MEHER BABA IN PARIS

 
Quentin Tod, another called to Paris [December 12-17, 1931], was unable to make it because of Christmas rehearsals in London. However, he had instructed his friend Margaret Craske, before she left for Paris, each day to buy three fresh white gardenias. She was to give them to Baba on each of the five days he was in Paris with the message "I love you" — each flower representing one word. This little episode was remembered by Baba throughout the Paris stay and would be woven into our games — "three knocks," "three shots," "three cards" — always followed by "I love you." This was Baba's way of keeping the mind centered in a certain direction for his work.

The five days' stay in Paris with Baba was a very happy time. We were Baba's guests and he told us to have a good time and to enjoy ourselves. So for the five days we went sight-seeing and visiting cinemas — ("Trader Horn" was one in French) — the Eiffel Tower where we had our photos taken all together, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and walks along the Seine — all with Baba.

Another day we went to Versailles where John Cousins wrote in his diary: "We went in a Rolls Royce Salon, which was left at the entrance. Saw the Hall of Mirrors where the Treaty was signed and made our way to the suite of rooms where Marie Antoinette slept, across polished floors where much to the astonishment and amusement of the officials we started to slide about, and roved up and down the side walks with some of the party carrying Baba. Later we were neatly trapped by a guide who voluntarily started telling us all about the suite of rooms so that we had to give him something."

On the return, we stopped the car at a French patisserie. Baba told us to choose what we liked and we chose for him. Though he barely touched his, he allowed us on this occasion to remain until we had finished. (This was a different story when later, in Italy, we would sit down at one of those attractive little tables along the sidewalks, order exciting ice cream sodas and barely would we have taken a sip before Baba would suddenly get up and we had to follow. I recall thinking as I paid the bill — "what a waste of liras!")