Busting myth: In Spite of the Pakistani aggression in Kashmir, Gandhiji fasted to compel the Government of India to release an amount of Rs. 55 crores due to Pakistan.

There is a myth about how Gandhiji fasted and forced the government of India to give 55 crore to Pakistan. Many people (Including Nathuram Godse) have used this myth as one of the reasons for the assassination of Gandhiji. I have heard this myth so many times since childhood. So, I have tried to research and fact-finding. And, I am yet to find proof that Gandhiji fasted to force this transaction. 

Here are some facts.

• The matter regarding the release of Rs. 55 crores to Pakistan towards the second installment of arrears to be paid to it under the terms of division of assets and liabilities requires to be understood in the context of the events that took place in the aftermath of partition. Of the 75 crore to be paid the first installment of Rs. 20 crore was already released.

• The invasion of Kashmir by self-styled liberators with the covert support of the Pakistani Army took place before the second installment was paid. The government of India decided to withhold it. Lord Mountbatten was of the opinion that it amounted to a violation of the mutually agreed conditions and he brought it to the notice of Gandhiji. Gandhiji agreed with the Viceroy's point of view (from the ethical point of view). However, linking his stand in this matter with the fast he undertook, as you will find in the following lines, is an intentional mix-up and distortion of facts of contemporary history. The fast was undertaken with a view to restoring communal amity in Delhi. Gandhiji arrived from Calcutta in September 1947 to go to Punjab to restore peace there. On being briefed by Sardar Patel about the explosive situation in Delhi itself he changed his plans and decided to continue his stay in Delhi to restore peace with the firm determination to "Do or Die."

• The following facts dissolve this much-touted thesis that Gandhiji had fasted to bring moral pressure on the government of India to relent.:

• Dr. Sushila Nair, as soon as she heard Gandhiji proclaim his decision, rushed to her brother Pyarelal and informed him in a huff that Gandhiji had decided to undertake fast till the madness in Delhi ceased. Even in those moments of inadvertence the mention of 55 crore of rupees was not made which clearly proves that it was not intended by Gandhiji.

• Gandhiji's own announcement about his resolve on 12th January in the evening prayer meeting did not contain any reference to it. Had it been a condition, he would have certainly mentioned it as that.

• Similarly, there was no reference to it in his discourse on 13th January.

• Gandhiji's reply on the 15th January, to a specific question regarding the purpose of his fast did not mention it.

• The press release Of the government of India did not have any mention thereof.

• The list of assurances given by the committee headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad to persuade Gandhiji to give up his fast did not include it.

• The timeline of the fast has been very important to understand. 

• Gandhi started his fast on 13th Jan, 1948.

• The decision to give Pakistan 55 crores was made in a meeting on 14-15th Jan, where Gandhiji wasn’t present in the meeting. Nehru, Sardar, Shyamaprasad Mukherji, and other ministers were there in the meeting.

• Gandhi ended his fast on 19th Jan, when representatives of different religions signed an agreement to stop the violence.

• If Gandhiji’s fast was aimed at giving Pakistan 55 crores, why he didn’t end it on 14-15th Jan? Why did he end it on 19th Jan. That just doesn’t make sense. 

It’s more likely that the Government of India ended up releasing 55 cores (as per the agreement) due to British/International/UN pressure or threat to be pulled into international court. It’s so shocking how strong this myth is that Gandhiji blackmailed (through fast) Nehru and Sardar to give Pakistan 55 crores. I am all ears if you have any historical evidence contrary to this.   

Jai Hind!

Source:

https://www.mkgandhi.org/faq/q3.php

https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/india/rajasthan/jaipur/know-india-pakistan-partition-history-did-gandhi-fast-to-give-55-crores-to-pakistan/1087174

 A struggle for self-esteem (A short story I wrote 24+ years ago)

“Master sahib, will you help me please?” I heard a shivering voice from behind. I raised my head from the book and turned back. It was Kashi ma, my domestic help. I was a school teacher and was just transferred to that small village a month ago. With some crazy ideology in the back of my mind, I decided to work as a school teacher in a small village in India. The handsome income of private tuition could never attract my impractical idealism. I thought she might want some money. ”Do you want some money? But, I have already paid this month’s salary in advance.” I asked. “No, it’s not about money.” I could feel rather than see her wrinkled face glowing with self-esteem. “Shamu, my son, he is there in America. I want you to write a letter to him.” I had heard her story from my neighbor. When her husband died, she was thirty, and Shamu was only ten. Her only goal in life then was to make Shamu a learned ‘sahib’, and she thought that will be the end of her lifelong struggle, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. Her husband was a poor farmer and they even became poorer after he died. But she never gave up. Old people of the village still remembered Kashima plowing her field while listening to Shamu’s table recital.

Shamu went to the city for higher study. And when he returned with a degree in engineering, Kashima was almost flying. And then he asked, if he could go abroad for higher study but...money..what about that? His proud mother said “money! That is not the problem, we will sell our farms.” Shamu hesitated as farms were their only asset apart from a clay-plastered house. But Kashima was brave enough to do that and she did that. “Have faith in God, son.” She told Shamu while seeing him off to America. People say that was the first time when they saw that the corners of her eyes were a bit wet. And, Kashima’s struggle continued as she started sewing clothes for people for a living. After that Kashima had a letter from America about twenty years ago, but that was the first and the last message from Shamu, he never called back after that. The mother of my neighbor once told me that after receiving that message from her son, she was perhaps so happy that she remained in her home for three days. Perhaps she did not want to share her happiness with anybody. Time passed at the speed of light, but Shamu did not return. Kashima’s eyes were getting weaker and weaker. She could no longer sew clothes and she started working as a maid in people’s houses. She was always respected as a Sati - the Goddess of purity and character in the village. Villagers tried their level best to convince her to accept help from them, but she refused the proposal politely and firmly. Her struggle still continued.

Knowing all this story, I also respected her very much. I brought Kashima a chair and asked, what she wanted me to write. “Dear son Shamu, may god bless you. Hope you are fine there. Please take your food regularly, I know how unpunctual you are in that matter. Here I am very much fine. The whole day I keep on sewing clothes. All others in the village are fine. Please take care of your health. Do not forget to drink milk regularly. Reply soon. With lots of love........”

She said,” stop”. She took the pen from my hand and signed with a quivering hand. “KASHIBEN”. Because of the suffering of about seven decades her hand was trembling very much. Then she gave me an address written in Gujarati, he was in Boston somewhere. She put her hand on my head, said,” be happy”, took the letter, and went away. In the evening when I shared this with my neighbor, Mr. Parikh, he sighed and told me that Kashima was writing letters to her son regularly for the last twenty years. When she was no longer able to write because of old age, she used to make someone write letters for her. I was stunned. I felt terribly sorry for her. She had an infinite tolerance power, and, that hopeless fellow, for whom she had devoted whole her life...he never had time even to write a single line back to her. I had started developing an immense desire to deliver him a punch, right on his nose if I would find him someday. I decided to do something to lessen her pain.

And one fine morning I almost ran to Kashima’s place.

“Kashima, look, Shamu’s letter for you, and a money order is also attached with it.” For a moment she stared at me with bemused eyes and then smiled...and smiled...and smiled. I could see tears running down her cheeks, through the wrinkles. She took my face in both her hands and asked, ”what does he write?” I unfolded the letter and started reading...

“My dear dear Ma, sorry for not writing to you for long. But, I was too busy with my job and most of the time was traveling for work. Anyway, from now onwards I promise you that I will write to you without fail. So, how is your health? You must take rest, you are no longer young, ma. How are others in the village? Write me soon. Please, do not take much strain. Please...please.

I love you, ma.

- Your Shamu.

PS: With this letter, I am sending a money order of 500 Rs. I will send you money regularly. Very soon I will come back to take you with me.”

“He really cares for you,” I said. ” Yes, he really does.” She replied rather mysteriously. “Use this 500 Rs for the construction of the new school building.” She added calmly. “But...but.., Kashima you will need them.” I almost screamed. “I said just do it.” She said firmly.

And after that Kashima made me write many letters to Shamu, and each time reply came with a money order of 500 Rs. But she never accepted the money and donated them to the construction of a new school building. Now, she was no longer a  domestic help to me. She was a very respected elder to me. And, I made her call me by my first name. But as she wasn’t comfortable with ‘Swapnil’ she made it ‘Swapn’..short and sweet. Sometimes suddenly she turned up and said,” You should get married.” And she added,” You must.” I laughed, but I could realize she was very much serious about it.

But, I was afraid..... maybe I was playing with her sentiments. What would be the end of this whole game? I was feeding her flame of hope with false consolations. Perhaps, she had started waiting for the day, when Shamu would return, and with more eagerness and desperation than ever. Yes, I was very much afraid.

And one day Kashima was sick....she was really sick. Doctors had given up. She wanted to write a will. I brought a local lawyer and made arrangements. And I left for the city to arrange for her medicines. When I returned.....

That night was a really very heavy one. I just wanted to stop thinking about the inevitable. Because I had started anticipating something which I never wanted to take place, her wrinkled face was still glowing with self-esteem. I was holding her feeble hands. “I am satisfied with my life. I know this going to be the end of all.” She said with her usual calm. “You just take rest Kashima, everything will be fine.” I said.

Mrs. Parikh added,”Kashi ma, just try to have a sleep.” But, Kashi ma was right. She was breathing faster and deeper. I could hear her heart and lungs struggling. She said,”Swapn, read Bhagvat Gita.” She used to read Gita daily.

I almost screamed,” Nothing is going to happen to you, do you understand...you can’t go like that....Shamu will return soon. Why don’t you understand?” I sobbed. She smiled and drew my face to hers. "Shamu has already returned, Swapn. He is with me right now. It's you....you are my Shamu, Swapn..” I cried out. I was crying like a baby. She stopped me and cleaned my face with the border of her saree.”GIta, Swapn..Bhagvat Gita.” And I started reciting her favorite shlokas from Gita, which she loved to hear from me daily.  

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: |

अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे || 

“Soul has neither birth nor death. It is not like it was in past and it won’t be in the future. And that is why it is birthless and deathless. Its existence is permanent. It is eternal. It is ageless.  And it can not be killed by the killing of this physical body.”

I could feel her hands getting colder. She had closed her eyes. Her breathing was getting slower and slower. Tears were running down from my eyes. But she was looking quite comfortable and unassumingly peaceful. Her face was glowing with some mysterious divine light. And a moment......it was all over...soul had left the body. My Kashima was dead. Her lifelong struggle had ended up, peacefully and gracefully.

On that eve, after I gave her funeral, I took a small metal box, which she had left for me according to the will. She had made her small house in a needful widow’s name. I opened the box, and found a hand-sewn small shirt, with a chit saying  “for small Swapn”. I also found a creased old letter.....I opened it...it was dated almost twenty years back....it was written in Gujarati.. It was from a friend of Shamu......informing that.....Shamu had died on the spot in a car accident..!! Shamu had died twenty years ago.....!!!! I cried and cried and cried...till I was not spared a drop of tear.

The pyre was still burning ....setting sun and iridescent dusk were melting in its heat....my tears were mixing with the ashes of Kashima.

Saurin Pandya “Swapnil”

Gandhi on Ahimsa (Non-violence)

Gandhi on Ahimsa (Non-violence)

Thousands of years before Gandhiji put non-violence (Ahimsa) into action and even Mahavir preached non-violence and founded Jainism, non-violence has been a core principle of Hinduism. 

अहिंसा परमॊ धर्मस तथाहिंसा परॊ दमः

अहिंसा परमं दानम अहिंसा परमस तपः

अहिंसा परमॊ यज्ञस तथाहिंसा परं बलम

अहिंसा परमं मित्रम अहिंसा परमं सुखम

अहिंसा परमं सत्यम अहिंसा परमं श्रुतम् ||

Ahimsa is the highest virtue, Ahimsa is the highest self-control;

Ahimsa is the greatest gift, Ahimsa is the best suffering;

Ahimsa is the highest sacrifice, Ahimsa is the finest strength;

Ahimsa is the greatest friend, Ahimsa is the greatest happiness;

Ahimsa is the highest truth, Ahimsa is the greatest teaching.

• Mahabharata - Anushashana Parva

Gandhiji understood Hinduism better than most. Hinduism believes in the oneness of all souls (Tat Tvam Asi - that you are), not of merely all human life but in the oneness of all that lives. So, Ahimsa is just a natural outcome of this foundational belief. This key principle of Hinduism was the source of Gandhiji’s strong faith in Ahimsa (Non-violence). He said, “Nonviolence is common to all religions, but it has found the highest expression and application in Hinduism. (I do not regard Jainism or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism).” 

Here, I have made a conscious effort to let Gandhiji directly talk to the readers, rather than risking any misinterpretation from my side due to the limitations of my understanding. That’s why I have used his direct quotes as much as possible, with a little commentary of mine.

Gandhiji said, “Ahimsa is not merely a negative state of harmlessness, but it is a positive state of love, of doing good even to the evil-doer. But it does not mean helping the evil-doer to continue the wrong or tolerating it by passive acquiescence. On the contrary, love, the active state of Ahimsa requires you to resist the wrong-doer by dissociating yourself from him, even though it may offend him or injure him physically.”

• Young India, 25-8-'20, p. 2 

Gandhi’s principle of non-violence was never a passive one. No one should confuse that with cowardice. In fact, it takes infinite courage to practice true non-violence. A fully armed man can be a coward at heart, because he is driven by fear and anger, and not courage. Whereas, a true practitioner of nonviolence is driven by courage, born out of love, empathy, and belief in the truth and the righteous cause. Imagine a non-violent freedom fighter who has just been bled to unconsciousness by British lathis (sticks) right in front of you, now stepping up knowing the same is going to be your fate as well, how much courage must it take? Lucky people like us, who were born free, cannot even imagine the amount of courage and belief in your cause it takes to embrace such a fate like that! That’s the power of non-violence and belief. Gandhiji inspired that courage in millions!    

“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence... But I believe that non-violence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment. Forgiveness adorns a soldier. But abstinence is forgiveness only when there is the power to punish; it is meaningless when it pretends to proceed from a helpless creature.”

Young India, 11-8-'20, p. 3

Gandhi’s Ahimsa never condones weakness. He wants one to be strong. Ahimsa looks like a jewel only on a strong and brave person, because his/her ahimsa is by choice! क्षमा वीरस्य भूषणम् ("Forgiveness adorns the brave.")  

“That non-violence can work to a certain extent in the hands of the weak is true. It has so worked with us. But when it becomes a cloak for our weakness, it emasculates us. Far better than emasculation would be the bravery of those who use physical force. Far better than cowardice would be meeting one's death fighting. We were perhaps all originally brutes, and I am prepared to believe that we have become men by a slow process of evolution from the brute. We were thus born with brute strength, but we were born men in order to realize God who dwells in us. That indeed is the privilege of man, and it distinguishes him from the brute creation. But to realize God is to see Him in all that lives, i.e. to realize our oneness with all creation. This is impossible unless we voluntarily shun physical force and develop conscious non-violence that is latent in every one of us. This can only come out of strength.”

Harijan, 2-4-'38, p. 65

One of his gurus was his wife Kastur ba.

“I learned the lesson of nonviolence from my wife when I tried to bend her to my will. Her determined resistance to my will, on the one hand, and her quiet submission to the suffering my stupidity involved, on the other, ultimately made me ashamed of myself and cured me of my stupidity in thinking that I was born to rule over her and, in the end, she became my teacher in nonviolence.”

Practicing non-violence can be hard. And we all are bound to “fail” at times while practicing it. But, as Gandhiji said…

“Ahimsa is a science. The word 'failure' has no place in the vocabulary of science. Failure to obtain the expected result is often the precursor to further discoveries”.

Harijan, 6-5-'39, p. 113

Let’s keep practicing non-violence through our actions, words, and thoughts!

Gandhi a reintroduction

 Lately, it has been a fashion to curse Mahatma Gandhi in India by many people, most of them never cared to read what Gandhi had to say. While no one says that Gandhiji alone brought India independence, he was the only one who made the freedom struggle of India a truly Jan-Andolan (people’s movement). He was the only one who brought the freedom struggle to the ordinary Indian. With all their brilliance, neither Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose nor Veer Savarkar could do that. With all their bravery and sacrifice, neither Shaheed Bhagatsingh nor Chandrashekhar Azaad could do that. That was the genius of Gandhiji. We can’t even influence our family or friends, try influencing a mass of millions of people with so much diversity based on religion, region, language, and caste. Gandhiji wasn’t a brilliant orator like Churchill, he wasn’t a charismatic leader. His strength was his belief in the truth and simplicity of his message. That belief, that truth touched the hearts and souls of millions of Indians and inspired them to fight for their freedom. Albert Einstein once said: "I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time." When Gandhiji died, he said  'Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth. ' Gandhiji was the inspiration of leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King jr, who fought for equality in their respective homelands following Gandhi’s path of nonviolence. Gandhi’s influence has been once a generation and truly global. The spark he provided inspired the struggle for equal rights and justice from South Africa to the United States.

While for the whole world Gandhiji is a hero, in his own motherland there has been a trend of cursing him. No one is above criticism and Gandhiji was not perfect either. He made many mistakes in his life and publicly admitted them as well. In India, there are mainly three groups, one who curses Gandhiji, the second who worships Gandhi as a person and not his ideas and his philosophy, and the third, mainly politicians, who cash Gandhi’s name for their own self-interest and power grab. All these groups are misguided.

As India is celebrating 75th year of independence, it seems like a ripe time to reintroduce the Father of the nation to the youth of the nation and the world. This blog is my humble attempt to introduce today’s youth (youth of the world, not only Indian) to Gandhiji’s beliefs on various topics, ranging from truth to economics to social reforms to religion to Sarvoday (the progress of all). I will appreciate your feedback and comment.

Jai Hind!    

Dare to let it go!

“Illusion” by Richard Bach is one of my favorite books. There is a story in it. I love this story every time I read it!

Once there lived a village of creatures a long the bottom of a great crystal river. The current of the river swept silently over them all – young and old, rich and poor, good and evil, the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.

Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.

But one creature said at last, “I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.”

The other creatures laughed and said, “Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!”

But the one heeded them NOT, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger cried, “See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Messiah, come to save us all!” And the one carried in the current said, “I am no more messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go, Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.”

But the creatures cried the more, “Savior!” all the while clinging to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone, and they were left alone making legends of a savior.

 Thought:

"When your intellect goes beyond the mist of delusion, you will win detachment from both what is to be heard and what has been heard."

- Bhagvad Gita, Adhyay 2 "Samkhya Yoga"

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