[Tavern-Talk] HEART TALK: William Donkin's Diaries 17

[Tavern-talk]

HEART TALK - Donkin's Diaries: Seventeenth Installment

July 17th 1940

Baba very chirpy last 2 days now that the work of instructions to all
for next year is all done. I at least managed to get the Western Group
off order No 20 - to fast with one meal a day and only twice milk tea
or coffee: this has been made optional for them: i.e. to avoid it if
absolutely impracticable. Yesterday he was poking Kaka over news from
West about War, and poking Nilu about Indian politics. Baba says that
each Indian politician is now going his own way, and there is no
Indian leader: India's leader is now - Baba said - [Anna] 104 -
meaning an old man in Ahmednagar who always chews tobacco, and babbles
on, and one day when Baba called in to see him all he could say was
"hundred and four, hundred and four " without explanation and without
stopping - meaning his fever temperature - Baba humorously calls him
now India's political leader - at any rate as good as any of them.
Baba also says Britain should give Dominion status now to India - I
quite agree.

Baba liked Churchill's fighting speech yesterday - he said  "at last
Hitler has met his match ". Churchill is a great leader he said.

Baba has been playing cards with us the last 2 evenings, and last
night he crept up and threw an umbrella at Nilu as he lay on his bed -
Nilu was terrified - thought something had bitten him on the sole of
the foot where the brolly hit him.

Yesterday Baba gave us all a talk about not back-biting - he says he
knows none of us will obey that order - which is on the year's
order-list - which is quite true - none of us will. He says we must be
on guard every day for a year against these enemies in ourselves, like
a soldier in the trenches on guard against outside enemies and a
harder task really.

27th July 1940

A fair amount of water has flown under London Bridge since my last
entry, and a good deal more under Howrah bridge now that monsoon season is on.

The last few days in Ranchi were really very dull, even Baba admitted
as much, and he spent most of his time pulling our legs, and creeping
into our room and throwing things at Nilu to frighten him, usually
with success. One evening a long discussion on food and waste of food
- I hold that all Indians eat too much rice - Baba seemed to agree
with me, and we all had a laugh over that boy Amdu, who eats a hell of
a lot of rice twice a day, about 8 times more than me, though only 1/2
my size; of course I suppose he's growing.

We all left for Calcutta on 19th afternoon. Chanji and I went ahead
with luggage to Muri, and the rest of the party with Baba picked us up there.

In Calcutta we only saw Baba twice - he and the ladies were in
separate hotel nearby.

He told us he knew why Hitler wasn't attacking England right now -
he's in a dilemma with so much to control of conquered lands in Europe
- he can't effectively attack England, and he can't make peace - he's
just got to jog along and find a way out.

Calcutta a good city, but rather sticky and hot.

I left Calcutta one evening before, on Baba's order, to go back to
Ranchi to help with getting the masts to the train at Chakradharpur;
all went O.K. to the station; except Mohamed, [Savak] Kotwal, Lala and
the dog vomited in the bus, but at Chakradharpur nothing would make
Chatty Baba get into the train; the poor old man was greatly upset,
but obdurate - he wept and got angry, and so Baidul, Kotwal and I
stayed behind with him, while Baba and the others went on.

Next morning with the help of the police shouting at him we got him
into the train; very tedious - 24 hours to Nagpur: all day he tried to
get out of the train at every station - he looked very sad.

At Nagpur same trouble, had to get police - [Savak] Kotwal had
vomiting and dysentery, very weak and no medicine - but Chatty Baba
got less troublesome then: at Bhusawal he tried to walk off the
station - and police again had to shout at him to get into train - and
so at last after changing again at Manmad, where he was O.K., we got
here to Meherabad; Baba very pleased, and we 3 very dirty and tired -
myself looking like convict, with 3 days beard, and us washing
anywhere, and dirty clothes: Chatty Baba least of all affected, of
course. These masts are tough. Baba said that Baidul should not have
put Karim [Baba] opposite Chatty Baba in the bus, it was not the law
of the planes, and upset Chatty Baba - Karim 3rd or 4th and Chatty
Baba 6th. Many people on our journey called Chatty Baba a saint.

Apparently the other party had trouble with Karim [Baba]; he
threatened to knock Shariat Khan's block off if he didn't stop singing
to himself!

Baba has to-day told me to stay at Meherabad till called up, and when
called to obey relaxed orders which he gave me from the list, and tell
him where I go.

I don't feel I'll be called in any great hurry by the look of things,
but will see, though shan't see much of Baba I fear, unless anyone
gets really ill on the hill - I'm to go up daily with Nilu after
August 1st for usual medical round.

5/8/40

We've now had 5 days of Baba's special orders, only one solid meal a
day, and liquid foods morning and evening; result is we are very heavy
after lunch. Vishnu goes to Baba daily, and Baba much amused to hear
of my discomfort after lunch because of trying to eat so much. I have
hopes we may see Baba occasionally, though am not sure - as he will go
to women once a week also.

To-day's paper tells us that the Maharaja of Mysore has died, so
fulfilling Baba's remark at the Dasara procession last year that it
was then the Maharaja's last Dasara festival.

20/8/40

Baba's seclusion continues, and none save Vishnu are seeing him, save
the women every Thursday.

Baba asks a good deal after all of us, and after me, and sent a
message down 2 days ago. That if I can find surgical work in
Ahmednagar I am to take it up if I feel so inclined.

While I was in Bangalore in May, Dr Ghani told the following
experience of his re Baba, which is worth putting down.

Ghani returned suddenly to Rahuri from Bombay one night, and, at that
time Baba was for a few hours in strict seclusion. Rao Sahib had been
put on door duty to stop anyone going near Baba's hut. But just when
Ghani came back, Rao Sahib went off to empty his bladder, and in
walked Ghani into Baba's hut, knowing nothing of Baba's seclusion, and
being stopped by no-one. On seeing Ghani, Baba looked dreadful,
trembled all over, and looked more ghastly than Ghani had ever seen
him look before.

After about a minute or two of this trembling and terrible appearance,
Baba asked Ghani why he had come, in anger, and whether anyone had
stopped him. Ghani explained, and Baba was quieter. Baba then
explained that when Ghani interrupted him, Baba took the entire shock
of the interruption in the use of his power on himself, producing this
terrible trembling, otherwise Ghani would have been killed outright by it.

So the moral is not to disturb Masters when doing their special
spiritual work in private!

30/8/40

The other day Baba ordered me through Vishnu to go to Ankai Mountain
where Pleader, Gustadji, Papa, Kotwal and Swami Babanand are staying
at Baba's orders. I had to ask them if they wanted to come back to
Meherabad as Baba sanctioned this if Ankai was not really practicable.
They are in a man-made cave up there - a fine view about 900 feet
above the plain and a sheer cliff all around. Only one rock stairway
up it. As luck would have it the day I went, Aug 26th, was a day of
pilgrimage to this mountain, and the stairway was wedged with people,
literally wedged. Not wanting to be late I fought my way up with great
difficulty - it took me 1/2 hour or more what would take 10 minutes
when stairway empty; the man carrying my bundle took 2 1/2 hours
trying to get up the same distance - he got wedged tight. And so to
get up I touched literally hundreds of women, although I am not
allowed to do so by Baba's order.

So next day I saw Baba to tell him the messages of each one on Ankai,
and told him about touching of these women on Ankai; he was not
annoyed, but he said that to wipe this matter off I must fast the next
day on milk only. Since then Baba is citing me as an object lesson on
how he means these orders to be kept literally. Baba looked fit when I
saw him, but a little thinner, which perhaps suits him better.

Pendu is supervising the building of a bathroom for Baba up on the
hill, so now Vishnu, Pendu and I have seen Baba - also Kaka - during
his seclusion; the women of course see him regularly every Thursday:
thus every Friday Nilu and I get taunting messages from Baba through
Vishnu or Rano as to why we don't treat so and so and so and so better
etc - with threats and ultimata of fasts on water etc!

The Mad are all going up the hill to Baba on Sept 3rd.

4/9/40

To-day I hear rumours from the ladies up the hill that Baba is taking
them to Honolulu and California in November of this year; and he
theoretically goes to Ankai in November; also he dropped a hint to
Vishnu that he has just to do some 'finishing' work with the mad who
have gone up the hill yesterday. So it looks as if his seclusion may
finish in November with luck.

One interesting tale Pendu told me of the old days in Manzil-e-Meem in
1922. One evening all played atya-patya, an Indian game. A few hours
before, Baba had said that if he should get very ill that day, even if
he should ask for doctor, doctor not to be sent for.

In atya-patya game he hit Padri with his toe, and instantly dreadful
pain in toe and foot and leg. He asked for doctor, dreadful pain that
amputation would be relief even. Doctor sent for by someone in spite
of Baba's order - Baba refused to see him, so was paid and sent away.
Baba kept vomiting with the agony. Some hours later he got O.K., and
then explained that he had tried that Judas should no longer be Judas
- but he failed to achieve this object.

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

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Heart Talk, Diary Part 237, 13 March 2008
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