I am currently reading "Freedom at Midnight" by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. It is an account of the last days of the "Raj" as viewed by the Last Viceroy of India.
The chapter that really moved me to the core was the one where the days leading up to partition is described, especially in the context of Bengal and Punjab. These provinces were the most affected due to partition, with millions of people forced to migrate across both sides of the border, leaving behind their life-long earnings and losing their loved ones at the altar of wanton communal frenzy that gripped these provinces as the date of Independence approached and the boundary award was to be declared. An atmosphere of fear, anxiety and mistrust reigned in the cities of Lahore and Calcutta which along with Delhi signified the imperial dream that was British India.
As the date of Independence approached, things began to unravel and the administration was on the verge of collapse. In order to maintain some semblance of order in Punjab, Mountbatten deployed a border force comprising 50,000 trained men from the erstwhile British Indian army. On the other side of India, in Calcutta, which was the most volatile of all the cities in India and probably the world with its teeming slums filled with a mosaic of communities, Hindus, Muslims and others, Mountabben deployed another sort of border force. A one-man, border force to stem violence in Calcutta and by extension in Bengal. That man was Gandhi!
In an attempt to reconcile Calcutta’s Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi invited Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Calcutta Muslim leader, to join him. Suhrawardy had been chief minister of Bengal, and a sharp critic of Gandhi, whom he had described as “that old fraud.”
Here I borrow excerpts and insights from an article by Horace Alexander who was with Gandhi when the events described in my post, unfolded. He writes;
"A deserted Muslim house was found for the two men in a section of the city called Belighat. On the afternoon of 13th August, I was driven there by an Indian friend, but when we arrived we were met by a crowd of shouting young Hindu men. When we tried to pacify them by explaining that I was a friend of Gandhi, they shouted: “Gandhi go back.” Finally, some of the men came into the house and began to talk with Gandhi. The details of such talk can be imagined. The young Hindus had been preparing for this day, when they might have a purely Hindu India and when the Muslims would go to Pakistan. An eager young Hindu Congressman had assured me a few days before that he thought it likely that there would be a heavy slaughter of Muslims and Hindus immediately after freedom. But Gandhi hoped for something better. He told the young men that this was no way to start India on her life of independence. They should see that India was a land of tolerance and generosity. He sent them home to think it all over. Eventually, the men offered to support him in his efforts for peace so long as he remained in Calcutta."
As India, burnt in the days leading up to partition, Calcutta was quite. As people killed and pillaged in Punjab, in Calcutta people prayed in Gandhi's evening prayer meetings. As Lahore burnt when the independence was announced, Calcutta and its citizens rejoiced and proclaimed themselves free. However, this dream was too good to last...
As violence spread to large parts of India and Pakistan and streams of refugees poured into India including Calcutta, carrying with them horrific stories of genocide, violence broke out in Calcutta. Gandhi's miracle seemed to be shortlived.
As violence spread in Calcutta and its suburbs, a crowd surrounded the house where Gandhi dwelt and demanded to kill all Muslims among his followers. Gandhi offered his frail 80-year body for attack and for that moment the selfless act of the Mahatama saved the lives of many of his Muslim followers. Seeing this outburst of hatred and sensing that his grip on the city and its citizens was faltering, Gandhi searched deep within his soul for an answer to the madness that was gripping his people. How could he quell the thirst for revenge that fuelled the communal madness, how could he assuage the pain of people who had lost everything, how could he heal the thousands of wounds inflicted upon the soul of the country by way of partition? The answer came to him early morning.
The answer was a "Fast unto Death". The 80-year-old Mahatama was willing to sacrifice himself to safeguard the life of thousands of innocents who would be massacred if the riots continued. He was willing to subject his frail and old body to this extreme test in order to re-impose his will on the people whom he loved, who were currently blinded by hate and mistrust for each other.
Over the next 48 hours, as Gandhi's health deteriorated, word spread among the citizens of Calcutta that "Gandhi" was dying. Thousands of people thronged his dwelling and urged him to break his fast. However, Gandhi was resolute in his pledge that he will not relent until violence had completely stopped in Calcutta. As Gandhi sank further towards impending demise, panic spread among his followers and a sense of guilt among the citizens of Calcutta, including the rioters. Peace marches were organized and bands of Hindu-Muslim relief workers replaced bands of rioters. The violence stopped and thousands of rioters came over to the Mahatama and laid their weapons near his cot. Pistols, knives, daggers, tiger claws, clubs and other instruments of death lay at the feet of the Mahatama. An excerpt from The Miracle of Calcutta by Manuben (1959), best exemplifies the extraordinary turn of events that came to be known as the "Miracle of Calcutta".
"At 12 noon came a party of 35 goondas. Dr. Sinha was with us. He requested Bapu not to talk. Bapu stated that he would continue his talks in the fulfilment of his mission even up to his last breath. The 35 men confessed that they had committed murders and asking to be pardoned requested Bapu to terminate his fast. It is impossible to describe in words this wonderful sight. It could only be understood by those who actually saw it. It was a vivid picture of the victory that a small frail human being had been able to achieve, through sheer love, over goondas who always perpetrated inhuman crimes'. On one side was Bapu lying on his bed with his emaciated body, while opposite to him were able-bodied but shame-faced men requesting Bapu, with folded hands, to terminate his fast!
Bapu said, "This alone is not enough for the termination of the fast. All of you must go to Muslims and offer your services to them. As the Muslims are a minority here they must be protected. I shall break my fast only when my mind tells me that you are protecting them and that permanent peace has been established. "
In Calcutta, Love had won against hatred and a single man's love and conviction had been able to overcome the hate of thousands. His sufferings had moved the hearts of hardened criminals and common citizens alike. Above all, I believe in Calcutta, Gandhi gave an utterance to the soul of India and the ideals which would shape not only its society but also its constitution and its polity in the years to come.
Today, more than ever, India needs to remain true to the ideals of Gandhi. While celebrating the 150th anniversary of Gandhi, the biggest tribute that we Indians can give to the memory of the Mahatama is to recreate the Miracle of Calcutta in our hearts and through us across India!
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