Shri Nathjji had been living with Khanna whenever he came to Mussoorie over three years from 1929 to 1932. Khanna’s house in Mussoorie was a rented one, which he left after every summer, and, therefore, Shri Nathji too had to seek lodgings elsewhere or else go with Khanna to Lucknow. In 1931, after Khanna had left Mussoorie and gone to Lucknow, Shri Nathji had stayed on at Mussoorie right up to October 1931 in a rented house, Sanon Lodge, which was below the Kulri Bazaar and directly beneath the famous tailoring establishment of Trevillion and Clarke. Shri Nathji had begun to like Mussoorie and wished to stay there for longer periods of time. Nawab Istafa Khan offered him Kahkashan Cottage which was below Savoy Hotel on Spring Road, where Shri Nathji could live independently for as long as he wanted to. Shri Nathji accepted his offer.
Shri Nathji was indeed very shy and reserved in his personal habits. He would never appear bare headed before a visitor, never be caught without his socks on, would always dress in the best of clothes, and would always be overly conscious of anyone else in the house, to the extent of speaking to the person endlessly to give him solace. Also he would never ask for anything for himself while living with another person – this went even so far as the self-denial of food and water, at moments when he needed them. All his daily ablutions would be very restricted and constrained if there were anyone else in the house.
Indeed, Shri Nathji’s personality was such that he could adjust with anyone no matter how uncomfortable his own mode of living became. He was also very reserved when it came to women and wished to preserve the best of etiquette. Shri Nathji verily preferred to live in a pardaa – a veil of sorts – as far as his personal habits were concerned, like shaving, bathing, dressing, writing, eating. Shri Nathji ate very little, but if his host insisted he take more Shri Nathji would be too polite to refuse, and would eat only to please the other person–even if he had to suffer from indigestion later. It was his absolute politeness and humility and complete lack of will that caused Shri Nathji the greatest inconvenience when he lived in other peoples homes. He was much too polite and too humble to disturb any host with whom he was staying, and never revealed what he wanted.
As such it was difficult to conceive of Shri Nathji living forever with Khanna and his family. Shri Nathji really needed an independent place of his own at Mussoorie. Shri Nathji also felt very acutely that he was imposing on Khanna’s hospitality, despite the man’s great devotion. He felt that the family would be able to engage themselves more actively in their worldly tasks if he was not living in their midst and that a large part of their attentions was focused on him whenever he was living in their house. All these considerations led Shri Nathji to accept the lodgings offered by Istafa Khan at Kahkashan Cottage in the summer of 1933.