baba washed the feet of nearly six hundred men and women.Altogether well over 4,000 poor people were so contacted.After these labours another mast tour was embarked upon, if possible even more strenuous thanany that had gone before. Baba set out for the Himalayas, taking with him Gustadji, Baidul, Kaka,Eruch and Chhagan, on 29 March arriving in Calcutta the next day. The first thing he did was totake a train for Dacca, capital of the newly formed Eastern Pakistan; when they reached RanaghatJunction, however, he told them to get out and take the next train back to Calcutta. No explanationwas offered. Two days were spent in Calcutta contacting masts, and on the evening of 1 April theywent by train to Hardwar, arriving there the next day, masts were contacted and provisions werepurchased for the long mountain trek which was to follow. They left on 4 April for Rishikesh bybus, where nine Nepalese coolies were engaged for the baggage. Baba and his party travelled bybus to Tehri Garhwal, the coolies coming on foot as they knew a quick way. From Tehri, whichwas reached that evening, they were all to go forty miles by foot over rough mountainous country.They rested for a day, then on 7 April at 5.30 a.m. Baba, his five men and the nine coolies set outfor Uttar Kashi, where they arrived, tired out and their feet blistered, two days later. At once, nextday, Baba's mast contacts started. There were not only masts but sadhus, saints, initiates and adepts,altogether about fifty-nine men. The names and descriptions of most of them are given by DrDonkin. The return journey to Tehri started on 13 April and was completed on the 16th, when thecoolies