G S KHAPARDE DIARY - DEC. 6, 1911

[Guest guest]

1911, 6th 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 Nasik & 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

Dattajayanti day. We are staying in Dixit ’s Wada, which is very

convenient.

1911, 7th December Thursday

Shiradi.

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."

G.S.Khaparde