We all know of Mahatma Gandhi as an apostle of non-violence— ahimsa. He was a great leader and a true devotee of the Lord. His heart moved out in sympathy to the lowly, the poor and the down-trodden people of his country. When it came to protecting their interests, Gandhiji was selfless to the core.
Once, he came to know that the poor labourers in the tea estates were being cruelly ill-treated by the English estate owners. He learnt that the men and women who laboured fourteen hours a day on the plantations, were paid a pittance. He made up his mind to visit the estate and survey the situation himself.
Word got around to the English overlords that Gandhiji was to arrive at the estate soon. The owner of the estate was so incensed that he swore to shoot Gandhi at sight!
The people who heard him rave and rant, were horrified by his outbursts. Some of them went to Gandhiji and repeated what they had heard.
“Stay away from the estate, Bapuji,” they pleaded. “We beg you to move to a safer place, as far away from here as possible.”
Gandhiji only smiled in answer to their pleas.
That very night, in pitch darkness on the lonely hill slopes, a solitary figure knocked at the door of the estate owner. The Englishman, who answered the knock, stared at his visitor, unable to believe his own eyes. It was Gandhiji, all alone, defenceless, standing on his doorstep.
“Brother, I am told that you wanted to shoot me. Here I am. You are free to do what you want — and no one will ever know that you did it!”
The Englishman was dumbfounded. He had never ever come across such sincerity, such genuineness — and such fearlessness! This was no ordinary man, who stood outside his door at this midnight hour. He was an angel! Wordlessly, he led the Mahatma into his house. After that unforgettable encounter, the owner promised Gandhiji that the labourers on his estate would be paid fair wages and treated well.
*Oct 2 is Gandhi Jayanti.
Dada J P Vaswani is a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader