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The Psychiatrists 163
speaking way out of line with only the hope of Sohan Lal’s help in mind, I said, “Oh, I can arrange for a car and a personal guide.” Dr. Masserman asked about the cost and I continued like an Indian diplomat: “Don’t worry, I’m sure I can arrange this with my friend Sohan Lal at no expense to you. We’ll pick you up at 8 a.m. And by the way, Sohan Lal also invites you, Dr. Schwab, and your wives to lunch.”
It was true that Sohan Lal had invited them for lunch. He had arranged the lunch for me to meet some friends, including an Indian supreme court judge and a high financial expert in Indian affairs. Knowing that the psychiatrists would also enjoy it, he had invited them as well. But lunch was one thing; arranging a tour at this late hour, quite another.
I hurried back to Sohan Lal’s, tiptoeing in at about 11:30 P.M. Not up to waking him at this late hour, I planned on stewing with the problem overnight, hoping to catch him early next morning. But as fate would have it, just as I entered the house, my host came down to meet me. Hearing about my predicament he said, “No problem— we’ll take the big car (a ‘57 Chevy) and I know just the driver.”
Sure enough, next morning, driving with pomp and splendor in a ‘57 Chevy, we arrived at the Ashoka Hotel at 8 on the dot. The tour was wonderful. We visited historic sites, holy Hindu temples and lovely gardens, and everything went off like clockwork. Then off to Sohan Lai’s for a beautiful lunch.
This time he outdid himself. The food and company were superb. It was inspiring to hear the supreme court judge talk about his moving experiences with Baba. Seeing educated and respected Indian people talking about Baba in this way pricked the interest of the two psychiatrists. They especially enjoyed the friendly hospitality, even wanting to have their pictures taken in Sohan Lai’s shrine room. A bit too much—but he was accommodating as usual and let them have the run of the house.
That evening I gave a talk about Baba to the psychiatrists gathered in a conference room at the Ashoka Hotel. The presentation came off well—considering that I was trying to explain the concept of Avatar and the possibility that this unique historic event was happening right here and now in India.
I was surprised to find a former teacher of mine among the psy-