Clerk, Collector's Office, Revenue Department, (Old Customs House) living at Venkateshwar Press, Chawl, near Sandhurst Road, Bombay
23rd September, 1936.
One night Das Ganu Mahraj performed his splendid Kirtan (always in praise of Baba, whatever the main and express theme of his Kirtan may be) at my mother's place. Then I invited him and Mr.Chandorkar and all the friends then present to go over to Santa Cruz for rest. They all came with the entire musical accompaniments and set. It was suggested that they should proceed with a fresh Kirtan here at my house. That went on from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. the most impressionable hours of the night. My wife listening to the Kirtan got a burning desire to visit Shirdi. Baba came to her in a dream she told me; and this she considered as a sufficient indication that she should be taken to Shirdi. "But what of my sister-in-law, who still seemed to be in advanced pregnancy?" I thought over it. My wife and sister-in-law were prepared to take the risk of labour pains enroute. I engaged a special second class railway car, paying the price of 12 tickets and arranged that the same car should be taken on via Manmad to Kopergaon and taken off to a lay-by there. We all started and throughout the journey there was not the least trouble. When we were nearing Kopergaon, my wife said that Mr.Chandorkar would perhaps be at the station to receive us. I replied that it was impossible, though I had intimated our starting to him. Yet strangely that very thing happened.
Mr.Chandorkar had gone to Shirdi on account of his ill health. He was getting fever every alternate day and the day of our arrival was the day on which he would get fever in the usual course. Yet he got my letter and asked Baba for permission to receive us at Kopergaon. Baba gave it readily. When H.S.Dixit objected and went to Baba mentioning the alternate day's fever as a reason why he should go to Kopergaon instead of Chandorkar, Baba gruffly sent him back and said that Chandorkar, and Chandorkar alone, should go. Mr.Chandorkar came and made grand and excellent arrangements for our reception and for the comfort of the ladies and all our holy baths at Godavari; and we all reached Shirdi safe. Mr.Chandorkar was not a whit the worse for his journey and was free from fever. His fever then left him for good.
On the day we reached Shirdi, Baba said to Madhava Rao Deshpande, pointing to my wife "This is the mother of my Babu".
Mr. Chandorkar thought it must refer obviously to my sister-in-law who was believed to be pregnant and asked Baba, pointing to my sister-in-law, This is the lady, is it not?" Baba replied, "No. It is this" and he again pointed to my wife.
Exactly twelve months from that date my wife was delivered of a male child and we have named that son "Babu" (the name used by Baba). At the "Christening", Das Ganu, Mr. Chandorkar and all were present and it was a grand and joyous occasion reminding us of Baba's kindness and greatness.