It was a typical tree-lined street with garbage dumped all over the sidewalks and stray dogs sleeping under the tamarind trees. With sunken cheeks, toothless gums and draped in a faded shawl, the old man was strolling past the dogs, supporting himself on a long staff. Nobody recognized the gaunt figure as Mohandas KaramChand Gandhi. His secretary Mahadev Desai was with him
It was a typical tree-lined street with garbage dumped all over the sidewalks and stray dogs sleeping under the tamarind trees. With sunken cheeks, toothless gums and draped in a faded shawl, the old man was strolling past the dogs, supporting himself on a long staff. Nobody recognized the gaunt figure as Mohandas KaramChand Gandhi. His secretary Mahadev Desai was with him.
On the way they stopped at a TASMAC outlet. Stragglers clad in dirty lungis were jostling with each other at the liquor counter. They were shouting and quarrelling. Gandhi was shocked. A couple of students in school uniforms were also in the crowd. A girl student was standing a little away for her turn, with the school bag at her back.
“Is it a toddy shop?” Gandhi asked.
“This is a TASMAC outlet, Bapu : Mahadev Desaid said. “This is run by the State government”
“Government selling liquor?” Gandhi said, and unable to bear it, sat on a bench nearby.
“Yes, Bapu. The State government is selling liquor and earns an annual income of Rs. 25,000 crores.”
Gandhi stared at the motley crowd fighting at the counter. The school boys now stood a little away, mixing their drinks. They called the girl and asked her what she had bought.
“Brandy” she said. “My dad says this is good for health.”
One of the boys took her bottle and poured some into a paper cup and was about to add water when she stopped him.
“No” she said. “I take brandy without water just like my daddy and mummy.” Then she drank it in one big gulp.
Gandhi had been watching her and now he called her to him.
“What is your age, daughter?”
“Thirteen, grandpa” she said.
“Have you come of age?”
“No, grandpa.”
“How long have you been drinking, child?”
“For almost a year, grandpa. All of us drink at home.”
“You have skipped school. Won’t your teachers scold you?”
“Last night, we had our drinks and went to sleep late. I could not do my home work. The Maths teacher sent me out. As I had nothing much to do, I came here to have a peg, grandpa.”
“Don’t you think what you do at this young age is wrong? Don’t your parents and teachers punish you for this?”
She laughed mirthlessly. “Grandpa, you don’t understand. This shop is run by our school master Deva. Dad and mum won’t say anything. Only my grandpa will scold me. He always scolds me for every other thing.”
Desai showed her the statutory warning on a dirty flex board.
“Child, it says drinking liquor will ruin the family and the nation. Don’t you know what you do is wrong?”
She smiled. “ Uncle, you also talk like my grandpa. Nothing wrong in drinking liquor, uncle. It is wrong not to drink.”
“How is it, child?”
“Only when all of us drink, sales will increase and the government will get good income. Then only they can do good to the society.”
“What do you mean good to the society, child?”
“The government has to lay roads, build bridges, run buses. They have to distribute freebies to the voters like free TV, Fan, Cooker, Cycle, Fridge, Laptop, etc. They need money for all that. We have to drink more to help the government help the people.”
“Don’t you think liquor is injurious to health, child?”
“All these IMFL brands are made from fruits like grapes, uncle. My dad says it is good for health.”
“Your dad loves you?”
“My present dad loves me more than my previous dad. He never beats me.”
“He is your second father?”
“Yes, uncle. My first father drank too much and died. My mother has brought home a new father.”
“They are married?”
“No. My second dad works in the TASMAC outlet. He will not go to his house. He always stays with us.”
“He has his own family?”
“Yes, uncle. There is a mom like mine, also four children. One of them is studying in our school.”
A couple of ruffians in T shirts and lungies strayed towards them. They threatened the people around, driving away the other customers.
One of them, Kabali, was amused by Gandhi. “Who is this old fellow?” he asked. “He is half naked, seems a bigger drunkard than all of us. Now, old man, who are you?”
“He is Mahatma Gandhi” Mahadev Desai said. “the Father of the Nation.”
Kabali laughed aloud. “My God! he is the Father of the Nation? Hey Maari, who are you then? Prime Minister Nehru? Hey Ravi, you are Vallabhai Patel?” All of them laughed. “The two old men have had too much” they said,
Kabali bought his drink and came to sit near Gandhi. “Mahatma Gandhi Sir, can you move a little?” he said elaborately and sat beside Gandhi almost pushing him down.”Make way for others, Mahatma Sir. Look, go and lie down there under the tamarind tree until you are sober.”
Gandhi and Desai moved towards the tree slowly.
The school girl intervened. “Grandpa, they are hooligans, they will beat you up if you don’t move fast.”
“Bapu” Desai almost sobbed. “I can’t believe the nation has gone so bad. Even the British seem good compared to what is happening in free India.”
Gandhi was speechless; tear drops tumbled down his shrivelled cheeks. “All our work has come to nothing” he said.
The school girl was moved by his tears. She touched Gandhi’s shoulder affectionately. “Grandpa, please don’t cry. Don’t go near the hooligans, they are bad.”
She slung the school bag on her shoulders and began moving towards the school. “I am going to school, time for my free lunch.”
Gandhi and Desai stood staring at her receding figure.