Excerpts : Forged by Humility
February 04, 2020
Bapuji found ways to
spread his message in even the most unlikely circumstances. Some years before I
(Arun Manilal Gandhi- Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi & son of Manilal Gandhi)
got to the ashram, my grandfather was attending one of the conferences in
London to discuss the future of India. As always, he decided to wear the
homespun cotton he had adopted as his uniform. He was representing the Indian
people, most of whom lived in her poverty and the garments were a reminder of
that. The British officials treated him with respect and arranged for him to
stay in an elegant spot in London with security befitting a head of a state.
But Bapuji decided, "I'd like to live in the midst of the textile
workers, preferably as their guest," he informed them.
The British officials were aghast.
Remember that Bapuji's position on
keeping Indian cotton in India had hurt the British textile industry. With
Indians spinning their own clothes, British companies weren't able to charge
the big markups that they had previously, and British workers were angry at my
grandfather for their lowered wages.
"If
you stay with the textile workers, they will kill you," one of the
officials warned. "There is so much
anger among them that we fear for your safety."
"That
is all the more reason that I should stay with them- so that I can explain the
case of Indian people," Bapuji
said calmly.
Reluctantly the British acceded to Bapuji's request, and he went to meet
the textile workers. He approached them with the respect and understanding that
were his hallmarks. He described to them the extreme poverty that was the norm
in India and explained how spinning their own clothes allowed the people in some
villages to rise above the most meager level of subsistence. He offered
compassion for the British workers plight and told them he understood that they
too wanted to support their families in the best way possible. But he urged
them to join him in helping the Indian people claim out of poverty. Not only
did British textile workers listen respectfully to my grandfather, but he won
their acceptance. Many became fans and supported his many endeavors.
It is unusual for angry people to change
their position and even more unusual for them to swing to a stance that goes
against their own interests. But by listening and understanding, Bapuji managed to diffuse the textile
workers' anger and gave them see what was needed globally rather than just
personally.
This is from the book The Gift by Arun Gandhi.
Excerpts is a series where we post thoughtful passages from different books that provide for a quick and easy reading
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