t
Roshan Kerawala’s Story, Part II by Linda Zavala [In the October issue wefinished with the strange happenings at their wedding in 1958. We continue with the many interesting stories Roshan shared with us during her stay in Los Angeles last year. Roshan tells us Baba was always watching over andguiding their lives.]
A
fter the wedding, Baba told us to come to see Him the next day at the Botanical Gardens where He was staying. So with our arms full of gifts, we took a big horse chariot called a buggy and showed Him all the gifts we had received. Then Baba asked “Sam, do you have plans for your honeymoon?” Sam said, “Yes Baba, I think we will go to Delhi to see the Taj Mahal.” Babalaughed and laughed and then said to Eruch, “Look at your cousin. He has gone all over the world and he doesn’t even know that the Taj is in Agra!” Baba, again laughing, asked, “Sam what will happen after that?” He then said, “Since you are going up to Delhi, why don’t you take Roshan to Kashmir?” At that time, in the Zoroastrian religion, most people give money to the wedding couple. The money we had been given was Rs. 3,000. And on those Rs. 3,000 you would not believe how much we did. We went from Bombay to Delhi, Delhi to Panipat always travelling first class. From Panipat to Kashmir we took a plane my first air ffight. When we arrived it was raining. Even in March it had not yet become springtime in Kashmir. But as the plane landed we noticed that there was bright sunshine. We stayed in a posh hotel for twenty days, and there was bright sunny days throughout. Every night when we would go to dinner in the hotel dining room, the waiter would say to us in Hindi, “we have never had this much sunshine at this time of year!” The very day we left, it started raining again. In 1959, my first daughter was born. Baba named her Mehera. When I was seven months pregnant there was a Zoroastrian celebration for me. When the woman is seven months pregnant we call the families, and we have a big dinner and then we
Above: Rosban Kerawala.
lielow: Mebera and Sberiar.
r :
-
..&
_‘J
distribute sweets to the families. The mother-to-be is given a new sari and new clothes by her mother. The mother then places all kinds of grains and fruits and a coconut in her daughter’s lap as she holds up her sari skirt to receive them. Then you have to bow down to your mother and then go and take Baba’s darshan. Since Roshan didn’t have her mother, Baba said, “I will do that ceremony for Roshan.” So Baba came to Bindra House. He is sitting on a sofa and tells Gaimai, “Keep everything ready.” So everything is ready on a big plate. Baba told
£oveSfreet ,C.amtlthW
me to put on my sari and then said, “Hold up your sari and He placed everything in there. Then He gave me a coconut. From His pocket, He took out one single old time rupee which was made of silver. He put it into my hand and told me that when I start getting pains in my stomach I must keep that rupee in my hand at all times when I go to the hospital. I wrapped the coin in a hankie I had. Then Baba said, “Give it to me.” He held it, then He gave it back and said, “Keep it safe.”Then He told everybody in the room, “When the pains start, she will take my name. But, all ofyou in the house should take my name, even for 24 hours, no break.” Then He told Eruch’s mother Gaimai, “When it is time to go to the hospital, you stay with her all the time.” When my time came, she was chanting Baba’s name all the time. When the baby was born Gaimai was saying, “Baba, Baba, Baba.”The nurses said, “No, it’s not a Baba, it’s a baby!” “Now, in 20 days after she was born, Baba came from Guru Prasad to visit us. Baba came to see her at Bindra House and told us that neither I nor any of the family members could kiss Mehera. He said that they could hold her but none of the family members could kiss her. He explained “If you kiss her, the energy I have put into her will be spoiled. Another thing is that this child is never to be scolded, and you must never beat this child. Ifyou do that I will be hurt.” So we never kissed her. It was very very difficult for me to control myself. Then later on, the second child was born, and Baba never gave me an order about that child. But, years later Baba said, “Now, you can kiss Mehera, but also, you must not ever scold or beat this second child. I have brought them into this world for mywork. I give you the responsibility of bringing them up in such a way that they will be worthy of doing my service when I want them.” Now the girls are grown up and Mehera is moving to Meherabad. Sam and Roshan reside in Meherabad for much of the year.