Baba’s last memories

Baba left his human body 25 years ago. I remember the days we spent with him at the end of his life. Baba was at Bijapur, and I was in Bagewadi. He sent a message asking me to come to Bijapur. I left for Bijapur the very same day . That was November 5th 1995. Soon after reaching Bijapur by 7:30 evening, Baba showed me some papers concerning Bijapur and Rayapur Ashrams. He asked me to read them. I read them with simulteneous translation in Kannada. Indi savakar was also present by Baba’s side. I read the documents carefully and did nominal spelling corrections in them. I did not know the technical aspect, therefore I did not comment about them. After staying in Bijapur for 4-5 days Baba asked me to leave for Mumbai by bus on November, 10th. It used to be a practice to accompany Baba in his car whenever he travelled, but this time Baba asked me to leave for Mumbai a day prior. Myself and Anil (one more driver for Baba’s car) left for Mumbai. We reached Mumbai by around 6 O’clock in the evening.

We were woken up in the morning by Mahadev with the ominous news that Baba had met with an accident near Solapur. Worried, and unhappy on hearing, Anil anI Myself immediately left for Solapur. Baba was admitted in Ashwini hospital. He sustained a wound in the mid forehead and had pain in the hip joint. He was on hospital bed, his hair scattered , blood stains seen on shirt and Dhoti, hundreds of small broken pieces of glass all over his body. Doctors at Ashwini Hospital, told us that there were no major injuries. Devotees from Vijayapur, Mumbai rushed to Solapur. As per Mumbai devotees’ request, Baba was shifted to Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital for further treatment. Baba left by train for Mumbai. On arrival at Mumbai, he was directly taken to Jaslok, where he was admitted and operated on hip by Dr. Joshipura, a famous orthopaedic surgeon from Jaslok. From November 15th, till December 28th, Baba was in Jaslok. As he insisted on being treated in Hubli under a Desi orthopaedics doctor, he was shifted on December, 31st, 1995, to Hubli. Baba made an excuse of Desi doctor to get discharge from Jaslok to sneak to Hubli. Once out from Jaslok, he got admitted under one Dr. Doddamani, an orthopaedic surgeon from Hubli in his Devi Nursing Home in Vidyanagar area to pursue further treatment. Dr. Doddamani operated Baba in Hubli for second time in KMC Hubli. The hospital course from November, 12th, 1995 till February, 12, witnessed many ups and downs. More downs few ups. Looking at his condition, I was worried that Baba may not recover from his illness this time. But he successfully kept me under a false hope that some miracle may happen at the last moment, and Baba will emerge out totally recoverred and healthy as before and resume his incarnation (Avatar) Mission as before. His health deteriorated from February 08, onwards. His X Ray showed Broncho Pneumonia, a dangerous lung infection. Baba seemed much weak and ill but did not appear to be fatally ill. He used to talk less. Whatever he would talk used to be unclear. The night prior to his demise that is on February 11th night however he talked throught night. Clearly, at length, and without break.
All devotees look after the Ashrams well.
All devotees work in unity. Most of the time he sounded very sentimental and earnest. Till early morning hours he kept on speeking. We slept at night.

Since accident, His food intake had came to almost nil. He did not drink water. He would drink, Two or three spoons, that too reluctantly. On that fateful day, by 12-45 pm Dr. Hiremath, one of the Hospital staff came with Ganji to feed Baba. Baba ate Ganji, he ate about 75 ml of it, which Dr. Hiremath fed with a spoon. Rachappa Gonal and Myself were watching Baba being fed. At end of the feed Dr. Hiremath took water to feed Baba. Baba hardly drank water after the accident, he would take at the most 2 to 3 spoons at a time and utter in a feeble “saaku” – meaning, that is enough. This time he did not say so. He drank around 35 to 50 spoonful water. I was very happy noticing him drink so much this time. If he continued thus, he could step up his input soon and become normal in a short time, I felt. While sipping the last two spoons I found immense fatigue in his eyes, and before I could know what is happening, I could see loss of glitter in his eyes, turbid smoky appearance prevailed in his eyes and in a fraction of second his eyes turned lifeless, in great panic I rushed to Baba to grasp his pulse, to assess what had happened. His pulse was not there. His Pulse was absent.
I felt for radial artery.
It was Absent.
I felt femoral.
My God, that too missing.
I shouted, Doctor Baba’s pulse is missing. I did not understand how that happened, but Dr. Patil, another assistant rushed with oxygen unit from ground floor, within a minute of my call and reach Baba’s bed. They tried to resuscite. They tried hard. There was no response. Baba had left? Baba had left us all. Doctors declared this with a heavy heart.
The Time was 01-10 pm.
February, 1996.

The shock of grief spread among all devotees.

After my demise,
Devotees will experience immediate response to their prayers.
But,
.
the significance of being in my physical presence during my life time has its own significance, he would say.
I will give Live Darshan’ to devotees, then and there, even after I go.

Naan iddag 4 Aane.
Hodag 12 Aane.
If I express 4 Annas power during life, I will manifest 12 Annas after my demise. He said.
Devotees will immensely grieve my absence once I go.
My this body is precious.
Ee deha, (pointing towards himself) Bahal Aparoopa ide appa.
Na hoada mele jana nenesi bahala dukha madatare. Baba said.