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19

 

On June 22 at 3:30 P.M., Jal and my brother met Baba, who was accompanied by Chanji, Behram, Adi, and Kaka. The party was still very tired from their stay in the U.S. and their hectic journey across the Pacific. Baba was dressed in European white suit and a panama hat. Rooms had been booked in a hotel overlooking the Bund, the busy street and waterfront of the Whangpoo River.

 

On arrival, Baba and party immediately had tea and then Baba said he wished to go around the city and mix with the Chinese crowds. At that time, my brother had very little experience of Baba's ways — not as much as I, which was very little — and was still rather awed and awkward in his presence. He took Baba and his group along the Bund, then from the French settlement through the British, to the war-stricken districts near the North Station, thinking it would interest him. But no, not at all. There were not enough people. So they took a tram and saw the Nanking Road, the new brightly-lit Chinese stores, Chunking Road, Racecourse, and along the Tibet Road. It was nearly 8 P.M., so the streets were densely packed with long-gowned clerks and short-coated coolies. The Chinese streets were hung with paper lanterns and waving banners of Chinese characters. Baba was delighted as they threaded the narrow perfumed alleys, and the Chinese turned to stare at them, not too friendly. Baba was delighted and seemed to like them.

 

Neither of us, my brother nor I, liked to waste money; and on a few occasions we both erred, taking tram or train when we should have hired taxis or cars, or at least have left it to Baba to decide if the simple bus was okay. Shortly after, when writing of this stay of Baba's in China, my brother realized that he ought to have booked cars or taxis and taken them around. However, after dinner they did drive around the three cities, French, British, and the fringe of the Chinese City with its gay lights, restaurants, hotels, and haunts.

 

On Thursday, the 24th, Baba saw some visitors. As my brother's interests had leaned towards Oriental philosophies, he had for some time become acquainted with some cultured Chinese with whom he discussed Buddhist prints and particularly, meditation. In spite of language difficulty, they met fairly frequently. On occasion he would visit the nearest monasteries in which meditation was practiced. Some of the old Chinese patriarchs, of whom his friends spoke, seemed to have been like Masters. So, here, my brother had the opportunity to talk to them of Baba. Some came to see Baba: Ting, Miss Ti, Adlam, etc., and invited the party (seven in all) to a big Chinese banquet that evening.

 

The rest of the day was very hectic for my brother. He still had his private work to do, appointments to keep in connection with his official work in China. What does Baba do? He seizes the opportunity as a testing ground! Fatigue, worry that all should go well, and a difficult proposition with many changes of plans. So

 

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