Saturday, January 24, 2009
Story
This story was written by my Son, Aakash for his school contest. I felt I should reflect his story on the blog so that people can not only enjoy the story but also learn a few things about the great Mahatma.
MY EXPERIENCE OF GANDHI JI’S TRUTH AND VIOLENCE
Mahatma Gandhi is famous for his principles of Truth and Non-Violence. But it is very difficult to follow these principles. Only people with great courage and strength can.
There are two separate incidents that I was able to experience with Gandhiji’s Truth and Non-Violence. From my childhood Gandhiji has always been my favourite leader. That is because I used to hear a lot of stories of Gandhiji from my father. One day after listening to a wonderful story, I slept. And when I woke I found that I was in Gandhiji’s house in Porbander. Gandhiji was a little boy like me. He was praying in the next room. I quickly took bath, dressed and ran down to meet him.
After breakfast, we sat together to do our home work. His pencil broke. Gandhiji wanted a new pencil, because my father had given me a brand new pencil. So he asked his father for a new pencil. But his father said, ‘why don’t you use the same pencil?’ Poor Gandhiji, he had to sharpen his pencil and finish his homework. Next day we were doing homework and his pencil broke again. When he asked his father for new pencil, he said the same thing.
The day after the next, Gandhiji’s pencil broke again. This time the pencil had become so small, he could hardly hold it. So he asked his father, his father said the same thing and went to take bath. He had left his shirt on the chair. In the shirt pocket there was his purse. There was money in it.
Gandhiji took money and brought a new pencil. After taking bath his father came back. He found that his shirt was lying on the ground and when he picked up his shirt his purse fell down. Some money was missing. He asked every body and when he came to ask Gandhiji, I said to Gandhiji, ‘don’t tell the truth’. Gandhiji was very afraid. But Gandhiji did not lie. He spoke the truth. His father was very angry and beat him up and went outside and when his father came back, he had a surprise for Gandhiji. It was a new pack of pencils. I was surprised. ‘Uncle, you are giving gift for stealing?’ I asked.
‘No, it is a reward for telling the truth!’ said his father proudly, ‘you must always speak the truth no matter what happens.’ he told me, ‘promise me.’
‘I promise, I promise, I will always speak the truth.’ I said
‘Ok, ok, now wake up, or you will be late for school,’ my mother said pulling my bed sheet.
I looked around it was my house again, I must have dreamt, but what a wonderful dream it was. I think I learnt one good lesson, to speak the truth always. That evening after supper, I finished my homework using the same pencil, without asking my dad for new pencil and soon went to sleep.
I found that I had grown up, strong and handsome walking fast in a strange street. There was a lean thin man beside me, talking something. I tried to listen. He was saying about violence. ‘….. only a little child can make the mighty emperor bow down his head. It is the power of love, the power of peace, the power of non-violence.’
I said, ‘yes, yes that is true.’
Just ahead there were three big fat boys. They were working hard. A few steps closer, I could see they were beating somebody. The poor fellow was shouting for help, but no body was coming to his rescue. Then I saw the lean, thin man walking straight towards the three big fat boys. They looked at him menacingly, ‘get away, or you will be like mashed potatoes soon’, said one of them.
‘I won’t go away, till you let this poor fellow go,’ said the lean thin man calmly.
‘You must be crazy, man. Get out of here’ said the second fat boy and raised his arm to punch him.
‘If you beat me here,’ said the lean, thin man pointing to his right cheek, ‘then hit me here also,’ showing the left cheek.
‘Man, he is really crazy,’ said the three of them. ‘I think he is a policeman, lets get out of here,’ said the bigger fat boy and ran away. Others followed him.
I was very surprised. The lean thin man had defeated the three big fat bullies, without a fight. I asked, ‘what did you do?’
He said, ‘Magic! Magic of non-violence!’
Just then the man who was being beaten got up and said, ‘Thank you, Gandhiji, you saved my life.’
‘Nothing, think nothing of it,’ said the lean thin man, who was the grown up Gandhiji.
‘I think, I have learnt another important lesson today,’ I said to Gandhiji, ‘the power of Non-violence, I will use it against my class bully.’
‘Okay beta, but first wash yourself, or you will be late for school again,’ said my mother dragging me up from the bed.
‘Gosh, I must be dreaming again,’ I said while rushing away to the bathroom. At school, this big fat bully came up to me, ‘hey you, give me your yo-yo or I will beat you.’
‘If you beat me here,’ I said pointing to my right cheek ‘beat me here also,’ showing my left cheek, just like Gandhiji did in my dream. The big bully could not believe it, nor could my mother, when she saw me in the hospital, with two swollen cheeks. The big bully was taken to the principal’s room for punishment. But I think it was worth it, when the principal said, ‘Gandhiji is still alive in our hearts, see how this brave young boy faced the bully with non-violence.’ She gave me a special award on Gandhi Jayanti day for following his footsteps.
There are two separate incidents that I was able to experience with Gandhiji’s Truth and Non-Violence. From my childhood Gandhiji has always been my favourite leader. That is because I used to hear a lot of stories of Gandhiji from my father. One day after listening to a wonderful story, I slept. And when I woke I found that I was in Gandhiji’s house in Porbander. Gandhiji was a little boy like me. He was praying in the next room. I quickly took bath, dressed and ran down to meet him.
After breakfast, we sat together to do our home work. His pencil broke. Gandhiji wanted a new pencil, because my father had given me a brand new pencil. So he asked his father for a new pencil. But his father said, ‘why don’t you use the same pencil?’ Poor Gandhiji, he had to sharpen his pencil and finish his homework. Next day we were doing homework and his pencil broke again. When he asked his father for new pencil, he said the same thing.
The day after the next, Gandhiji’s pencil broke again. This time the pencil had become so small, he could hardly hold it. So he asked his father, his father said the same thing and went to take bath. He had left his shirt on the chair. In the shirt pocket there was his purse. There was money in it.
Gandhiji took money and brought a new pencil. After taking bath his father came back. He found that his shirt was lying on the ground and when he picked up his shirt his purse fell down. Some money was missing. He asked every body and when he came to ask Gandhiji, I said to Gandhiji, ‘don’t tell the truth’. Gandhiji was very afraid. But Gandhiji did not lie. He spoke the truth. His father was very angry and beat him up and went outside and when his father came back, he had a surprise for Gandhiji. It was a new pack of pencils. I was surprised. ‘Uncle, you are giving gift for stealing?’ I asked.
‘No, it is a reward for telling the truth!’ said his father proudly, ‘you must always speak the truth no matter what happens.’ he told me, ‘promise me.’
‘I promise, I promise, I will always speak the truth.’ I said
‘Ok, ok, now wake up, or you will be late for school,’ my mother said pulling my bed sheet.
I looked around it was my house again, I must have dreamt, but what a wonderful dream it was. I think I learnt one good lesson, to speak the truth always. That evening after supper, I finished my homework using the same pencil, without asking my dad for new pencil and soon went to sleep.
I found that I had grown up, strong and handsome walking fast in a strange street. There was a lean thin man beside me, talking something. I tried to listen. He was saying about violence. ‘….. only a little child can make the mighty emperor bow down his head. It is the power of love, the power of peace, the power of non-violence.’
I said, ‘yes, yes that is true.’
Just ahead there were three big fat boys. They were working hard. A few steps closer, I could see they were beating somebody. The poor fellow was shouting for help, but no body was coming to his rescue. Then I saw the lean, thin man walking straight towards the three big fat boys. They looked at him menacingly, ‘get away, or you will be like mashed potatoes soon’, said one of them.
‘I won’t go away, till you let this poor fellow go,’ said the lean thin man calmly.
‘You must be crazy, man. Get out of here’ said the second fat boy and raised his arm to punch him.
‘If you beat me here,’ said the lean, thin man pointing to his right cheek, ‘then hit me here also,’ showing the left cheek.
‘Man, he is really crazy,’ said the three of them. ‘I think he is a policeman, lets get out of here,’ said the bigger fat boy and ran away. Others followed him.
I was very surprised. The lean thin man had defeated the three big fat bullies, without a fight. I asked, ‘what did you do?’
He said, ‘Magic! Magic of non-violence!’
Just then the man who was being beaten got up and said, ‘Thank you, Gandhiji, you saved my life.’
‘Nothing, think nothing of it,’ said the lean thin man, who was the grown up Gandhiji.
‘I think, I have learnt another important lesson today,’ I said to Gandhiji, ‘the power of Non-violence, I will use it against my class bully.’
‘Okay beta, but first wash yourself, or you will be late for school again,’ said my mother dragging me up from the bed.
‘Gosh, I must be dreaming again,’ I said while rushing away to the bathroom. At school, this big fat bully came up to me, ‘hey you, give me your yo-yo or I will beat you.’
‘If you beat me here,’ I said pointing to my right cheek ‘beat me here also,’ showing my left cheek, just like Gandhiji did in my dream. The big bully could not believe it, nor could my mother, when she saw me in the hospital, with two swollen cheeks. The big bully was taken to the principal’s room for punishment. But I think it was worth it, when the principal said, ‘Gandhiji is still alive in our hearts, see how this brave young boy faced the bully with non-violence.’ She gave me a special award on Gandhi Jayanti day for following his footsteps.
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