Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 7

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1911 5 December Tuesday
Amravati – Shirdi

In the morning I got up as usual, prayed & came into the hall. There were a few clients with whom I sat talking. Gokhale, Bwaji, & Bhow Durrani came. I made up my mind to leave this afternoon for Shirdi & told Dharwankar to make the necessary arrangements. Mandlik Shastri & Haridas are sorry that I have to go but it can not be helped. After breakfast I lay down for a while & then sat reading. Chitale master came. Bandu came this morning from Elichpur. I decided to take him with me. So I dressed at 4 P.M. & went to the Railway station with my son Baba. With Bandu I got into the Mail. At Amravati station I met Mr Smith of the Postil Department & his sister-in-law.

He lost his wife some ten days ago. At Badmera I met Mr Bind, & at Akola Mr Barr & Captain Doctor. All the way up to Kopargaon I had the first class compartment all to myself. I could not sleep well in the train. At Kopargaon we got a tonga & drove to Shirdi reaching it soon after day break.

1911 6 December Wednesday
Shirdi

As my Tonga came near the house newly built by Mr Dixit the first person I met was Mr Madhavarao Deshpande. Before I got out of the tonga Mr Dixit asked me to dine with him today.

Then I went with Madhavarao to pay respects to Sayin Maharaj and saluted him from a distance. He was washing hands & feet at the time. As I got busy washing & praying I could not salute him when he went out. Later on we went to him in company & sat near him in the Masjid. He told a story about having been with a Fakir who was fond of good food. This Fakir was invited to dinner party & went with Sayin Maharaj. At the time of starting the Fakir ’ wife asked Sayin Maharaj to bring some food from the feast & gave a pot for the purpose. The Fakir fed so well that he decided to sleep at the place. Sayin Maharaj returned with the food tying the cakes to his back & carry the liquid in the pot placed on his head. He found the way very long, lost his way sat near a Mangawada to rest a while, the dogs began to bark & he got up and returned to his village & made over the cakes & liquid to the Fakir’ wife. By that time, the Fakir also returned and they had a very good feed together. He added it is very difficult to find a good Fakir. Mr Sathe who built the wada in which I lived last year, is here & I saw him first in the Masjid and then at dinner. Mr Dixit fed a large number. Among them is Mr Thosar who is the sister’s son of the late Madhavarao Govind Ranade. Thosar is employed in the Custom’s office Bombay. He is a very nice man & we sat talking. There is a gentleman from Nassik & there are many others. Among them one Tipnis who came with his wife & the latter was brought to bed of a son. Bapusaheb Jog is here & his wife is doing well. Mr Nulkar is dead & I miss him very much. None of his family is here. Balasaheb Bhate is here & his wife gave birth to a son on Datta jayanti day. We are staying in Dixit ’s Wada which is very convenient.

1911 7 December Thursday
Shirdi

I slept well last night. My son &wife are doing well with Bhishma. Vishnu is also here. We fed a good many people today & I fell into the proper routine of the place. I saluted Baba Sayin Maharaj as he went out. Then after he returned to the Masjid, and again in the evening & later on again when he went to sleep in the Chavadhi. The Bhajanpujana was a little less, as some fools object to music. After we returned from Sheja-Arti, Bhishma had his usual Bhajana, & Mr Thosar also sang some verses, a few of his own composition & others of Kabir, Das Ganu & others. Das Ganu ’s wife, Bayu who was here last year, is now at her father’s house. We sat talking till late at night. Bapusaheb jog told me in the morning, that after I went away last year, the Commissioner & the Collector came to see Sayin Maharaj. He would not let them into the Masjid. They waited at the Chavadhi. Sayin Maharaj saw them as he went out & looked at them through a sort of a telescope made by folding the fingers of his hand. They wished to speak with him. He asked them to wait for two hours. They did not wait, but went leaving ten Rupees for Daxina. Sayin Maharaj did not like to keep the money & gave it away. Madhavarao Deshpande told us at night that Dada Kelkar had a son by name Babu. Sayin Maharaj was very kind to him. This Babu died & Maharaj remembers him to this day. Mr Moreshwar Vishwanath Pradhan Barrister at Law, practising at Bombay came to see Sayin Maharaj. On seeing his wife Sayin Maharaj said that she was the mother Babu. She got in the family way later on, & on the day of her delivery in Bombay, Sayin Maharaj here said he had pain, & that twins would be born, & that one of them would die. So it happened & when Mrs Pradhan came here with her young son Sayin Maharaj took him on his lap & asked if he would come to the place & the child of two months distinctly answered “How.”


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