This is Gandhijhi’s letter (post card ) to my father, who passed away exactly 38 years ago. The Letter is interesting for several reasons. This is actually an answer to some question put by father regarding charaka (spinning wheel ) , spinning, yarn etc. Note the date: 6/3/1925 – A period he was very busy with national politics. The great man takes time to answer a person whom he does not know well and that too about a rather extraneous ( at least to us today) matter. Gandhiji was great with details and he knew many things about yarn, cloth, machines etc. (There is an incident in William Shirer’s book where Gandhiji goes to Manchester and tells the factory workers there that the machines in Ahmedabad are much more efficient !!)

As far as I can make out the letter reads :

MY FRIEND,

I HAVE YOUR LETTER. WE HAVE FOUR FEET WINDERS AND AS THE YARN IS WOUND THE TURNS ARE COUNTED. THUS THE COUNTING IS DONE ……TIME AS WINDING.

THERE IS NO OBJECTION TO YOUR SELLING THE YARN TO THE SPINNER SO LONG AS YU ARE SATISFIED THAT IT IS TO BE TURNED INTO CLOTH ,

YOURS SINCERELY

M.K.GANDHI…

6.3.25 (1925)

My father ,as many of his generation, was influenced profoundly by Gandhiji

I am enclosing the other two blogs I had put in sulekha more than a year ago:

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The young man and the great soul:

The young man sat on the steps leading to the river. It was early morning and he had had his daily bath in the holy river. Now he had to really take a hard decision. He had after all come a long way to study at this famous university. He had literally run away from his native town to come and study here. It was the occasion of his sister’s marriage. His father had given him a few rupees to buy some groceries. But he had not gone to the shop. Instead he had gone to the railway station. The money he had was not enough for this long journey . Therefore he had traveled this length of 1500 miles almost without ticket. And he had been here for the past seven years. He had obtained his Bachelors in Science. He got admission to Master’s and it was now the end of the two years. The final examinations were about to start in a month . And then he would be a scientist ! And he could go home and take care of his parents and his brothers.

But his mind was going astray quite a lot these days. He had not earlier thought much about the country. He was too much wrapped in himself and his family. And later in his studies. But he now realized the slave status of his country. And then this man who was supposed to havea adone wonders in South Africa came to give a lecture at the university. He remembered the day. There were lectures by princes. And by that famous theosophist , the Irish Lady. When these lectures were going on in the big auditorium a little man had quietly come and sat on a back bench. Some people recognized him and called out his name. THE GREAT SOUL ! He was asked to come up to the dias. Then he spoke. Then everything changed.

The young man went back from the lecture totally spellbound. And since then his studies did not mean anything to him. Added to it was the clarion call of this leader who was called the Great Soul: STUDENTS STUDYING IN INSTITUTIONS WHOSE FINANCES COME FROM THE COLONIAL MASTERS SHOULD DISCONTINUE THEIR STUDIES AND LEAVE THE INSTITUTIONS .

What should he do now ? Should he follow the leader’s call and stop his studies ? Or should he take his exams as his friends advised ? He thought for a minute to write to his father and ask his advice. But he gave up this thought since he knew his father would not like him to discontinue his studies. He went to his favourite teacher and asked him for his advice. The teacher told him to complete the examinations. He said he knew that the young man would pass with flying colours. The young man liked the teacher. But his advice sounded wrong.

Then he decided to go to the leader himself for the advice. He knew that the Great Soul would be in town on a certain day.. It was difficult for him to meet him. But he persevered and finally met the Great Soul who told him that it is the first step in the process of non cooperation. If the young man wanted to fight for the freedom of the country he was told there are no choices. The young man was now convinced. He still wanted to look after his family but decided that he has to think of other means to do so. Science was not the path for him. For the final time he wanted to meet the vice chancellor of the university . He was also a very distinguished gentleman. And he had met him on several occasions. The vice chancellor welcomed him and asked him about the studies. The young man told him about what he thought was his mission. The vice chancellor told him to take the M.Sc degree and then do whatever he wanted. But the young man told him that he had promised the Great Soul himself. When the vice chancellor heard it, he knew that the young man was determined. He game him 50 rupees and wished well.

The young man went to the railway station with the money in his packet. He smiled to himself. How different was this journey from the one he had made 7 years ago !. This time he did not have to run to the bathroom whenever the ticket collector appeared . And also unlike in the old times, he knew very well what he wanted to do. He wanted to follow the advice of the Great Soul and serve the country in whichever way possible. He had received the light from the sun. May be he can be another sun. Or atleast a candle!

(In the above story, The GREAT SOUL is Mahatma Gandhi ! Time was 1920. Place was Benares. The university was BHU. The vice chancellor was Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. The young man was my father, He, of course, did not become a scientist. Instead he became a journalist . His newspaper was in the forefront of the freedom struggle in Mysore State. If interested pl see the blog called AUTUMN OF 1942 - FATHER IN JAIL) http://tainadu.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/04/autumn-of-1942-father-in-jail.htm

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Another blog:

Gandhiji was in Mysore on 23 July 1927. When Sri P.R.Ramaiya (my faher ) met him and asked him for blessings, he wrote the famous shloka ' Sukha dukhe ..' from Bhagavadgita in Sri Ramaiya's diary. This shloka served as the motto for the newspaper my father edited