Kim Tolhurst "Ayisha" ( Katherine Anna Tolhurst ) nee Grajera

Student of martial arts, met Baba at Devonshire, England in late September 1931, at the request of her judo teacher Gunji Koizumi and became a close devotee.

Kim was married to Desmond Tolhurst and had 2 daughters - Phoebe Ann &  Susan Jane. 

They had a couple of properties in England - Penbury Grove, Buckinghamshire  and a their London address Compayne Gardens, West Hampstead, London.

Kim (Tolhurst) Grajera, the striking Titian-haired beauty with the lovely voice, for whom Kimco was named; Baba visited her mansion, Penn in England, for a day; and in her home on Riverside Drive in New York our Monday Night group used to meet.

Well, I went upstairs into his little room, which resembled a monastic cell because its stone walls were very thick. Baba was seated on a cot, robed in white. I don't know what happened... All I know is that I found myself on my knees at Baba's feet, crying as I think I had never cried before. The tears were streaming down my face.

I don't think I was happy - I don't think I was unhappy. Perhaps the tears seemed to wash away all that happened to me in the past, all that I had regretted. I was empty, in a sense, yet filled with lightness and new dawn - fresh life. I felt clean and light. I don't know how long this weeping lasted, I couldn't tell you - it was timeless. Baba dictated on the board, which I heard Chanji interpret,

"She is to stay near me."

Somebody picked me up. I was put to bed, and fell into a deep slumber. I can't explain what happened...

I always loved Jesus Christ, and it seemed to me that Baba was like the Jesus I had known as a child in the paintings depicting him. I felt this tremendous love, this tremendous compassion. Although there was a great deal to criticise in me, and even be stern about (I most certainly had not always been as good or nice a person as I should have been), in his eyes there was nothing but understanding and compassion, and no condemnation at all. I think it was that that won me over to him. However sensual one had been, however undutiful, ungrateful or careless, whatever one's faults were that he saw, it seemed as if he saw what one might become, and drew this out.

Kim Tolhurst
14 September 1931,
East Challacombe, England
LM4 p1418

Of course, there are other Western women who have served Baba's cause well. There is Kim (Tolhurst) Grajera, the striking Titian-haired beauty with the lovely voice, for whom Kimco was named; Baba visited her mansion, Penn in England, for a day; and in her home on Riverside Drive in New York our Monday Night group used to meet. There is Anita (de Caro) Vieillard, who met Baba as a young art student in New York, and together with her husband Roger, "holds the fort" in Paris. There is Rano Gayley, the Westerner who never left India, who still considers it her home, and of whose artistic talents Baba made such interesting use. And: Mary Backett, Baba's archangel, who, with her husband Will, helped Delia in the early London years. Hedi Mertens, in whose home Baba stayed many times in Switzerland. Irene Billo, another Swiss, perhaps the youngest Westerner of all to share the ashram life in India. Agnes Baron, "Baba's watchdog," at Meher Mount, Ojai, California, who has done such good work for Baba among young people on drugs. Mother Kyle, the Theosophy leader, who gave it up for Baba and met Him at 95 years of age. "I'm so old," she told Baba, who replied," So am I, I am the Ancient One." Jean Shaw, who, with Darwin Shaw, has worked for Baba since the Thirties. (They were caretakers at the Center for a year.) Ruano Bogislav, who had the unique privilege of meeting Baba's top "direct agent " — an American Indian — in Albuquerque, N.M. Ella Winterfeldt — a pillar of love and support to the New York

*see Delia’s book, ‘The Ocean of Love’ p.162, and **p.200 for the whole story-jk 

Some idea of the emotional state of those left behind in Paris is revealed in this letter to Chanji from Kim Tolhurst:

You can guess how anxious we all were to hear from Margaret the details of your journey to Marseilles. You can also guess what we felt like after we had seen your train pull out of the station; and I am afraid that the tears which we had somehow kept back while saying good-bye began to flow freely as soon as Baba could no longer see our faces.

I can remember nothing of our journey back to the hotel, or how we somehow found our way into Baba's room. But we had not been sitting there very long before we began to feel his presence so strongly with us that we dried our tears, smiled and began to talk of him. He seemed to be there with us, as indeed he really was! And I could see his face smiling and his eyes looking at us with deepest love. We know that he would not wish us to weep, so to please him, we sang his favorite songs, talked over the incidents of the week and made many happy plans for the future.

We all went to bed very early as we knew Baba would want us to rest; but Delia and I were so excited to be sleeping in Baba's room, and in Baba's very bed, that it was a long time before we could rest. At 6:45, we were up packing, eating breakfast, and just before eight, we left the Powers Hotel. Glad we were to leave now that Baba had gone Paris was a casket without a jewel, a rose without scent.

Wonderfully smooth was the sea and we could not help wondering whether Baba whispered again, "Peace, be still," so that his poor little ones should not be frightened.

Delia and I meet nearly every day. We talk of Baba, think of him and play his favorite records. Sometimes the music makes us feel rather sad, because we still are weak and miss his physical presence. But in the midst of our sorrow there is comfort, because we know that for love there is no separation and no end.

Please kiss darling Baba for me.

On one occasion, Kim recalled that time in Paris:

Baba once said to us, "In the East, I have people's worship; in the West, I have love."

With him in Paris was such a lovely, lovely atmosphere. We would curl up his hair and poke it up under his hat before going out. It was just love. I don't say we didn't revere him; of course, we did. But perfect love does cast out fear and to us, he was just love and somebody we could tease and say, "Oh, Baba, you look silly in that hat," and so forth. Many people would have misunderstood this. It was just love and play and he loved this, because he could relax with us and be completely happy.

Meditation was not necessary. It was enough just to be in the room with him quietly. It was a love-feast. You were in love. Baba was love and this was all that mattered. Yet it was a love, I think, very few people would understand if they saw us together playful, joking, teasing.

We used to make silly little rhymes, "Oh, the sad guru is a happy Sadguru!" Silly, little things. And at that time, his face would light up and his eyes would become brilliant. I think he was very happy with us. I sent him poems nearly every day after he left, expressing great grief at the sorrow of our parting.

Coming home was extremely hard for me, because one had really been in another world. It was difficult for me to pick up the threads and do what I had to do, which was to look after my husband and family, and come down to earthly, daily life. But Baba had told me how I must do my duty, and so I tried as best I could. Though it was not easy, I know it was right. I had to stay at home and work through the problems of life.



On one occasion, to console Kim, Baba cabled her this poetic message:

"Trying to please her Lord,
poor Mary Magdalene's heart is breaking."

Baba and the mandali, with Kimco, drove to Kim's father's house, Pennbury Grove, in the village of Penn, near High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire. Baba was in a happy mood. All joined in a game of soccer and Baba's side always won; then footraces were held. They had a lovely tea in the ballroom, where the gardener had built a fire in the fireplace. Afterwards, Baba suggested a game of Hide-and-Seek in the big house. He hid and they had to find him, which proved to be great fun. Baba liked the spot very much, and remarked, "I intend to make this one of my centres in England. With me here, it will be heaven on earth!"

Lord Meher ; Bhau Kalchuri - Vol.5  1571

Baba went for an afternoon drive to Kim Tolhurst's house. Afterward, during a stroll about London, a serious incident occurred that involved Kim's fate. Baba, Chanji, Kitty, Margaret, and Kim were walking along when Kim became very upset about something. Overcome by her mood, she ran away, leaving the rest to follow. She got into a cab and they hailed the next one. Kim's taxi drove straight to Piccadilly Circus and stopped at a Scottish tea shop. Baba sent Kitty into fetch her, but she refused to come out. This was direct disobedience to Baba, deliberate and not careless. Kitty returned to the cab, and Baba decided that they should leave her. Baba spelled out on the board, "Kim will never again see me in this life." She never did.

Lord Meher Volume 5, Page 1826