Our Bapu - Mahatma Gandhi

Our Bapu
There was then in India, a wave of discontent, even hatred against the British.
The patience of the Indians had been tried to the breaking point. They were
restless and desperate. Gandhiji was anxious to keep alive the passion for
freedom, but he also wanted to drive out hatred from the hearts of his
countrymen. He knew full well that it would be no joke to fight a against the
British Government. It was necessary to train the men and collect the resources
of the entire country. And so he devoted himself to the service of the common
people and worked hard to improve their condition and to spread the message
of freedom far and wide.
The war between England and Germany was then at its height, and England
needed all the help that India could give her. The English asked Gandhiji to give
them his support. Knowing how the British Government had been treating the
Indians, no one would treating the Indians, no one would have agreed to give
them any help. But Gandhiji believed that one should never try to take
advantage of the enemy's difficulties. He wanted to help the British in their
hour of need and, by placing them under a deep debt of gratitude , compel
them to do the right thing by India by giving her freedom. Moreover, Mahatmaji
felt that the English as a nation were not bad: the unjust treatment of the
Indians was the result of the foolish and wrong policy of a few ignorant English
officials who came out to India. He believed that the English people could be
won over with love, and so he put forth all his effort to get his country's
support for the war. He travelled from village to village, persuading people to
join the army. He spared himself no pains and worked so hard that he fell ill.
Hardly had he recovered, when news came that the war had ended and that no
further recruitment was necessary. During this illness he took to drinking goat's
milk and since then right until the day of his death, he lived only on boiled
vegetables and goat's milk."
"How happy Gandhiji and all his countrymen must have been when the war
ended !"
"Of course, yes. Everyone rejoiced when the fighting ceased. But our country's
problems had yet to be solved. Everyone was expecting that when the war had
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