Pakistan  ( previously British India - Pre 1946)

1st visit to Rohri - 1923

On the morning of 25th May, Baba ordered everything from Meherabad moved to Khushru Quarters. Only bedding rolls and small personal items were carried on their journey to Quetta. Baba and his party walked from Meherabad to Ahmednagar on a path that ran alongside the railway tracks reaching Ahmednagar Railway Station at 10:30am.

Many had gathered prior to Baba's arrival to bid him and his entourage of 5 women and 14 men farewell.

Lord Meher Vol.2  p.521

They left Ahmednagar by train at 12:30pm, reaching Manmad in the early evening.

Ramjoo's Diaries  p.197  & Lord Meher Vol.2  p.523

The 14 men are shown in the following image taken prior to their trip from Bombay to Quetta.

The men are : Adi K., Babu Rao ( Cyclewalla ), Baidul, Abdul Rehman ( Barsoap ), Beheramji, Nervous, Padri, Pendu, Ramjoo, Jal ( Baba's brother ), Masaji, Gustadji & Slamson.

The 4 women are : Gulmai, Soona and her daughter Khorshed, Pilamai & her infant son Vithal.

30th May 1923

They arrived the following morning ( 30th May ) at Bhatinda and changed trains for Samasatta and again changed trains at Samasatta ( now in Pakistan ) for the Karachi Mail train, which arrived in the evening for the journey to Karachi. The train was packed like sardines when they boarded and the heat was terrible when they left.

On May 31st, the train arrived in Karachi later that morning, Pilamai's husband Hormasji and others including Baily greeted Baba and the group at the railway station. Baba was garlanded.

Baily's sister had previously moved to Karachi and Baily had been sent ahead to help with the arrangements.

They all packed their things and walked to the Quetta Railway Station, with the steam train was scheduled to leave at  4:55 am on 25th June. The Quetta people had given them a hearty send-off.

When they arrived in Hyderabad ( Sind ), on the 26th June, they changed trains, ( the rail gauges changed a couple times, also ). Their luggage was weighed and again later when they changed trains at Marwar. Some rail personal were being very difficult, so much so when the station master ( who was a Brahmin ) arrived to see what the commotion was, he made his own inquiries, Baba then handed him a Urdu copy of Upasni Maharaj's new biography, when the station master saw Baba's picture in the book he quickly cleared the way for them to travel without further ado.

2nd Visit to Rohri - 1924

The plan took a twist, they now planned on leaving on the 2nd June 1924 by rail to Bombay and then to Quetta.

The animals at Meherabad were all arranged to be offered to Upasni Maharaj at Sakori.

Baba along with *Ardeshir ( Director of Agriculture), Ghani, Ramjoo and Vajifdar had left for Ahmednagar Railway station in the morning and the train travelled to Bombay via Manmad, arriving at 12:30pm.

DR. GHANI MUNSIFF       RAMJOO JAFFER          HORMUSJI VAJIFDAR               ADI K. IRANI

June 1924 continued...

Arriving 8th June in Hyderabad in the morning. Baba had a telegram telling Rusi Irani saying he and 3 others will arrive in Quetta on the 9th and to keep their arrival very private.

They boarded the Quetta Mail train, arriving at Sibi Junction on the following morning and arrival in Quetta at 5pm. Rusi pulled some strings with the police at Sibi to fast process Baba and his men through the security.

Rusi gave them lavish hospitality, which they needed.

The garden land that they seen on their previous trip was not available and it was too icy, so it was decided to go to Sukkur. Ramjoo and *Adeshir took the train to the town on the 11th June, with a letter of introduction to man called *Mobedji.

When they arrived they settled into a traveller's shelter and they found this man, he passed them onto many others who were very hospitable and sympathetic , but the land upon inspection was not suitable, especially in the hot summer. They inspected more lands by the backs of the Indus River and other locations. They continued on the next day - 12th, still inspecting more lands.

They continued to the town of Rohri on the 13th June. The next day ( 14th ), they returned to Quetta. They soon discovered that Baba and a local man had already left for Sukkar last night.

RD p.343-4

1929

Baba did not seem happy in Rishikesh and left by train for Quetta. On May 16th, while discussing some points with Chanji at the town of Rohri, Baba suddenly fell ill. He could not rest and had frequent loose bowel movements.

The month of May is extremely hot in India. The railway compartment was overcrowded and stifling. Baba got down at Rohri station at 11:45 P.M. and stood motionless on the platform for a while. He complained of heart pain and appeared ghastly pale. Restlessness overcame him; one moment he would want to sit down and the next he would get up. They spent the night on the open railway platform since the waiting room was crowded, but the noise at the train station was so bothersome, they left and sought shelter in a dharmashala.

The next day, Baba looked just as ill and the mandali were worried about his condition. Instead of asking for something for relief, Baba instructed them to sightsee through the town. Not one man liked leaving Baba in this critical condition. They were completely taken aback by his strange order. Their feelings were hurt and they ached to ease Baba's suffering.

Seeing their reaction, Baba remarked, "Always remember to stay above your heart's sentiments and wishes that are contrary to my orders. I have to shatter your minds and hearts to pieces! The greatest service is to obey me. Compared to my orders, your thoughts and emotions are nothing. You cannot serve me if you fail to carry out my words; you can only cause me greater pain."

Reluctantly, the mandali went to the riverside to survey the sights and bathe. After bathing in the stream, they returned. Baba then accompanied them to see the Sukhur Barrage – a large construction work on the Indus River. When they returned in the late evening, the heat was still intense.

Lord Meher Volume 4, Page 1157

Sukkur Barrage

 continued .....

On May 17th, they started from Rohri for Quetta. The train was again crowded, and Pesu had to fight his way into their compartment. Pesu was so angry that he was at the point of fighting with one of the other passengers who refused to give way. Baba had to stop him. After the train was on its way, Baba reprimanded Pesu, "Instead of conquering others, we should try to conquer ourselves. Striking out at our own wrath is more desirable than striking others. It is real bravery to control our temper, and sheer weakness to be swayed by it. Don't be like the sweltering heat of Rohri; be like the cool climate of Quetta."

Lord Meher Volume 4, Page 1158

Rohri Railway Station

Bidding farewell to his lovers in Quetta, Baba continued the journey. In Rohri they had to change trains and the men began shifting their luggage to the other train. Unnoticed, Baba slipped away to go to the bathroom, and he took an extremely long time there. The train whistle to depart started to blow. Realizing that they did not know where Baba was, the mandali ran up and down the station platform searching for him. As soon as Baba came out of the bathroom, the train began pulling out of the station. Picking him up, Raosaheb ran after the train and pushed Baba through an open window into the compartment. Then he, too, jumped and climbed in through the window. The train was already overcrowded and the doors were locked. Although Baba's boarding was rather rough, he was pleased with Raosaheb's quick thinking.

Lord Meher Volume 4, Page 1250

On October 3rd, in Rohri, near Sukkur, Baba contacted five masts. One of them, Bhai Chowar, was perhaps the filthiest mast Baba had ever contacted. The stench was unbelievable. No ordinary man would have stayed in his room for five seconds, but the Lord of creation sat with the mast for ten minutes.

The most exceptional contact in Rohri was the great saint-mast Master Nemramji who was, according to Baba, very, very high between the sixth and seventh planes. This saint's facial features looked almost exactly like Chacha's (the great majzoob of Ajmer), and he was believed to be close to one hundred years old. Nemramji was very famous throughout the surrounding areas, and notice boards with his picture were everywhere in Rohri, directing any stranger where to find him. Nemramji was a mast-saint of the jalali type, with a fiery temperament, and people greatly feared the saint as well as held him in great reverence.

Lord Meher Volume 9, Page 3132

SUKKUR

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rohri (Urdu: روہڑی‎), (Sindhi:روهڙي), (medievally Aror) is a town of Sukkur District, Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located at 27°40'60N 68°54'0E,^[2] on the east bank of the Indus River. Rohri town is the administrative headquarters of Rohri Taluka, a tehsil of Sukkur District^[3] with which it forms a metropolitan area.

History

Aror was the ancient capital of Sindh, originally ruled by the Ror Dynasty. Modern Rohri is situated adjacent to Sukkur, Sindh. In 711 AD, Aror was captured by the army of Muslim general Muhammad Bin Qasim. In 962 it was hit by a massive earthquake that changed the course of the Indus River.

Climate

Rohri has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with extremely hot summers and mild winters. Rohri is very dry, with the little rain it receives mostly falling in the monsoon season from July to September.