One evening his wife saw a vision of a man in a white sadra, who told her: "Tell your husband to wear this shirt," and he pointed to his own. She ran and told her husband. He asked, "Which shirt?" She answered, "I don't know, I've never seen a shirt like that before." He immediately grabbed all his books and made her go through each one. She couldn't find anyone who looked like or was dressed like the man she had seen. Her husband was very angry and she was very unhappy. One evening as they were walking, they happened to enter the Avatar Meher Baba Center in Poona. The wife saw a large picture of Baba, and shouted: "There's the man! There's the shirt! " Today these people are great lovers of Baba and the professor always wears a sadra, even to the school where he teaches!

Mani told about their New Life days. They had to beg for their food at huts and houses on the way. No one knew who Baba or his mandali were, yet often, when they would approach houses to beg, the people would deprive themselves to give food to Baba and his disciples. Mani said the feeling was instinctive in all who met them. In fact, many asked to go with them, but Baba would always have to say no. He didn't gather disciples as he traveled as Christ did.

They had donkeys with them; Baba would move so fast and sometimes the donkeys refused to move. Baba would gesture, 'what was keeping them?' So when Baba would be looking back they would be very nice to the donkey saying: "C'mon donkey, nice donkey!" When Baba would be far enough ahead they would whack the donkeys and the donkeys would start to run, enabling them to catch up with Baba. This would happen again and again. They never wanted Baba to see them hitting the donkeys, so they waited for him to get almost out of sight. As if Baba didn't know what was really happening!

Mani told a charming story about birds they used to keep for Baba. Baba asked them to be especially careful with them, not to let them out of their cages. They were painstakingly careful, but one day one of them flew out. They tried to get him back, being very gentle and careful at the same time, but he flew away. Baba was very displeased when he was told. Mani said that she is convinced Baba did a great deal of universal work with those birds. Baba ordered the birds to be fed as much as they wanted. Mani and Mehera fed them to their hearts' content and they would get so full they couldn't move. Then Baba would say: "Exercise them! " They would walk the birds around, but they would still be so full they could hardly walk. When they asked Baba what to do about that he would gesture: "Give them a laxative!" But after the laxative the birds would be hungry again and they would have to start all over!

At one point in the evening Mehera noticed Cindy Ceteras' purse lying on the floor. It had a picture of Baba pasted on it. Mehera picked it up and kissed Baba's face. It was such a touching, silent gesture.

Mehera and Mani posed outside with Mark and Michael, Charmian Corrinet 's two boys. We were thus able to snap them for a few minutes before the sun set completely. As we left that evening we were all elevated to an indescribable high feeling. All the dreams of meeting Mehera and embracing her had come true in an instant. Meeting Mani and the other women were a wonder that left many of us in tears as we waited for our bus. Some of us walked home that night pinching ourselves: it was really happening!

Notes on the men's meeting by Dave Weitersen;

We arrived at Guruprasad at 5:30 p.m. and met the mandali. They are really beautiful. We also met a few women, the most striking being Baba's sister Mani, who was and is beyond words. The girls went with the women and we went with the men mandali. The girls met Mehera. Some of them crying afterwards. She will be seen by us! . . . on the first day of Darshan. I can't believe it!

We sat and talked with the disciples in the room where Baba used to sit and give orders and discourses, etc. His chair and the furnishings were all there, just as they were before he dropped his body. The mandali told us some short stories about Baba.

1) They were travelling and decided to purchase some oranges from a stand that had a picture of Baba on it. They bar-