Then some visited Amy Carmichael at the Dohnavur Fellowship. From there Buchman wrote a letter to Mrs Tjader, in which he described a growing dream: 'She is easily the greatest missionary I have yet met, and her place has the atmosphere we desire for The School of Life ... We need a demonstration centre with living miracles all about us with reality as the keynote. ... It will be a quiet, slow but expanding and multiplying work, just as people here flock from all the corners of the world and people are praying for it in fifteen countries. I am so happy today....'10 The regard seems to have been mutual. After this visit Amy Carmichael wrote in the Dohnavur Letter, 'Let no one judge this man by anything written about him. Frank Buchman is out for one thing only, to win men for Jesus Christ.'11* .

(* In 1929 Buchman's colleagues in America converted Amy Carmichael's brother, which she described in writing Buchman on 4 August 1930 as 'my greatest joy of the last year on the human side'. She wrote her brother, 'In England, and Scotland too, all sorts of lies are being circulated about Mr Buchman and his friends. I have known him for years and always found him a true man...Well, the devil hates and, if he can, discredits such a man....’ In 1932 pressure from supporters of Dohnavur induced her to write that the Dohnavur fellowship had no connection with the Oxford Group, a step she had long resisted. She sent the statement to Buchman, saying, 'I hope you won't disown your friend and comrade in prayer', (6 January 1932), and warm letters continued between them until at least October 1938. Buchman, of course, had never suggested there was a connection, and used her prayers at meetings until the end of his life.)

They stayed with the Anglican Metropolitan of India, Foss Westcott, in Calcutta, and in February, while in Darjeeling, met Jan Masaryk, the future Czech Foreign Minister. In March they were the guests of Lord Reading at Viceregal Lodge. When Buchman lunched with the Viceroy, the Ali brothers came up in conversation. 'Those rascals,' said Reading, 'I have to keep putting them in gaol. What would you do with them?'

'If I were in your place, 'Buchman replied, 'I would do to them what you have done for me - put them in the seats of honour at your table and get to know them.'

The Viceroy's senior ADC, Ralph Burton, introduced Buchman to the Maharajah of Gwalior. This eccentric character enjoyed setting fire to his courtiers' turbans for the pleasure of seeing them duck their heads into the nearest fountain to extinguish the flames. He also had an electric train which carried choice liqueurs around his dining table, with a secret switch beside him, which enabled him to speed up the train so that it passed any guest he wished to tease.

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