Like the bolt from the blue, on the 4th of January, 1956, we received a telegram from Baba saying that He would visit Navsari on the 29th. The joy this news brought is inexpressible. Each night we would get together at 9 p.m. to talk, discuss and plan about God's visit. We would dig deep into the night trying to figure out how to make the darshan program a grand success. Everything had to be carefully planned from the time Baba arrived till he left for Bajwa the next day. Eruch would send suggestions through letters. Meherji visited Navsari twice before Baba arrived to check meticulously all details and to see whether Baba's stay would be a comfortable one. He had nothing to carp about, for he found Baba snugly closeted in the heart of each one who worked for the coming darshan. As the 29th neared, there were so many things to be looked into. We had to collect money to defray the expenses for a big awning, stage, decorations, prasad and other things. Money came in without asking from undreamt-of quarters.

The darshan program in 1956 at Navsari, the stronghold of the orthodox Zoroastrian community, was unique. It was unparalleled and incomparable with darshan programs held elsewhere. While Baba lovers were busy planning for the great coming, the Parsee (Zoroastrian) community was planning against it! Since time immemorial, the Avatar is ridiculed and persecuted by the community in which He takes birth. History was just repeating itself at Navsari. Some orthodox Parsees greatly resented Baba coming to Navsari and being hailed by thousands as the Avatar of the Age. Did not the priests resent Christ coming to Jerusalem? A meeting was held just one day prior to Baba's arrival where the orthodox Parsees of Navsari collected. They appealed to the younger generation of Parsees to rise to the occasion and denounce the activities of a person who called himself the Avatar of this age. How could Meher Baba who had played games, studied in school and then at college like any other boy, worked as a schoolteacher and served in his father's toddy shop suddenly become a Prophet or a Messiah? They said that Baba's presence in Navsari would be highly detrimental to the cause of orthodox Parsees (Zoroastrians). The instigators were successful in getting a gang of about a dozen Parsee lads on their side and in tutoring them to shout slogans denouncing Baba when he would give darshan. They requested the Parsees of Navsari to join hands and strongly oppose Baba when He came. The instigators even gave threats that those Parsees who would go for Meher Baba's darshan would have to suffer in multifarious ways. On shops and house doors, on roads and public places slogans against Meher Baba were written overnight by the gang of boys. In short, an ill feeling was created overnight against Baba amongst the Parsees. While we were extremely busy on the 28th getting an awning erected, a stage and decorations put up, these unfortunate Parsees were planning how to disrupt the darshan program. We were prepared to shake up the hide-bound prejudices of the Parsees.

The 29th of January dawned. The sky was clear and a cool breeze kept blowing. I had written to Baba asking Him to visit my house. Baba had agreed on one condition: "No one should ask me to go to one's house. If anyone does, I shall not visit your house."

The news that Baba was going to visit my house had spread to all our Parsee neighbors. They frightened my mother, saying that if Baba did come to my house, disaster in the family was inevitable. In the morning, fright gripped my mother and she was angry and adamant about Baba visiting us. I left my house at 9 a.m. for a final check-up of the arrangements. When I returned home at 12 noon, to my surprise, a miraculous change had occurred. Mummy was busy preparing to