The Combined Diary
"All the nerves and veins in the Head are felt to be pulling and straining downwards and there is a rigid stiffness about the neck," folios #2v217-2v221, April 12-13, 1927.
For some time Baba had been suffering from a stiff neck and pain in the back of his head. It became noticeable that his condition had worsened; he wrapped his head and neck in a woolen scarf despite the summer heat. He was unable to turn his head and even the slightest movement of his jaw gave him pain. Through signs he conveyed, "All the nerves and veins in the Head are felt to be pulling and straining downwards and there is a rigid stiffness about the neck."
In spite of pain and physical constraint, Baba went over the drafts of the publicity letters and discussed them with the writers. The letters to Aga-Baidool in Persia and to correspondents in Karachi were sent out.
A prosperous Hindu family from Ahmednagar, acquaintances of Pleader, came to pay respects to Baba and show their gratitude for his help when their daughter was suffering from a very difficult birth. At the moment of her greatest pain and despair she managed to call out whole-heartedly to Baba and shortly thereafter she succeeded in delivering a boy child. The family vowed to lay the infant on Baba's feet; they came to fulfill their vow.
In the evening Baba led a discussion of the possible causes of his affliction. Much to his amusement the mandali were more or less evenly divided into those who blamed it on heat and those who attributed it to cold. The evening was rounded off with the narration of a detective story by Ramjoo.
The following day, his condition having deteriorated, Baba remained in his zhopdi. Late in the evening he came out and only a few minutes afterwards a car arrived carrying four Parsi women from Ahmednagar and Bombay. They took Baba's darshan without questions or discussion and immediately departed for their return trip. "No doubt that for such genuine and sincere desire for a mere Darshan without the usual 'wants' underlying it on their part, that Shri came out for them at the right moment!"
Afterwards for about two and a half hours Baba and the mandali sat together on the zhopdi veranda in "perfect silence" broken only at 8:30 by the solemn recitation of the arti. An hour later Baba gave the signal to retire. Ramjoo and Dr. Ghani paid special respects to Baba because they were leaving early in the morning.
Part 137: The Combined Diary
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