[Tavern-Talk] HEART TALK: William Donkin's Diaries 14

Fri Feb 22 02:26:32 GMT 2008

HEART TALK - Donkin's Diaries: Fourteenth Installment

24/4/40 Wednesday Satharpur

It seems re the above affair about the Dewan is not true at all, but
that Dr Ghani had pulled Chanji's leg about it all - Baba laughed when
he heard this - Chanji is really rather easily fooled - so were we for
that matter!

The last evening in Amboli we had tea on the terrace of the Rani of
Savantwadi's house - looking out from the edge of the ghats to the sea
some 15 miles away. In the house the Rani even massaged Baba's feet,
which, among Hindus is a sign of the utmost reverence.

I walked into a tiger's lair about a mile from Amboli one morning, I
saw the tiger I think watching me - the Rani had tried to shoot it the
previous night, but it had not come out - but when I was there, the
bullock which had been tied to a stake to attract the tiger had been
killed, and its hind quarters eaten, some time during the previous night.

Baba used to sit on my bed on the Bungalow verandah at Amboli to
dictate his letters, and other work there.

The night before we left, Jampia, the Belgaum mast, was very noisy and
restless, and at 2:00 in the morning he broke the window, and pulled
away part of the frame; anyhow he was always picking and scratching at
things, pulling nails out of the walls, wiping the floor with his
hands, picking up his own faeces and any dirt; Baba later explained
that all this is because of a certain spiritual state - they must
always pick at things like Mohammad, and his  "deesh " all day long.

Irene had a crisis, and was ill in Amboli temp. 105 , and on the day
we left, and Elizabeth and Norina with fever.

So when we left Amboli for Belgaum on Saturday at 2:00 pm, I drove
Elizabeth's car, with Baba and Elizabeth in front, and the invisibles
behind, hidden by a screen.

At Belgaum we stayed in the Rani of Savantwadi's Bungalow, about 3
miles from the city, all very comfortable there: Baba slept with we
men, at the end of the same room with 1/2 drawn curtain across; he
groaned at times in the night.

Irene we left at the hospital, and Jampia the mast was left at his
village again; he was too much to look after. We left Belgaum
yesterday morning at 5:00 am, and came to this place, Satharpur, at
12:00 midday, after an easy run of 130 miles or so, and lunch this
side of Kolhapur. It is rather hot here, but pleasant, at the bottom
of the Ghat.

Nilu takes Irene from the hospital at Belgaum to the hotel at
Panchgani, where we wait for them both.

Baba lectured all the ladies this morning about controlling emotions;
he wants us to get angry, but to control it - to hate but to transfer
the hate to love, to maintain poise always, that is spirituality. The
women, he says, make such a fuss over small things; they have no
courage to control their moods.

Baba looks fit and radiant to-day - pleased with people and things in general.

28/4/40 Panchgani

At 3:30 on the afternoon of 24th Baba ordered Norina and I to go in
Elizabeth's car to Belgaum, to see a site there 12 miles the Kolhapur
side of Belgaum offered by one Tophkane to Baba. We did the 110 miles
in 3 hours and got to the meeting place at 6:30 pm. But though we
tried to see the site that evening, the side road was so rotten that
we had to wait till next morning.

Tophkhane put us up at his house, very comfortable, and we went to the
site at 6:00 am. Rotten road to it, but lovely place, with a stream
running through the land, very good water, and plenty of trees: about
36 acres in all, made up of several plots, but biggest plot is 18
acres. We had lunch in Kolhapur, and got back to Satharpur at 2:00 pm;
very hot there.

Next morning at 6:00 am we left for Mahableshwar, some 130 miles over
the foothills of the ghats, a twisting but beautiful route. We stopped
at Chiplun for an hour to have refreshments, rawa, tea and bhajias in
a Hindu house, and then came on to Mahableshwar; we stopped for tea at
Poladpur for an hour. The bus got very tired and almost petered out on
the way up to Mahableshwar, 4400 ft above sea; after all it's carrying
28 people now, and full luggage inside and out, and is only designed
for 17 people! So it certainly deserves God-Realization; though it
really felt as if it might give up, as I drove it up the last ghat to
Mahableshwar. We reached Mahableshwar at 5:30 pm, and settled into the
Hotel de Granville - Baba placed in a nice room.

Next day Baba took out the ladies for a longish walk, and in the
evening I went for a walk along the edge of the ghat, and was picked
up on the way by Elizabeth and taken to Arthur's seat some 8 miles
off, whence a 1st class view of the ghat cliffs - about 4,000 feet
drop - very fine indeed.

This morning we came on here to Panchgani leaving at 6 am, and getting
here in 1/2 hour; we went up the plateau first to see the view, and
then came for breakfast to our hotels.

This morning Baba told me that on May 1st I return to Bangalore to
work in hospital there, at surgery, for 2 months, till July 1st; and
then return to Meherabad, when he will find a job for me, a paid job,
out of which I shall pay as much to Baba as possible.

30/4/40 Happy Valley Dongargan Ahmednagar

We left Panchgani on the morning of 29/4/40; and reached Poona at
about 9:00 am. Baba took us all to the Bund Garden, and showed us the
tree where Babajan used to sit, overlooking the river; Baba also told
us that he used to boat on the river there when a college student.

We had lunch about 5 miles out of Poona, under a large tree, Baba, as
usual, seeing that we all eat well.

At 1:00 pm we reached Nagar, and then went on to Happy Valley: Baba
buttered me up rather in Nagar, in front of the others there. In
Mahableshwar however, 2 days before, on the morning we left, he began
poking me, saying why wasn't I ready, when it wasn't yet six, at which
time I had been ordered to be ready - I got a bit peeved with Baba,
and later he ticked me off for having got rather ratty; Baba always
tries to upset one in one's worst moments, which with me - like
Elizabeth, is in the early morning!

Here in Happy Valley Baba looks radiant and restful, and comes and
sits with us at the back of the rest house, and cuts jokes while he
sees to the correspondence.

3/5/40 Bangalore

I went with Baba to Meherabad on the morning of 2/5/40 to sort out
luggage on the hill. We stopped at Sarosh and he came running out to
Baba, saying that at 6:30 he'd been rung up from Poona by Adi Junior
who told him that same morning at 5:30 or so, Bua Saheb, or otherwise
called Behramji, had been killed on his motor bike in Poona
Cantonment, while in collision with a car: instantaneous death. On
being told this Baba showed no emotion, though Sarosh wept a little
telling the tale. Bua Saheb was Baba's very first disciple.

Baba then reminded us that he had said 2 men or 1 man and 1 woman of
the circle would die before the war end. This was the first, one of
Baba's closest - who - he asked rhetorically - would be the second?

I went by car with Sarosh, Chanji, and Aga Baidul to Poona that
afternoon; they went to Bua Saheb's funeral; Baba told me to tell all
here in Bangalore about Bua Saheb's death, and one more man or woman
still to go!

I got here last evening after easy journey 2nd class in train, and
to-day am settling in.

11/5/40

Have been going to Bowring Hospital, and, at Baba's order, going in
100% for surgery. Have done appendix and hernia since last week.

Went to Byramangala yesterday with Adi senior. 9 of the 12 houses are
up to roof level; a storm the day before blew the roof off one of the
builder's sheds. Padri seems rather fed up here, and wants to go back
to Meherabad.

Last Wednesday we all fasted till sundown in memory of Baba's 'deep
spiritual connection' with Bua Saheb, who was killed last week in Poona.

===================================

Jai Beloved Baba!
Archives Team
Avatar Meher Baba P.P.C. Trust

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