548    POLICE INTERROGATION

Oddly, however, a Parsi stranger came to the dharmashala requesting Meher Baba's darshan. The Master refused to see him and sent him the message that due to exhaustion he wished to be alone that day. But the man insisted, so Baba sent Gustadji in his place and instructed him to pretend to be him! The Parsi had never seen Meher Baba and reverently offered namaskars. He respectfully greeted Gustadji with folded hands and then happily left. This unusual incident coincided with a dream Gustadji had recently had.

Meanwhile, some people spread the rumor in Navsari that a gang of thieves and dacoits had come to the dharmashala and that the local community should beware. These rumors implied that Meher Baba and the mandali were the criminals. Rustom had recently arrived from Ahmednagar and Baba immediately sent him to call Sohrab Desai. Sohrab was the literary scholar who was editing the Gujarati version of the biography of Upasni Maharaj.

Just after Rustom left, several police officers arrived and began interrogating the mandali. Although the policemen's behavior was rude and insolent, the mandali meekly submitted to their questions and supplied them with all the necessary information about their identities and travels. The police questioned everyone in detail and recorded their statements, but the men's peculiar dress still made them suspicious. One of the detectives continued to pester them in an intimidating manner with impertinent questions. Baba then signaled Ramjoo to reply in a similar way, and his change of manner made the detective angry and he threatened to take them all into custody. He then confronted the dharmashala manager and his staff, but they pleaded innocence.

Rustom returned within a short time. Seeing this well­dressed man with a wealthy demeanor, who responded with quick, impatient answers, the detective found himself in an embarrassing position. Then Sohrab Desai arrived on the scene. He was immediately recognized as Navsari's renowned and highly respected writer. Sohrab spoke sharply to the officer, declaring, "These men are Meher Baba's disciples, and I have come for his darshan! Why are you harassing them?" This made the detective apologize. Seeing a famous man like Sohrab coming for darshan convinced him that Meher Baba must be a great personality. He asked for forgiveness and requested Meher Baba's darshan, but the Master did not allow it. All the policemen then left.

Meher Baba was quite happy to meet Sohrab, and it was clear to all the other mandali that this scholar was a close one in