Gandhiji-bn

Gandhiji

I

When I first met Gandhiji in April, 1936, at Maganvadi(Wardha), I felt greatly disillusioned – disillusioned not because I was disappointed, but because I found Gandhiji very much different from what I had expected him to be. I, like so many others, was under the impression that the Mahatma must be full of reserve and unchanging seriousness. But, to my great surprise, within a few minutes of my first personal acquaintance, I found him to be eminently human, with an ever-flowing fountain of sparkling wit and cheering humour.

“What work will you like to do for me here?” asked Gandhiji.

“I am at your service, Bapuji. Please give me orders!”

“I know that you have recently returned from England and can do good literary work; but I will not give you that work. Do you know the science of the charkha? Here is my charkha, which is out of order. Can you set it right?”

“I am afraid I do not know anything about the charkha.

I shall have to learn its technique first.”

“Has all your education not been a waste, then? As the Hindustani idiom expresses it, your education has amounted to ‘sieving out sands’ (KhakChhanna),” remarked Gandhiji with a hearty laugh.

“I agree, Bapuji,” I smiled.

“All right, then. I will give you the same work, in a very real sense. Good sand has to be sieved out for the trench latrines here. Why not assist Sjt. M.S. in that work?”

II

“I will do the job with pleasure,” was my prompt reply. “I have done a lot of gardening and the work will, therefore, not be new to me.”

“OK,” smiled Gandhiji. And I did do the job on each Sunday for some months.

III

Gandhiji was kind enough to stay at my cottage at Wardha, twice last year. When he came first in December,1944, he used three pillows at night. Next time in February,1945, I found that he had completely discarded the use of pillows.

“Bapuji, why don’t you use pillows now?” I inquired with some hesitation.

“I had once read that Savasana induces sound sleep. So, I am experimenting with that pose,” replied Gandhiji.

“Bapuji, your life has been full of experiments. In old age, you should not experiment on others as well. Your health is too delicate and precious for such experiments.”

“Oh no! My life itself is an experiment. My experiments will end only with my death,” smiled Gandhiji.

IV

When Gandhiji was to go on the Bengal tour last year, two third-class compartments were reserved for him and his party. He found that two compartments were not necessary. His party could be easily accommodated in only one of them. So, he called Kanu Gandhi and asked him to vacate one of the two compartments.

“But, both have been reserved for us, Bapuji. The railway authorities have been already paid.”

“That does not matter at all. We are going to Bengal for the service of the poor and starving millions. It does not behove us to enjoy comforts on the train. Moreover, don’t you observe the suffocating rush in other third-class compartments? Under such circumstances, we should not occupy more space than what is absolutely necessary. Travelling ‘third class’ with so much reserved accommodation these days will be a criminal joke!” observed Gandhiji.

No further arguments were necessary. The whole party moved out of one compartment, vacating it for other passengers.

And then alone could Gandhiji relax himself into sound sleep.