Two unlikely persons became friends in 1944-45, one, a prisoner of war and the other, a lawyer. After the WW-II, many Italian and French soldiers were detained as POW in India. They were taken to Dehradun. On Sundays they were set free to mingle with locals. On one such Sunday , the Italian soldier, Duccati, saw young men playing volley ball. He himself was into sports and was instinctively drawn to the field. He made friends with an Indian lawyer, who happened to be an avid volley ball player from Allahabad in U.P., and had just started practicing in Dehradun. They spent the evening together and the lawyer took his friend home for dinner. Thus started a friendship, which transcended the boundaries. They exchanged stories about Mahatma Gandhi over dinner , that soon became a family ritual.
The Indian lawyer narrated how he was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi as a student pursuing B.A. in the late 1930s. The train carrying Gandhi was passing through his home town. He had to meet Gandhi, the student was determined. So, when the train stopped at the Allahabad station, he got into the compartment and found the Mahatma eating from his wooden bowl with a wooden spoon, chewing every morsel slowly and enjoying his snack.
'I want your autograph'. the student demanded "Sure' Said Gandhi, 'You will have to give two rupees towards the Harijan Fund. 'Oh, I do not have so much money and can not give the donation.' retorted the student. Gandhi kept munching and smiling as the student argued with him for over half an hour. The consummate lawyer put forth his arguments and ultimately won over the case from the lawyer to be.
Thus, the friends kept talking about Mahatma Gandhi, admiring him for leading the non-violent struggle and freeing the nation. Soon it was time to go back home for the Italian soldier. He wanted to give a parting gift to his dear friend. He asked for a paper and some charcoal. What came out of his deft hands was a charcoal painitng of Gandhi , autographed by him. Such was the influence of the' Great Soul'.
The lawyer, Chaudhary Puran Singh was overwhelmed and preserved the charcoal drawing as a mark of his friendship for a long time till the paper disintegrated into shreds years later.
This was narrated to me by Pradeep Singh, son of Chaudhary Puran Singh Singh, whom I met after my lecture at ONGC Academy Dehradun today. Till, then wait for more details.
