PASSING AWAY OF GANDHI STORY TELLER ‘Narain Bhai Desai’

It is about exactly nine years ago- 18 February 2006, we had gathered at Sevagram. We came to know that in the Bajaj Wadi there would be Gandhi Katha in the evening. Almost everyone was eager to go for ‘katha’. More than the story, there was attraction of the story teller. He was Narain Bhai Desai. Seeing him in this form was a new experience. People had come from far off places to listen him. After the story of ‘katha was over Narain Bhai came down from the dais; I met him there. I told him that this ‘katha’ should also be held in Delhi. He readily agreed to this.

His ‘katha’ was held in Delhi but somehow I could not attend. Narain Bhai felt it. After months when I met him at Gandhi Peace Foundation, he promptly told “you were not seen at Gandhi Katha. That was his style of admonition. This time please give time for Gandhi Katha at my invitation. He agreed. This event was held in grand scale at Mewar Sansthan where he was staying. He was totally immersed in Gandhi Katha, it was his specialty. Whatever work he used to take up in hands he would do it in his own style with full dedication. It was like play for him. If there was some problem in the work he would not be able to do it with finesse that he normally used to do. Whichever task he would undertake, he would adapt to it with his lifestyle. That was his source of energy. I saw this those days. It was a new experience.

 

He was able to discover the path of Gandhi Katha in Gujrat violence. It was only he who could provide such rare example. Going above violence and non-violence, he showed not only to Gujrat but to the entire world the path of Gandhi that we all  know by Satyagrah. He changed the heart of people through Gandhi Katha, changed the way of thinking. Often it happens that people understand that much only that they want to understand. They draw inference that they carry in their mind. But there can be different way also to understand and this Narain Bhai Desai made people to understand. He told people not to demand proof. Instead of seeking support for what you want try to understand the problem that hinders the truth to prevail. Truth has to be sought which cannot be found easily. This is the way of Gandhi. The path to discover truth is ‘satyagrah’. Narain Bhai narrated this in his own style.he used to receive many invitations for Gandhi Katha.

 

Simple meditation was his style. It was deeply immersed in him. People who met him could feel this. He would continue working while in conversation; whether he is spinning ‘charkha’ or pulling thread. For him it was quite simple. He did not have to do any extra effort for that. When people leave everything at the last stage of life and turn away from reality taking it to be ‘sanyas’ then Narain Bhai initiated new chapter of life that would set example for the future generation worth following. He told people by his conduct that ‘sanyas’ is a kind of feeling; face the world with that feeling.

Obviously, the element of Gandhi was very strong in that. Because of that he sowed the seeds of non-violence in the field of death. It was not a subject of courage or dare devil  act. For him it was controlling the good act. He accepted and initiated it. He roped in history, politics, ‘purana’ and spiritualism in Gandhi Katha. By doing so he used to present Gandhi before the people in true form. The life of Gandhi was ‘experiment with truth’ as he himself had said. Narain Bhai too gave new meaning and definition to the word ‘satsang’- Satsang that is to be by the side of truth, to experience the life and world in oneself. This is ‘satsang’. Naraian Bhai linked to the history of India this spiritualism in Gandhi Katha that is a novel experiment in human salvation.

 

He imbibed in him multi facet personality. I saw him for the first time in Kashi in 1960s; he stayed in the precinct of ‘Sarva Seva Sangh’, He had returned from ‘bhudan’ mission. For us, he was like the Supreme Court in those days of J P Movement. He not only made taking decision possible but also saw to it that justice was done. Few would remember that in those days he had written a book “Vishwa ki Tarunai’ which became handy for those involved in the movement. He has more than fifty books in Gujrati, Hindi and English to his credit. Each book is a testimony of his deep knowledge and experience. It must be said here that he was a thinker activist.

 

He visited Delhi in 2014. It was his last visit to the capital. He wanted to give a positive direction to the public agitation witnessed during 2010-2012. During discussion he had said that the Anna movement lacked the perception of seeing things in totality. But somehow he could not do much. When people told him that the activists of Anna movement had taken to parliamentary politics and asked how he sees it. His response was, “Gandhiji had said once, those who want to take up parliamentary politics let them do that but it is not the basics.

It was highly unlikely that Narain Bhai would not accept the challenge of taking command of any public movement in the country. It is well known that he was son of Mahadev Desai, a right hand man of Gandhiji and front ranking leader of freedom movement. Mahadev Desai breathed his last in Aga Khan Palace in Pune on 15 August 1942 where he was imprisoned with Mahatma Gandhi. He was cremated there only and the final rites were performed by Mahatma Gandhi. There is vivid description of his death in Sushila Nayyar’s book “Bapu ki Karawas Kahani’. Narain Bhai was only 18 then. But right from there he was a witness to the freedom movement and stayed at Sabarmati Ashram. He devoted his life to this path.

 

After marrying Uttara, daughter of freedom fighter Navkrishna Choudhary of Orissa, he settled in a tribal village Becchari, 60 kilometeres off Surat. He experimented with many things there. He died at the Sampoorn Kranti School in Bechhari. After completing 90 years of full life he left for the eternal journey to tell Gandhi Katha.