Page 90 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

While the debate was going on Gandhi's condition was deteriorating by the

hour. He could hardly lift himself up in bed. His voice was nearly inaudible. He

lay for long stretches with his eyes closed. The doctors who examined him
declared that he had entered the danger zone. Even if he now gave up his fast,

he ran the risk of paralysis. People everywhere were in unspeakable agony.

Hundreds of thousands of people swore that they would never again entertain

or countenance the thought of untouchability.

Finally there was an agreement that the question of when the referendum

would be held would be decided later. Since the draft formulations were now
acceptable to the 'caste Hindu' leaders as well as Dr. Ambedkar and his

followers, Gandhi decided to end his fiery ordeal. At a meeting to ratify the

Pact, Dr. Ambedkar said that the Pact had saved the life "of the greatest man

in India". "It had safeguarded the interests of the Depressed Classes. I must
confess I was surprised when I met him, to find that there was so much in

common between the Mahatma and myself. In fact my disputes whenever they

were carried to him, I was surprised to see that the man who held such

divergent views from me at the Round Table Conference came immediately to
my rescue and not to the rescue of the other side."

The agreement was communicated to the British Government. They announced
their acceptance of the 'Yervada Agreement'. Among scenes of great jubilation,

Gandhi broke his fast in the yard of the Yervada prison by sipping a glass of

orange juice that Kasturba gave him. Many great leaders — Sardar Vallabhbhai

Patel, Mahadev Desai, Kasturba, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu and many
others were present. Rabindranath sang a prayer song from the Gitanjali. The

great poet had visited Gandhi frequently and shown his complete identification

with the cause as well as the penance that Gandhi had undertaken. Gandhi

declared that the depressed classes, whom he began to call the children of God
or 'Harijans', might hold his life as a hostage for the fulfilment of the pact and

the total abolition of untouchability.

This was the beginning of a massive and momentous movement that Gandhi

launched for the abolition of untouchability, root and branch. He started a new

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