FIRST PINK COAT

 
In December 1924 Baba took us to Bombay on the night train.... Baba told us to be ready to leave by five o'clock and, as it was December and would be chilly on the way, he told us to take our warm things and not to catch colds.

We got our things ready, and I had my warm, pink knitted coat lying on my packed bedding. My mother loved to crochet and knit and she had knitted it for me while I was still at school. It was very loose and came almost to my knees, but it was warm, so I always kept it with me. The pink was a pretty colour, not too bright, and it had a white band knitted into the border.

Baba came into our room with a bundle of light pinkish-mauve cloth in His hand and, to our surprise, He threw this bundle onto the big cotton carpet on our floor still holding one end in His hand. Baba then started to wrap the cloth around His head very, very quickly, looking so beautiful with a slight turn of His head this way, then that way, until His hair was hidden inside a turban! Baba did not want His hair to be seen while we were travelling.

Then He asked us, "Are you all packed and ready? We have to leave in fifteen minutes. Have you left your warm things out?" Baba saw my pink coat lying on my bedding and picked it up asking, "Whose is this?"

"It's mine, Baba," I said. He put the coat on and, because it was knitted, it fitted Him.

"This is a nice, warm coat," Baba said. "Remember to wear it if you feel cold on the train."

Baba looked so lovely in the pink coat and pink turban but before we got into the tonga to go to the station, He took the coat off.

Now at night when I think of Baba and remember every little thing that we did with Him, I realize that this was the first pink coat that Baba had worn. Baba always wore white or almond-coloured or very pale-blue coats, not pink ones, but at Guruprasad Baba wore a pink coat at darshan time. Someone had given it to Him and it suited Him, so we said, "Baba, why don't you wear it?" But the very first pink coat Baba wore had been knitted by my mother!

We went by tonga from the Post Office to the station. In those days there were very few people at the train station. It was twilight when we arrived and Baba told us to sit on a bench as we waited for the train, while He began walking from one end of the platform to the other looking so beautiful in the Kamli coat, sandals, sadra and turban.

As Baba walked He began to sing quite loudly at each end of the platform where there were no people, and very softly as He passed us and the others waiting for the train. Baba went back and forth singing loudly and then softly. It was so sweet to hear Him, and it shows He loved music and singing, and how much He suffered in keeping silence for all those years.

When the train came the mandali first rushed to find Baba's compartment. It was a very small one with two seats only, one for Baba and one for Gustadji. Baba told us that we were to sit in the ladies compartment. Then He got into His tiny compartment, and Gustadji pushed His bedding inside. While we were waiting on the bench for the mandali to find the ladies' compartment Baba sent Gustadji to call me to Him.

"Oh what's happened," I thought. "Have I made a mistake? What could I have done that has made Baba send for me?" I went to Baba's compartment and climbed in.

Baba was very sweet. He told me to sit down and said, "Massage My feet." So I massaged Baba's feet for about half a minute, and then He said to me, "You know, if you massage My feet every day without fail, I'll make you like Babajan!"

I was so surprised. I had never even thought of such a thing. I had never aspired for such greatness, to become like Babajan! I only wanted to be with Baba, and to love Him and to serve Him. But what could I say? So I just said, "Yes, Baba."

But Baba knew I would not be able to massage His feet in Bombay without missing a day. He kept silence there for seven days, and fasted for some days too, and at that time no one could even enter His door. Baba had wanted to see how I would feel about it, and what I would say! It was very naughty of Baba to say that, but very sweet, too! He had to startle people sometimes with certain things.