Living with Baba

Baba's drama is always unimaginable, and often funny. He is unpredictable: one moment in a formidable mood scolding and punishing everybody, the next moment smiling sweetly, as if nothing had happened. There were also times when He wore a sullen mood, refusing to talk to anybody, much like a child, and the next moment He would be happily talking with everybody, without a trace of His earlier mood.

In the 1979 DMC held in Nagpur, Baba was in a dark and angry mood and refused to take any food the whole day. He severely reprimanded all the workers for their unsatisfactory work. The fiery scolding lasted throughout the day. We could hardly do any work then because nobody was able to come close to Baba.

At about ten o'clock at night, a dada emerged from Baba's room and told us, "We have seen so many dramas the whole day. The doctor had instructed me that Baba must take food at the proper time, and that He will also have to take His medicine."

Dada was in an uncompromising mood. Baba's health would surely be affected if He continued this way. I went with him into Baba's room to see if anything could be done to persuade Him to at least take his food and medicine. The situation was not good. Baba was lying down on His bed with His face towards the wall, deliberately away from the door. It looked as if there was nothing we could do to improve the situation. We then decided to force Him to take His food. Dada forcibly lifted Baba into a sitting position by placing one hand under His knees and the other around His neck, much like an irritated parent would do to his sulky child who refused to sit up and take his food.

With Baba sitting up on His bed, we rushed to get His food and drink. Calmly and coolly, He asked, "Where is the water to wash My hands?" He then quietly took His food, as if nothing had happened.

It was an energy-sapping but magnificent drama! One moment, there was thunder and lightning and nobody dared to approach Him, and the next moment, He acted as if nothing had happened.