Nirala the Man who Questioned Gandhi

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Nirale Smritiyon's English translation: 

Those were the days when Gandhiji walked with the support of a stick, and the longing to see the tricolour flutter in the sky was clearly visible in every heart. Each word that emerged from Bapu’s mouth was woven into a sentence whose eloquence was no less than Vedantic wisdom. In this context, it is aptly said in English, “The pen is mightier than the sword” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839.

Whether today or in those times, every single word written in a newspaper carried its own distinctive style and offered abundant substance. Gandhiji’s words had reached a stage where they seemed to determine the future of the nation. The country called him by many names.

One day, a tall, six-foot-tall man arrived, speaking in a grave tone. His lotus-like eyes from West Bengal added a distinct radiance to his presence. From his attire, it appeared that he was a lover of art, someone who did not bow before pretence or show. In his speech, pain filled with anger was clearly visible. The entire nation was afraid to look Bapu in the eye while speaking, yet this very man raised questions before him in the same firm voice. He asked: Who gave you the right to declare that there is no writer in Hindi literature equal to Rabindranath Tagore, without even reading Hindi literature? And how could you proclaim him an “exceptional” writer without understanding it? If you had read, understood, and recognised Hindi literature even once before making such a sweeping statement…

Walking slowly, Bapu replied that he did not know Hindi. This answer was both astonishing and deeply thought-provoking. Bapu always moved with his times; to delay work was, for him, to break his own principles. As he walked away, mentioning the great names of Hindi literature, Bapu asked that a book by Nirala be sent to him.

At that moment, Nirala said something that halted the forward-moving steps. The entire atmosphere fell silent, yet Nirala had spoken the truth. He said, “I will certainly send you the book, Bapu, but please tell me—do you have even a single person with you who understands Hindi? Because you yourself have revealed that you do not know Hindi, Mahatma.” Saying this, he bowed respectfully to Bapu and walked away.

Bapu’s laughter was filled with the virtue of learning and humility.

On the 59th birth anniversary of our Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, countless salutations.


Swati Balivada 
mzu2005601@mzu.edu.in

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