Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Our</strong> <strong>Bapu</strong><br />
04. GANDHI'S FIRST LESSON IN NON-VIOLENCE<br />
"Mohandas gave up the idea of ever eating meat again, but he was now most<br />
eager to get big and grown up. Every child passes through this stage, when he<br />
tries to imitate his elders. He tries to behave and act like them and thus thinks<br />
himself to be grown up. Whenever Mohandas saw his uncle smoking, he would<br />
feel a strong desire to smoke also. When Mohandas was about fourteen, one of<br />
his friends decided to start smoking cigarettes. But neither of them had any<br />
money and cigarettes could not be had without money. The problem, however,<br />
was solved by picking up the stubs of the cigarettes that his uncle had smoked.<br />
But after a time this failed to satisfy them, and then they began to steal money<br />
from the servant's pockets in order to buy cigarettes. Very soon they felt that<br />
they could not enjoy their cigarettes when they had to smoke them in this<br />
stealthy way. They thought life was hardly worth living when they could not<br />
smoke a cigarette freely and openly as their elders did. This thought greatly<br />
disappointed them, and they decided to commit suicide. They collected the<br />
poisoned seeds of the dhatura 16 and decided one evening to eat them. Just<br />
when they were about to eat those seeds, it struck them that the poison might<br />
not work. What then? How could they ever face their elders after the failure?<br />
And so they gave up their idea; and from that day the desire for smoking<br />
cigarettes was gone."<br />
"But, mother, surely he must have smoked when he grew up?"<br />
"No, my darling. He never touched a cigarette since that day."<br />
"One day, Mohandas was working at his lessons in his room when his brother<br />
came in. He was looking very worried and, coming close to Mohandas, he<br />
whispered something in his ear. The brother had gone into a debt of some<br />
twenty-five rupees, and he wanted Mohandas to help him out. After much<br />
careful thinking, Mohandas hit upon a plan. He quietly went to his brother when<br />
he was asleep, and stole a little gold from his armlet. Next morning the gold<br />
was sold and the debt was cleared."<br />
www.mkgandhi.org Page 15
Change language