walking in grey.
a torn between black and white.20031008
GENEROSITY
Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh.
During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. Plodding towards Mahatma Gandhi.
The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting.
"I must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji and touched his feet.
Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and held the coin carefully and safely into his fist.
The "Charkha Sangh Funds" were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused.
"I keep cheques also cash worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly, he carried on by saying "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."
"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."
Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh.
During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. Plodding towards Mahatma Gandhi.
The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting.
"I must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji and touched his feet.
Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and held the coin carefully and safely into his fist.
The "Charkha Sangh Funds" were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused.
"I keep cheques also cash worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly, he carried on by saying "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."
"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."
