A GOOD LOOK AT THE MEHERABAD GIRLS

 
One of Baba's disciples named Kaikobad Dastur had a wife and three daughters whom we had never met. While we were in Raipur all four of them came to stay in the ashram on Meherabad Hill. Before their arrival everyone at Meherabad was a little apprehensive, because they had heard that these new people were Bombay socialites. After years of living on the Hill and travelling with Baba nobody looked their best, and their everyday clothes were very patched and worn.

"When they come, we'll wear our best clothes during the day," they decided, "and we'll sleep in our old clothes. Baba would want us to give them a good impression."

The Dastur girls arrived in the late evening, and everyone, dressed in their best clothes, was there to greet them. They were to share the upstairs room of the Retreat, now the Study Hall, with Margaret, Geisha the cat and the others, so they made their way upstairs and got settled for the night.

When bedtime came Margaret decided to keep the cat in bed with her. Geisha was still a newcomer to Meherabad and Margaret wanted her to feel safe in this strange place, so she put her on her bed and very nicely tucked in the mosquito net.

After everyone had fallen asleep, suddenly the most terrible howling split the air. Lanterns were lit, and everyone jumped out of bed to see what was causing this terrifying noise. In Margaret's bed they saw a most ferocious cat fight!

What had happened was this: Another cat that lived at Meherabad had scented Geisha's presence, had come through the open window, and attacked poor Geisha on Margaret's bed through the mosquito net. Somehow a stop was put to the fight, but not before Margaret's mosquito net was torn to pieces. And not before the new arrivals had a good look at the Meherabad girls in their old patched clothes!

Everyone had wanted to give the new girls a nice welcome, but instead they were greeted by a cat fight! And later, when we got to know the Dasturs, we found that they were not sophisticated, society girls at all, but very naive and shy girls.