Why was the Ram Navami festival at Kavthe cancelled, and how did this event lead Balabuva directly to Shirdi?

The cancellation of the Ram Navami festival at Siddha-Kavthe was the crucial event that allowed Balabuva Satarkar to visit Shirdi. As described in Chapter 6, Balabuva had an annual grant to perform the Kirtan there. However, a plague, referred to as 'Margi', struck the village of Kavthe that year. Because of the epidemic, the village was evacuated, and the festival had to be canceled. Balabuva received letters telling him not to come and that his service was not needed until the next year. This meant, as the text states, 'the service of Rama was missed and the fee remained where it was.' This provided the perfect opportunity for him to finally pursue his desire for Baba's Darshan, leading him to meet with Dixit to arrange the trip.