Drawing Room

To the right, as you enter Baba’s House, is the drawing room where Baba and the women mandali would often sit together.

Drawing Room

As mentioned in the section on “Baba’s House,” Baba had originally occupied a room upstairs; and He continued to do so even after His injuries from the Satara automobile accident had made the process of climbing and descending the stairs arduous. But one winter morning in 1958, trying to protect Himself from the cold breeze as He climbed down the stairs, Baba covered His face with a scarf while holding the banister with His other hand. Baba’s foot suddenly slipped on the stair, causing excruciating pain to his hip joint.

“At the end of August [1948] … our new house at Meherazad was ready, and Baba had invitations sent to His lovers at Meherabad, Ahmednagar, Poona and Bombay for a housewarming. During the house-warming, the men all stayed on the men’s side, and we women sat in the garden where a lunch of wadas, potato wafers and rava was served on leaf plates. On the front door of the new house was a big silver lock with a silver key, and after lunch Baba turned the key and opened the lock. He then opened the door, and we all followed Him inside.

So we moved into our new house at Meherazad. Baba’s room was upstairs. Mani and myself, Meheru, Goher and Naja were in the new house, and Norina, Elizabeth, Delia and Jean were in the cottage. Baba was there with us for a couple of months before He left Meherazad for His work, and in the evenings we sat around Him in our new drawing room.” – Mehera Irani