Secret India: 2
The three travellers, Meher Baba’s brother Jal Irani, Bhikkhu
Prajnananda and Paul Brunton left Meherabad late November to visit the places suggested
by Baba. En route to Poona in order to meet Hazrat Babajan the trio made a
brief stop at Bombay, where Brunton recounts in his book Secret India (1934:
62–63) that he met an elderly Parsi known as Khandalawalla, a former Judge, who
provided him with a brief background regarding Babajan’s life. She “is a native
of Baluchistan, that vague territory situated between Afghanistan
and India, and
she ran away from home quite early. After long and adventurous wanderings
afoot, she arrived at Poona about
the beginning of this century and has never moved from the city since. At
first, she made her home under a neem tree, where she insisted on remaining in
all seasons. Her reputation and sanctity and strange powers spread throughout
the Muhammedan people in the vicinity, until even the Hindus came to treat her
with great reverence. Some Muhammedans eventually built a wooden shelter under
the tree for her, since she refused to live in a proper house. This gives her
the semblance of a home and provides some protection against the inclemencies
of the monsoon season. I ask the Judge for his personal opinion. He replies
that he does not doubt that Hazrat Babajan is a genuine faqueer.”
During the meeting with Khandalawalla, the latter had
informed Brunton that he had known Hazrat Babajan “for fifty years, and that
her age is really about ninety-five,” which was in contrast to the higher
estimates. According to Kevin Shepherd (A Sufi Matriarch: Hazrat Babajan,
1986: 77–78, nn. 52, 54): “That Khandalawalla had known Babajan for as long as
fifty years is questionable; though it need not be doubted that he had
encountered her by the time of her second visit to Bombay c. 1900 … The
general computation of her age was about 120 years, though some maintained that
it was in excess of this. [Charles] Purdom cited an approximate date of 1790
for her birth, though Dr [Abdul] Ghani was of the view that she was born later
than this. Ghani’s estimate of her age was 125, based on general reminiscences
and his own contact with her. In deference to critical tendencies which find
the higher estimates indigestible, there seems every ground to believe that the
subject was over a hundred by the time of her death.” (1)
Khandalawalla told Brunton he felt that Meher Baba “is
honest and really believes in his spiritual attainment.” But he was less enthusiastic
about Upasni Maharaj, whom he debunked. Upasni is said to have told the Judge’s
son-in-law, who was thinking of going on the Bombay Stock Exchange, that such a
move would prove extremely fortunate for him. Acting on his advice Khandalawalla’s
son-in-law was almost ruined. Doubtless the austere and ascetic Upasni, who
possessed nothing but the gunny sack he used to cover his lower body with,
would have considered the financial loss a most fortunate and important lesson
for the young man. But this was lost on the affluent Khandalawalla whose
son-in-law had sought from Upasni Maharaj of Sakori, whom Brunton states Meher
Baba had described as “one of the greatest spiritual personalities of this
age,” advice about financial gain.
Though Brunton had included the brief meeting with Hazrat Babajan
in Secret India, he excluded references to other localities specified by
Meher Baba. After leaving Poona, and
following Baba’s itinerary of places to visit, the trio were warmly received by
various devotees of Baba at Panchgani, Kolhapur,
and Bijapur. At Hubli, Jal Irani parted company with the two Englishmen, being
under instruction to rejoin Baba at Meherabad. Brunton and Prajnananda
continued on to Madras, where they
had made arrangements to stay with more followers of Meher Baba.
Arriving in Madras
on 2 December, 1930, the
two travellers became guests of the Meher Asramam in Saidapet, home of the
Meher League. Here they received the same warm hospitality which previous
devotees had accorded them. Their hosts were C V Sampath Aiyengar and his
daughter V T Laksmi, both of them well-educated Hindus who accomplished
humanitarian work under Baba’s auspices. An article by K J Dastur in the Meher
Message, published in 1931 before the defection of Brother Raphael Hurst
(Paul Brunton) became known, provides a revealing insight into what occurred
during Brunton’s stay at the ashram. It is evident that he was considered a
follower of Meher Baba, and on the afternoon of 7 December the members of the
League held a meeting under the chairmanship of Aiyengar. At four pm an address was given at the ashram in honour
of the two English guests:
“To Raphael Hurst Esq., Bhikkhu
Prajnananda.
Dear Brothers,
We, the members of Meher League, approach you with feelings
of fellowship, and offer our heart-felt welcome to you in our midst. We look
upon this, your first visit to this place, as a unique event in the history of
this asramam which was opened by our master [Meher Baba] …
We welcome you, brother Raphael Hurst, as the founder of the
Meher League in England.
Your sincere words, ‘Our hearts are with every one of you who are serving the
master’s cause [i.e., Baba’s cause] in India.
Brotherly greetings to every devotee,’ are ringing in our ears … We earnestly
request you convey our fraternal greetings to our comrades in the West. We pray
that under the benign care and guidance of the master and with your
co-operation, that influences for good may unceasingly flow from this asramam
… May the master give you long life to accomplish this work.”
According to Kevin Shepherd’s account (Meher Baba, an
Iranian Liberal, 1988: 149–150): “Nor was this all.… Bhikkhu Prajnananda
then delivered a lecture on ‘Sri Meher Baba and his Work.’ This [alleged]
ex-Major of the British Army possessed something of an oratorical eloquence,
and spoke of the depth of Baba’s inner activity which the latter was silently
engaged upon. Prajnananda said that his personal contact with Baba had
convinced him that the world would eventually be bettered by Baba’s influence,
and that his present followers were fortunate to be connected with him.
Prajnananda appealed to the audience to accomplish their part of the ‘work’
with one-pointedness.
Not to be outdone, Raphael Hurst, alias Paul Brunton, then
lectured on the meaning of life. The Meher Message specifically states
that he related a few of his ‘personal telepathic experiences’ in connection
with Meher Baba. These were emphasized as contacts transcendent of normal
consciousness. Further, Brunton said that Baba was immersed in the highest
state of God-consciousness every moment, and that he functioned in all
invisible worlds.”
After about a fortnight at the ashram Brunton and
Prajnananda left Madras. At some
point they made a brief excursion from Madras
to nearby Tiruvannamalai, a small town near to which was the ashram of Ramana
Maharshi (d. 1950), a figure who did not, during that first meeting, loom large
upon Brunton’s horizons. A record of the meeting of Brunton and Prajnananda with
Ramana Maharshi was published in the September 1931 monthly magazine, Peace,
the journal of the Swami Omkar Shanti Ashrama in Andhra Pradesh, which I
include below:
“It was half past four
in the afternoon and the disciples were sitting before the Maharshi in the hall
and were talking about a notification that had appeared in the dailies
[newspapers] to the effect that a Mr. Hurst and a Buddhist Bhikshu were
intending to visit the Ashrama. The clock struck five and there entered the
hall a man in European costume, bearing a plate of sweets and followed by a
Buddhist monk. The visitors offered the sweets to the Maharshi and then, after
making obeisance in the Eastern way, they both squatted on the floor before
him. These were the visitors of whom the disciples had been talking. The man in
English clothes was H Raphael Hurst [Paul Brunton], a London
journalist who was then on a visit to India.
He was keenly interested in the spiritual teaching of the East and thought that
by an intelligent study and appreciation of it the cause of cooperation between
East and West might be greatly promoted. He came to Sri Ramanasramam after
visiting many other ashramas. The Bhikshu who came with him was also an
Englishman by birth. He was formerly a military officer but was known as Swami
Prajnananda. He was the founder of the English Ashrama in Rangoon.
Both visitors sat spellbound before Maharshi and there was pin-drop silence.
The silence was broken by the person who had brought the visitors, asking them
if they would like to ask any questions.
They were, however, not in a mood to do so, and thus an hour
and a half passed. Mr Hurst then stated the purpose of his visit. In a voice of
intense earnestness he said that he had come to India
for spiritual enlightenment. ‘Not only myself,’ he added, ‘but many others also
in the West are longing for the Light from the East.’ The Maharshi sat
completely indrawn and paid no attention. One of those who were sitting there
asked them if they had come to the East for a study of comparative religions.
‘No,’ the Bhikshu replied, ‘we could get that better in Europe.
We want to find Truth; we want the Light. Can we know Truth? Is it possible to
get Enlightenment?’ The Maharshi still remained silent and indrawn, and as the
visitors wanted to take a walk, the conversation ended and all dispersed. Early
next morning the visitors entered the hall and put some questions to the
Maharshi with great earnestness. The conversation reproduced below is from
rough notes taken while it was going on.
Bhikshu: We have travelled far and wide in search of
Enlightenment. How can we get it?
Maharshi: Through deep enquiry and confident
meditation.
.
Hurst:
Many people do meditate in the West but show no signs of progress.
Maharshi: How do you know that they don't make progress?
Spiritual progress is not easily discernible.
Hurst:
A few years ago I got some glimpses of the Bliss but in the years that followed
I lost it again. Then last year I again got it. Why is that?
Maharshi: You lost it because your meditation had not
become natural (sahaja). When you become habitually inturned the
enjoyment of spiritual beatitude becomes a normal experience.
Hurst:
Might it be due to the lack of a Guru?
Maharshi: Yes, but the Guru is within; that Guru who
is within is identical with your Self.
Hurst:
What is the way to God-realization?
Maharshi: Vichara, asking yourself the ‘Who am I?’
enquiry into the nature of your Self.
Bhikshu: The world is in a state of degeneration. It
is getting constantly worse, spiritually, morally, intellectually and in every
way. Will a spiritual teacher come to save it from chaos?
Maharshi: Inevitably, when goodness declines and
wrong prevails He comes to reinstate goodness. The world is neither too good
nor too bad; it is a mixture of the two. Unmixed happiness and unmixed sorrow
are not found in the world. The world always needs God and God always comes.
Bhikshu: Will He be born in the East or the West?
The Maharshi laughed at the question but did not answer it.
Hurst:
Does the Maharshi know whether an Avatar already exists in the physical body?
Maharshi: He might.
Hurst:
What is the best way to attain Godhood?
Maharshi: Self-enquiry leads to Self-realization.
Hurst:
Is a Guru necessary for spiritual progress?
Maharshi: Yes.
Hurst:
Is it possible for the Guru to help the disciple forward on the path?
Maharshi: Yes.
Hurst:
What are the conditions for discipleship?
Maharshi: Intense desire for Self-realization,
earnestness and purity of mind.
Hurst:
Is it necessary to surrender one's life to the Guru?
Maharshi: Yes. One should surrender everything to the
Dispeller of Darkness. One should surrender the ego that binds one to this
world. Giving up body-consciousness is the true surrender.
Hurst:
Does a Guru want to take control of the disciple's worldly affairs also?
Maharshi: Yes, everything.
Hurst:
Can he give the disciple the spiritual spark that he needs?
Maharshi: He can give him all that he needs. This can
be seen from experience.
Hurst:
Is it necessary to be in physical contact with the Guru, and if so, for how
long?
Maharshi: It depends on the maturity of the disciple.
Gunpowder catches fire in an instant, while it takes time to ignite coal.
Hurst:
Is it possible to develop along the path of the Spirit while leading a life of
work?
Maharshi: There is no conflict between work and
wisdom. On the contrary, selfless work paves the way to Self-knowledge.
Hurst:
If a person is engaged in work it will leave him little time for meditation.
Maharshi: It is only spiritual novices who need to
set aside a special time for meditation. A more advanced person always enjoys
the Beatitude whether he is engaged in work or not. While his hands are in
society he can keep his head cool in solitude.
Bhikshu: Have you heard of Meher Baba?
Maharshi: Yes.
Bhikshu: He says that he will become an Avatar in a
few years.
Maharshi: Everyone is an Avatar of God. ‘The kingdom
of heaven is within you.’ Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna,
all are in you. One who knows the Truth sees everyone else as a manifestation
of God.
Bhikshu: Will the Maharshi make a statement about
Meher Baba?
Maharshi: What statement? That (the existence of an
outer Avatar) is a question which seekers of Truth need not consider.
Bhikshu: Will the world be rejuvenated?
Maharshi: There is One who governs the world and it
is His business to look after it. He who has created the world knows how to
guide it also.
Bhikshu: Does the world progress now?
Maharshi: If we progress the world progresses. As you
are, so is the world.
Without understanding the Self what is the use of
understanding the world?
Without Self-knowledge, knowledge of the world is of no use.
Dive inward and find the treasure hidden there. Open your heart and see the
world through the eyes of the true Self. Tear aside the veils and see the
divine majesty of your own Self.” See http://bhagavan-ramana.org/brunton.html
It is
worth noting, having only recently spoken of his personal ‘telepathic’
experiences in connection with Meher Baba to fellow members of the Meher
League, in Secret India Brunton now claims (1934: 162–63) that during a
further meeting with Ramana Maharshi before leaving the ashram to continue his tour:
“There
comes a perceptible change in the telepathic current which plays between us,
the while my eyes blink frequently but his remain without the least tremor. I
become aware that he is definitely linking my own mind with his, that he is
provoking my heart into that state of starry calm which he seems perpetually to
enjoy. In this extraordinary peace, I find a sense of exaltation and lightness.
Time seems to stand still.…What is this man’s gaze but a thaumaturgic wand …
Suddenly, my body seems to disappear, and we are both out in space!”
Paul Brunton would of course later become associated with Sri
Ramana, and is described by the Encyclopaedia of Occultism and
Parapsychology as “one of the first Europeans to draw attention to Sri Ramana Maharshi of
Tiruvannamalai, South India.” Yet, following the publication in 1934 of Brunton’s
Secret India, he was subsequently banned in March 1939 by Sri Ramana’s
brother from visiting the ashram. This was apparently because Brunton had not
obtained permission to write about Ramana Maharshi, nor had he given any
profits from the book to the ashram. Though there appear to have been other
issues involved. According to David Godman, the original version of the
manuscript for the book Talks with Ramana Maharshi, first published in
three volumes beginning in 1935 up through 1939, contained a record of Brunton
getting banned. However, the whole subject surrounding Brunton being banned was
deleted prior to publication. Godman has now published the original transcripts
that show the undeleted version on pages 191-94 in his Living by the Words
of Bhagavan. Brunton would later comment that he had used Sri Ramana in his
books simply as a ‘peg’ for his own theories of meditation. For a useful
analysis of the controversial relationship between Brunton and Sri Ramana, see Part
Three of the excellent ‘Studies Related to Paul Brunton’ by Dr J Glenn Friesen
at http://www.members.shaw.ca/abhishiktananda/Brunton3.html.
Following his stay at the Sri Ramanasramam, Brunton returned
to Madras, and then left for Calcutta intent on visiting the Ramakrishna Math, where
he was fortunate to meet the aged Mahendranath Gupta (Mahasaya), who was one of
the few surviving pupils of Ramakrishna (d. 1886). He went alone, as
Prajnananda had become unwell and could not accompany him. From Calcutta,
Brunton wrote the following letter to Meher Baba on 30 December, 1930, which has now been made
public by the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Archives:
“Dear Baba
I received a telegram from Vishnu [a disciple and secretary
for Meher Baba] on my arrival here yesterday and hear you want me to write
about the tour. Well I sent an account to [K J ] Dastur 2 weeks ago, and no
doubt he will show it to you, if you ask him. Since then I left Madras
and went South and later returned to Madras
and so on to here.
Now I am camping on with the tour but had to make
alterations.
First the Bhikkhu Prajnananda become ill and irritable and
had to have doctor’s attention. He is fairly well now again, but it was the
travelling which does not suit him: he wants to rest since he came all the way
from Burma. So
at his request I wrote 2 letters to you to ask permission to leave out some of
the places on our list, so he should have less journeys to make. You were away
so Dastur said I should act as seemed best. So I omitted going to the extreme
South (viz Rameswarm, Madural and Mysore),
we did however visit Tiruvannamalai instead. Then the Bhikkhu asked me if I
could finish the tour myself, and I agreed that I was now so accustomed to
Indian travelling conditions that I could quite easily carry on myself
henceforth. So at his request I left him at Madras,
just before I left for Calcutta 2
or 3 days ago. I gave him sufficient money for all his needs and he has gone to
some place near Tiruvannamalai until I complete my tour when he will come later
to Nasik.
At Madras we
were very kindly treated by all the friends there. We did what we could there
also, and 12 new members joined the Meher League as a result. Also I interested
certain people in you and they will visit you when you next come to Saidapet:
They include the Assistant Editor of the Hindu newspaper: K S Venkatapamani,
the author: The Principal of Government College, Kumakonam and others.
As regards the academy: I was unable to do anything for this
until we reached Madras owing to
the hurry. Here I broached the matter and it was brought to the attention of
the public meeting of 100 people we addressed there. Mr Aiyenger [Sampath] also
said he would see about getting them all to contribute a little each one, so I
have left it to him.
[The ‘academy’ had been advertised in the Meher Message,
and refers to a proposed Spiritual Academy
“for young spiritual aspirants of all castes, creeds and colours.” It was
intended for “spiritually-minded youths who are not less than eighteen and not
more than thirty years of age, and who are not married.”]
My experience shows me the following: that it is difficult
to approach anyone who is not a devotee of your Holiness. They are not going to
support financially any such academy unless they are your followers. So it
limits my efforts down to your own devotees. Again among these the poor can
contribute very little if at all. So again one is narrowed down to the narrow
circle of well-off devotees. But as I do not know their names I am unable to
find them out. I wrote to Dastur and asked for a few names I could call on
during the tour but he forgot to send them.
So you see I am rather pessimistic about raising the money
in India. In
the west it would be naturally be easier for me, as I am known there, but here
I am a stranger. However I have written to Max Gysi [who knew Meredith Starr
and had visited the Devonshire retreat in 1929 or 1930]
and made a proposition to him. When I saw him last he was going to spend 1,350
rupees on a certain object which I regarded as foolish so I have written in
such a manner as to try to convince him to spend the money on the spiritual
academy. I believe he will very likely agree to this. I am waiting for his
answer which I suppose will arrive from America,
just before I reach Nasik. Western
Subscribers, it is necessary for me to go to them personally, so I must leave
that until I return to Europe. I am thinking that it
will be difficult for me to bear the heat if I stay in India so long as I first
intended and perhaps it will be necessary for me to go back not later than
April 1st. Somehow the food does not agree with me also. However I must leave
all that for later on.
As I am only just arrived in Calcutta
I do not know the possibilities here but shall stay a few days.
I want to ask whether it would be possible for me to be
permitted to arrive at Nasik one
week earlier than we first arranged: that is instead of Feb 1st I arrive
January 21st or 22nd. Please let me know and I will act accordingly. In this
case I would omit one or 2 purely sightseeing places on my remaining trip.
It is difficult to find time to meditate on this tour, so I
trust to make up for this omission.
I am looking forward to the near future and to receiving
spiritual enlightenment at your hands; I need it if I am to go back to the West
with any message for their materialistic minds.
Will you please write to me at the Calcutta
address. The letter will reach me even if I leave but I shall stay till the end
of this week certain.
In humble devotion
Yours sincerely
Raphael Hurst”
The above letter makes plain that Brunton was not only
following an itinerary of places to visit suggested by Meher Baba, but was also
engaged in specific tasks of requested service such as raising funds for the
proposed Academy and seeking new, and possibly influential, members for the
Meher League. How Brunton approached those tasks would have been important. It
is not clear whether or not he was asked to visit Tiruvannamalai, where the Sri
Ramanasramam was located. According to Bhau Kalchuri, Meher Baba never met
Ramana Maharshi nor had any communication with him, though Baba once commented
that he was a genuine saint” (Meher Prabhu, 1986: 1359, note).
In Secret India Brunton recounts that during his stay
at the Meherabad ashram, Meher Baba “informs me that within a few months he
will be in residence at his central headquarters, which are situated near the
town of Nasik. He suggests that I
should visit him there and stay a month.” According to Brunton, Baba
communicated: “Do this. Come when you can. I will give you wonderful spiritual
experiences and enable you to know the real truth about me. You will be shown
my inner powers. After that, you will have no more doubts” (1934: 62). In the
letter from Brunton to Baba quoted above, he writes, “I am looking forward to
the near future and to receiving spiritual enlightenment at your hands.” The
implication being that he took Baba’s words literally as he deemed himself a
suitable candidate for enlightenment. Earlier, Baba is said to have stated, “Go to
the West as my representative! Spread my name as that of the coming divine
messenger. Work for me and my influence, and you will be working for the good
of mankind.” But Brunton’s response was, “nothing short of working a series of
miracles will convince the West that anyone is a spiritual superman, let alone
a messiah, and since I cannot perform miracles I cannot undertake the job of being
his herald.” Baba replied: “Stay with me and I shall confer great powers on you
… I will help you to obtain advanced powers, so that you will render services
in the West” (1934: 61). This encounter is said to have occurred at Meherabad prior
to Brunton’s stay at the Meher Asramam in Saidapet as a distinguished guest who
had formed (or was arranging to form) the Meher League in England.
Brunton had already presented himself to the Meher League as a representative
of Meher Baba, and also claimed personal ‘telepathic’ experiences in relation
to Baba. It was clearly the talk of “wonderful spiritual experiences” and
“powers” which was to lure him to Nasik,
and not service to Meher Baba, or the promotion of the Meher League’s ideal of
universal brotherhood.
It has been astutely observed by Kevin Shepherd (1988: 152–153):
“There is little doubt from the overall body of facts on Brunton at this stage
in his career that he was very preoccupied with ‘telepathic messages’ of Meher
Baba and other extra-dimensional occurrences. His contacts with yogis and
faqirs attest Brunton’s fascination with paranormal phenomena, and he clearly
believed that it was possible to gain ‘powers,’ known in India
as siddhis, a customary yogic preoccupation. Brunton was quite ready to
talk about his telepathic experiences in a way that caused devotees of Meher
Baba to exalt him accordingly. It is worth observing here that Baba is known to
have frequently expressed a low rating of persons disposed to seek ‘wonders’
among the sadhu population of India, since the attendant overload of
superstition and cultivation of siddhis were deemed by him as harmful to
serious aspirants.… If Meher Baba was anything of a psychologist (as the
evidence does strongly indicate), then he would have perceived typical traits
in Brunton of the ‘siddhis’ mentality, i.e., a desire for occult powers and
attributes of greatness. Since such people are in general unfit for
discipleship, he would have done the next best thing possible: teach the
candidate for honours a necessary lesson.”
In Secret India Brunton wants the reader to believe
that he left for Nasik with doubts in his mind (1934: 253): “I do not believe
the Parsee messiah can keep the extraordinary promises of wonderful experiences
which he has made to me; but because I have agreed to spend a month near him, I
think my pledge is not to be lightly broken. So, against every instinct and all
judgement, I take train for Nasik,
that he may not accuse me of never having given him the chance to prove his
alleged powers.”
But that statement is contrary to the letter he wrote to Meher
Baba from Calcutta on 30 December, 1930, where he writes optimistically:
“I am looking forward to the near future and to receiving spiritual
enlightenment at your hands; I need it if I am to go back to the West with any
message for their materialistic minds.” As Shepherd rightly suggests (1988: 152):
“The real ‘secret’ of Brunton’s sojourn in India
was locked up in the Nasik ashram,
and left padlocked by journalistic preferences of retrospect. (2)
To be continued …
Notes:
1. Hazrat Babajan died in the Char Bawdi area of Poona on 21 September, 1931. On Wednesday, 23 September, the Evening News of India reported ‘Poona’s Homage to Famous Muslim Woman Saint’: “The Muslim community in Poona has been greatly moved by the death of the famous saint Babajan. It is claimed that she was 125 years of age, and the possessor of magical powers in addition to her powers of insight into the future. Her funeral yesterday … was very largely attended with thousands of people both Muslim and Hindus taking part in the procession.” According to one account: “Her funeral procession was a tremendous affair, never accorded to any dignitary or royalty in the annals of Poona” (Ghani, 1939: 38). On hearing of her death, Meher Baba, who was then in England, sent a telegram to Dr Abdul Ghani directing him to donate four thousand rupees on his behalf toward erecting Babajan’s marble tomb. The small one roomed marble dargah (shrine) was built alongside the neem tree under which she sat for so many years, by the roadside which is now a busy and noisy thoroughfare.
2. Brunton’s record of the interviews he had with Meher Baba cannot be regarded as a verbatim report, but simply as a retrospective narrative influenced by subsequent events, i.e., according to Shepherd (1988: 241, n. 212): “In April 1932, English reporters dubbed Baba in the British newspapers as the ‘Indian Messiah’, which seems to have lent accentuation to the journalism in Secret India, since Baba was commonly accepted in India only as a sadguru.” The term ‘Messiah’ used by Brunton in Secret India would therefore not have been current at either the Meherabad or Nasik ashrams during his stay. Brunton confirms in his posthumously published Notebooks (1987: 226, 6:171) that he did not start work on Secret India until around early 1933: “It was only after nearly two years which were needed to get rid of the blackwater fever which India dragged me down that I was able to begin work on A Search in Secret India.”