FIFTIETH DAY REPORT GANDHI SWARAJ PADYATRA by Jeff Knaebel
FIFTIETH DAY REPORT
GANDHI SWARAJ PADYATRA
by Jeff Knaebel, sojourner free and stateless
7 October 2009
Lack of finance is never a real difficulty to a sincere worker. Finances follow you if you represent a real cause. (Mahatma Gandhi in Tendulkar 1960).
When I see a cow, it is not an animal to eat, it is a poem of pity for me & I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world. (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi).
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Gandhi Quotations From Samyojana 2008
(Society For Integrated Development of Himalaya, Mussoorie)
Political subjection by the British had been reinforced by intellectual & moral servility of educated Indians. Moral man – human being – had become commercial man & political man. Through Gandhiji, the disarmed won a great battle and evolved a moral force that yet compels the admiration of the world. (Samyojana, S.I.D.H., 20008).
“Mr. Gandhi recognizes no court of appeal except that of his own conscience.” – Lord Ampthill, 1909.
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Today we got underway from Village Raksha at 0643 hrs. The first rays of morning sun touched us at 0706 hrs as we descended the valley of a small river said to be named the Nadikud.
From behind us comes a sweet chorale of school girls singing in the early morning sun as they walk to school. How easy it would be for life on this earth to be sweet and heavenly. How easy it would seem, yet how hopeless is the current situation.
Hopelessness is not without merit. When all hope has vanished for a rescuer from on high, or that somebody else will do the job, there is nothing left to do except to get to work, doing what one can do.
Not far from where we were blessed with sweet innocent voices raised in song stands a sign of the stark contrast we face. It is in the form of a huge billboard which advertises cosmetics and expensive jewelry as the way to happiness on the side of this remote mountain road.
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Our planned mid-day halt at Village Bajaroli presented us with our first experience of total rejection of support. We were unable to find anyone willing even to allow us to spread our ground sheet so we could take rest under a tree.
What man, unable to rule himself, is fit to rule another?
And what man truly fit for self-rule would have the ambition to rule over others, knowing that all men are created as equals from One Source? What man so fit would not know that power can only corrupt his own mind?
Would he not know that the only real power is the power of Love, and that Love does not command or coerce?
Continuing beyond Bajaroli, we crossed the river locally called Nadikud and continued down its valley, which we have been descending for two days. Upon his invitation, we found a resting place in the abandoned chai daba of Sri Jagdish Verma. We stretched out on table tops among the dusty furniture. His wife was kind enough to feed us dal and chaval (rice).
At 1354 hrs we catch sight of the river Giriganga flowing from the north as the road turns to go up its valley. At 1427 hrs we cross the Giriganga and approach Village Sainj, home of the huge Adani Corporation cold storage facility for apples.
Entering Sainj, we see a young man wearing a Tee shirt imprinted with the words “I think better when I’m drunk.” This is not Bharat.
A large percentage of men are smoking, and many are the empty liquor bottles along the streets. Here the river is dirty and choked with plastic.
Advance arrangements for our accommodation at the PWD guest house had been made by phone. Upon arrival we were informed that remodeling work precluded any guests. We back-tracked to find the Bharota Guest House where its host and parata chef par excellence Sri Amara generously offered half price with two to the bed. In the evening we met and shared our ideas with owners Sri Mahendra Bharota and son Aseem. Their guest house is neat and clean and well appointed – we happily recommend it.
Today we walked 19 km – tally 873.
— END OF DAY 50 REPORT —
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