KAIKHUSHRU K. IRANI (KHAN SAHEB)
Kaikhushru K. Irani (Khan Saheb) husband of Gulmai and father of Adi K.Irani
Kaikhushru K. Irani (Khan Saheb) was husband of Gulmai and father of Adi K.Irani, secretary of Avatar Meher Baba after Dadachanji. He donated his large property of Meherabad to Meher Baba to establish His ashram.
Few of his life time episodes and conversation with Meher Baba produced below:
His wife Gulmai had been a regular visitor to Upasni Maharaj’s headquarters at Sakori, since 1919 where she had met and talked with Meher Baba many times. She had also gone to Bombay for the Dassera program. Gulmai and her husband Kaikhushru had two sons named Rustom and Adi, and two daughters Piroja and Dolly.
In 1921, it was during this occasion that Baba commented to Gulmai’s husband Kaikhushru that he would one day become Khansaheb (an honorary title conferred by the British). Kaikhushru took it as a joke. Baba repeated His prediction in all seriousness, and a year later the distinguished title was conferred upon Kaikhushru.
To Gulmai, Baba remarked, “You will be like Babajan.”
Gulmai doubted that she would ever be on the same level as Hazrat Babajan and said so. Turning to Babu Cyclewalla, who was seated beside Him, Baba pointed to Gulmai, and repeated emphatically, “It is a fact. You are like Babajan!”
After a week, her husband Kaikhushru arrived to take Gulmai home. At noon, all gathered for lunch in Pilamai’s room. Baba also came and sat down to eat. Gulmai remembered that, being Sunday, it was her one day per week to fast. She got up without eating. Baba remarked, “Never mind. Have lunch.” Because it was Upasni Maharaj’s orders, she politely refused.
Baba insisted that she should eat. The tussle reached Maharaj’s ears and He ordered Gulmai to eat. The incident served to demonstrate to Gulmai that it was Maharaj’s wish that she defer to Meher Baba’s wishes in all matters. After lunch, Baba took Kaikhushru aside and began giving him spiritual explanations and telling stories about Maharaj. In the evening Kaikhushru and Gulmai returned to Ahmednagar.
In 1923, continuing, after trudging six miles along the Dhond Road, Baba’s group saw some dilapidated buildings and a small village nearby. When they entered the property, they came across a watchman who informed them that the structures had formerly housed a British military post and were now owned by Khansaheb Kaikhushru Irani of Ahmednagar. The nearby village was Arangaon.
Once Baba said, “Try to love Me by meditating on Me. Leave all other thoughts behind. There is a saying in Persian: ‘A thousand kings and emperors like Jamshed and Kaikhushru are like slaves before a Qutub.’
In 1927, Baba had visited Pimpalgaon Lake twice. At that time, there was no mention of Baba residing in the vicinity, and none of the mandali ever imagined that Baba would one day make it his permanent place of residence. He had not even hinted about it then. He had only remarked, “This place is really very good, and the climate is good also.”
The auction was held on 11th November 1940, when Baba was in Ceylon, and that morning, He repeatedly asked the mandali with Him, “Will we get the rest house at the auction? If we get it, it will be good.” Adi Sr.’s father Kaikhushru Irani was a member of the Ahmednagar Municipality executive committee, and he intervened in making certain that Sarosh and Pendu won the bid.