Tuesday 28 May 2013

Charcoal painting of gratitude


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.

Saturday 25 May 2013

Gandhi and Me

I'm starting this blog because I feel the need to fill the gap between what Gandhi taught us and what we know about him today. My idea is to reintroduce the Gandhian philosophy to this generation in a way that people can relate to and put it in practice.

I read this quote somewhere today, which inspired me to start this blog:

"You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no result." - M.K. Gandhi

In the coming days I will be talking about my experiences in the Gandhian field and how I am reaching out to people in the corporate world to make them understand how we can look at M.K. Gandhi as a role model for ethical business practices.

I will also be talking about the impact he has made in my life and how things changed for me. I hope, that through this blog, I will be able to paint a clear picture of my relationship with Gandhi and his actions. I will discuss the things I have read, my experiences in Sewagram and my father's contribution in this field.

Till then, watch this space for more and live long and prosper.