THE ASHRAM IN RAHURI was declared open in August of 1936, and the first of the masts and the mad were brought there. This was the beginning of a very important phase of Meher Baba’s work with the mad and the God-mad, and one which was to occupy a great share of his time
for many years.
Rahuri, a small rural town, lies on the road that links Ahmednagar with Nasik and it was a convenient place for Baba, since his permanent headquarters remained at Meherabad. The town was located near the banks of a tributary of the Godavri River, and plentiful rain made it
abound with a great jungle forest. The ashram was built in a grove of orange trees and among a number of large mango trees, making it a pleasant atmosphere for such work.
Settled in Rahuri, Baidul was given the duty of cooking for the ashram inmates and the few mandali who were living there. Baidul was also to help look after the mad and masts. Pleader and Raosaheb were appointed supervisors. Pleader, Kaka Baria, Savak Kotwal and Homi Irani (1) were directed to travel about and bring back masts and mad persons from
different places.
At this time, Dhake was a practicing attorney in Rahuri and also stayed at the ashram to manage the office affairs. A dispensary run by Dr. Nilu was later opened in Rahuri. Brother Jal was his assistant. Word spread fast of the free medical care being given in that remote rural area. Hundreds of sick people came each day, many of them from very remote areas buried in the hidden recesses of the wildest sort of country. Nilu and Jal were busy from dawn to dusk attending to the sick, many of whom had never seen a doctor before. Besides helping
supervise the dispensary, Jal managed the office in Dhake’s absence.
Gustadji and Ghani Munsiff were also residents of the Rahuri ashram. The remaining men mandali, consisting of Chhagan, Kalemama, Kalingad, Padri, Pendu, Sidhu and Vishnu, stayed in Meherabad, while the women mandali stayed in semi-seclusion on the Hill.
During most of the next three months, until October, Baba resided in a small one-room cabin built for him there in Rahuri. The ashram was mainly for the mad, ordinary insane men or retarded idiots found in the towns and villages of the surrounding areas. There were a few
genuine God-intoxicated masts and a few God-mad, but for the most part the men in the ashram were psychotics of one kind or another, or brain damaged lunatics with nothing spiritual about them. The inmates were given every freedom, except that of stepping outside the extensive
limits of the ashram grounds.
(1) Homi, Kharmen Masi’s son, had been a student in Meher Ashram with his two brothers and was now helping in Baba’s work.
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol 6, pp. 2023 – 2026.