RAMU

 
Yet another unexpected new pet for Baba arrived in late 1967. Again it was a pet that gave Beloved Baba some relaxation and amusement during the intense seclusion work of the sixties.

It was a very scrawny starving little puppy from the nearby village, and it slipped into Mandali Hall through the narrow opening of the door. The mandali moved to shoo it out, but Baba stopped them and said to ask the women for some food for it. Of course once it had food it did not want to leave, but probably Baba had from the beginning decided to keep it.

He named it Ramu, which means in Gujerati 'play' and as was His habit, He fed it more than it could ever contain. So from an extremely thin one, Ramu quickly became a very fat little puppy.

Ramu was given into Mehera's charge and she taught him some tricks. One which Baba enjoyed was Ramu jumping over obstacles. So in the morning during prayers, Ramu would be tied to a tree, and after the prayers when he was released, he would shoot like an arrow into the Hall to be with Baba.

Baba would then feed him bits from His breakfast sent by Mehera. It was tea and a little toast. Baba would have His feet on a stool and He would put the toast on one side of His legs and the puppy would jump across to get it. It was bread sent specially from Poona to help nourish Baba, and Eruch would observe this game with growing annoyance and the more he showed it, the more Baba would feed Ramu. As the mandali would comment, 'Baba was a great tease!'