Short Stories For Everyone
Inspiring incidents from Gandhiji's Life: Selected from the book Everyone's Gandhi
(For the children in the age group of 10 to 15 years)


Gandhiji writing

SHORT STORIES FOR EVERYONE

Gandhi's inspiring short stories selected from the book Everyone's Gandhi

Editor by : Rita Roy


Table of Contents

  1. All for A Stone
  2. A Car And A Pair of Binoculars
  3. My Master's Master
  4. Enter The Monkeys
  5. Premchand Quits His Job
  6. Returning His Medals
  7. Basic Pen
  8. Prisoner No. 1739
  9. Gandhi's White Brother
  10. Who Saw Gandhi?
  11. An Early School
  12. An Unusual March
  13. Spiritual Heir
  14. The Less You Have The More You Are
  15. An Old Goat Talks
  16. The Phoenix Settlement
  17. Gandhi in Amsterdam
  18. Something To Be Shy About?
  19. Gandhiji The Matchmaker
  20. Gandhi's Army
  21. Dandi Snippet
  22. Hiding Something
  23. The Image Maker
  24. Creative Reader
  25. Postcards To The Rescue
  26. A Non-violent Satyagraha 214 Years Ago
  27. Gandhi And Delhi
  28. Gandhiji's Constructive Programme
  29. Gandhi Looks At Leprosy
  30. Baba Amte
  31. They Gave Peace A Chance
  32. From Mahatma To God
  33. Customs Are Out of Fashion
  34. The Man 'Charlie' Wanted To Meet
  35. It Came Naturally To Him
  36. Crossing The Sea of Narrow-Mindedness
  37. Wear Clothes As They Should Be Worn
  38. Education: For Life, Through Life
  39. The Abode of Joy
  40. To Cling to A Belief
  41. The Fruit of A Child's Labour
  42. An Ideal Prisoner
  43. How A Film Became Something More
  44. Gandhi: Beyond India
  45. Gandhi's Life-Saving Medicine
  46. Understanding The Mechanics of Life With Gandhi
  47. The Lokmanya and The Mahatma
  48. Man's Gift To Nature
  49. Gurudev And His Mahatma
  50. One-man Boundary Force
  51. What Does Mahatma Gandhi's Message Mean To Me?
  52. Let's Play Together
  53. Children's Response To Conflict
  54. Beggar By Choice
  55. The Better Half
  56. Uncle Gandhi
  57. The Watch: An Instrument For Regulating Life
  58. Light The Lamp of Your Mind
  59. Gandhi's Bet!
  60. Gandhi Feeling At Home In The Kitchen
  61. What Is Simplicity?
  62. Bapu And The Sardar
  63. The Power of Quality
  64. Gandhi: The Teenager!

Chapter 56: Uncle Gandhi

The title is certainly likely to surprise readers Well' it was the children living in Bow in the 'East-End', of London who chose to address Gandhiji as 'Uncle'. When in September 1931, Gandhiji went to England to attend the Second Round Table Conference many friends offered their luxurious homes to him. But he preferred to stay in Kingsley Hall because the poor of London lived in this area.
The children of the locality were quite curious to know more about the 'man from India' living in their neighbourhood. For example, a child would ask his mother, "who is this man whom so many people visit the whole day long?" and the mother would answer, "He is the leader of Indian National Movement, and his name is Mahatma Gandhi." Some children would ask, "What does Gandhi eat?" Another asked, "Now, tell me mummy, why does Gandhi not wear shoes?" and so on and so forth. One day a mother told her three-year old son, "Now look here, you mustn't say 'Gandhi' but 'Mr. Gandhi.' You know Mr. Gandhi is a very good man and a very great man." "I am sorry mummy" said the tiny tot making amends, "I will call him Uncle Gandhi ..." So 'Uncle Gandhi' caught on.
Children loved talking to Gandhi. Joking with him. So did Gandhi. During his walks he would look forward to meeting his friends. On his birthday, these little friends sent him a packet addressed to 'Dear Uncle Gandhi', containing two woolly toy goods, sweets and candles. Gandhiji cherished and valued these gifts very much.
On 5 December, he left London. As he got into the train, he turned anxiously to his hostess Muriel Lester, "Are the toys alright?" Gandhi was enquiring about the woolly animals, coloured candles and chalk drawings that the children of Bow had presented him. "They are the only things I am taking back to India," he said, "except what I came with." He had given away all the other costly gifts that the English people showered on him.
Soon after returning home Gandhiji was arrested. It was from the Yervada Prison he wrote later, on 20 January 1932, to these kids, thanking them, "Isn't it funny," he wrote, "that they should receive a letter from a prison?" and added, "I am not aware of having done anything wrong." Conveying his love to all, he signed the letter, "Yours, whom you call Uncle Gandhi".