Why was the Ram Navami festival in Kavthe cancelled, and how did this turn out to be a fortunate event for Balabuva Satarkar?

The Ram Navami festival at Siddha-Kavthe was cancelled because the village was struck by the plague, referred to as Margi. As a result, the village became empty, and Balabuva Satarkar was told to come the following year. Chapter 6 explains that this cancellation, while unfortunate for the villagers, created a perfect opportunity for Balabuva. It freed him to act on his desire to visit Shirdi for Sai Baba's darshan. This turn of events led to him performing the Ram Navami Kirtan in Baba's presence and receiving an honorarium that was equivalent to five years of his income from Kavthe.