THE LAST JOURNEY
By T. G. NARAYANASWAMY
[An austerely furnished room.
Gandhiji, seated on the floor, is spinning and the even hum of the charka fills
the air. His expression is a blend of supreme calmness and intense
concentration which, in him, somehow do not conflict with each other. Perhaps
he is thinking thoughts which only a Mahatma could think. The light of the
evening sun, filtering through the window, forms a rectangle on the floor. As
the patch of sunlight moves slowly and falls on the charka, Gandhiji stops
spinning. He consults his pocket watch and, neatly arranging the cotton and the
thread, puts the charka away, when there is a knock on the door. He turns, as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel comes in with a file of papers in
his hand and a look of worry on his face]
Patel:
Namasthe, Bapu!
Gandhiji:
Namasthe, Vallabhbhai! [Ragging him] You
look more glum than usual; what is ailing you today?
Patel:
[Wryly, as he sits down] You may as well
ask what is not ailing me, Bapu. When we took up the reins of government, I
never thought we were letting ourselves in for such a mass of kitchen and
scullery work. Frankly, Bapu, I don’t know where exactly we would have been but
for you. Goodness knows, we can’t always quite understand what you’re talking
about and, often enough, you also tread on our toes. But, all said and done, we
find that yours was after all the best way out and so again we run to you like
spoilt children.
Gandhiji:
Don’t turn me into an Oracle or a demi-God,
Vallabhbhai, when I am just being true to myself. Doesn’t it ever strike you
all that I just could not be different even if I wanted to, that I just cannot
help being what I am? [Putting an end to the topic] Well, now let
us talk business, Vallabhbhai.
Patel:
[Pouring out his trouble No.1] First of
all, Bapu, I wanted to tell you that I do not at all think that the U. N. O.
will solve the
Gandhiji:
Let us be patient, Vallabhbhai. The U. N. O. is only a group of volunteer
nations attempting to save the war-weary world from falling into a self-dug
grave. Let us stand by it, even if we stand to lose.
Patel: (Arguing) But
the problem of the Indian States is only the parting kick of the Britisher, Bapu, and I think we can settle it in our own
way. Don’t you think that we would have been saved a lot of trouble had only
the quitting Englishman played the game fairly?
Gandhiji:
I have met two generations of Englishmen, Vallabhbhai, and I can tell you that
although the Britisher may be old-fashioned enough to
try to hold back the wheels of Time, he is essentially a good sport. When it
comes to a fight, he fights tooth and nail not caring much for the choice of
the weapons he uses, but when you call a truce, he is ready to shake hands with
you and forget the past. Try to meet him half-way, Vallabhbhai, and take care
that no bitterness clouds your vision.
Patel:
[Unconsciously quoting the future Nehru] Well, Bapu, we are all
children of the revolution and we still have the fire in us. When die-nards and
last-ditchers like Churchill and Butter borrow rusty swords from Don Quixote
and indulge in some fancy-rattling, I just cannot resist the temptation of
asking them to step back into their picture-frames and look like the Middle
Ages. I suppose I should learn not to waste my breath any more that way. [Coming to the topic on hand.] Leaving alone
Gandhiji:
I am glad to hear that, Vallabhbhai. But don’t forget that political
independence is only the beginning; we still have a long way to go. I wish you
had taken my advice and dissolved the Congress. The Congress was essentially a
militant organisation, an army of fighters. Getting it to run the day-to-day
administration would be like putting the cavalry-horse to the plough. I am
telling you this because I know the average Indian through and through. Even
now he has not come to feel that he is a member of a national family. Enact any
number of laws, bring out any number of schemes for the betterment of his lot
and he will remain indifferent and even apathetic. But let
something hurt him or his sentiments ever so little and he will make his
presence felt suddenly and heavily. What we have to do is to break through the
shell and bring about a revolution in his heart. Once the inherent goodness in
his nature asserts itself as a dominant force, we would have taken a long
stride towards Rama Rajya.
Patel: [impressed
by the size-up] No one understands the Indian mind so thoroughly as you do, Bapu, and, you see, that is one
reason why we need you now more than ever. [Recollecting something] That
reminds me of some reports I received from Morarji today. Morarji feels that we
should take very good care of you and I have arranged for some more policemen
to stand by as you conduct your prayer meeting.
`Gandhiji:
[Rising from the floor–Patel also gets up.] Do you think helmeted
policemen and armoured cars can stand between me and
my Maker when the call comes? I had always said that I would like to live long
but now I am not so sure. It was as if, through the smoke and flames of Noakhali, I caught a glimpse of Someone
beckoning to me, and, since then, I have been very much conscious of the Will
greater than the human will. [Picking up his walking stick] After all, I
have been a Traveller all my life and I shall go on
my last journey as cheerfully as ever...
[Something
in the altered tone of Gandhiji sends a chill down the Sardar’s
spine. Suddenly he finds himself in the grip of a strange emotion, so foreign
to him.]
Patel: [In mounting alarm] But just now you said we were only at the beginning, that we
still had a long way to go! If anything were to happen to you, whom shall we
look to for guidance? What will become of our country? If I had a problem which
puzzled or bothered me, what shall I do without you?
[The
Iron Man breaks down] I am no longer young,
I don’t have the vigour and enthusiasm of Jawahar who seems to remain young for ever. I suppose I
will just lose my Will to Live... [His eyes
lighting up like a child’s] I know what I will do; I will bother over the
problem for a while and then I will take it up and come straight to you,
wherever you may be...
Gandhiji:
[Laying a hand on the Sardar’s shoulder, trying to
communicate his own strength to the man before him] All of you will have to
learn to stand on your own legs, Vallabhbhai. Remember, when we took the
plunge, we did not know how many of us would reach the shore in safety; we did
not know how many would be carried away by the current or how many would be
sucked down by the whirlpools. Remember our unspoken, unwritten compact: That
if the one with the flag fell, the one next to him was to grasp the standard
and keep it flying. And to be worthy of it, one’s
hands should be clean. [Urgently, as he moves towards the
door with the Sardar.] You have still a
lot of trials ahead of you. There will be trouble over the foreign settlements
in
[Flanked
by his grand-children he walks on. The Sardar tries
to pull himself up but a strange gloom seems to hang in the air and he
is unable to shake off a sense of utter loneliness. Like one hypnotised, he keeps looking at the receding form of
Mahatma, on his Last Journey...]