Calcutta Miracle A story of a Miracle in modern India...

 The year was 1947 and India was on the verge of independence. But freedom would not come to one nation, but two: India was to be divided into two and a separate nation for muslims called Pakistan was to be formed out of it.

Mahatma Gandhi had vehemently opposed it.He could not bear to see his country getting dismembered in the basis of religion. All his life he had laboured to bring about a realisation of unity among different religions among his country men.

In fact his life’s calling was  not so much political as much it was social. The unity he saw in Sermon of mount in the book of john in Bible and the bhagwad geeta and the in leo tolstoy’s works ,he wanted to spread it among the vast majority of poor illiterate and hungry Indians.

So when it was apparent that India and Pakistan would be formed and hindus and muslims instead of living in peace were fighting each other Gandhi didn’t find any reason to celebrate the independence. He famously and wryly remarked that ‘ would it not be proper to offer condolences rather than celebrating independence’.

The cases of rioting, loot , arson and murder was increasing at alarming rate. In one such incident in Calcutta in four days of open hostilties more than 4000 people were killed and 11000 injured. This killing was called by historians as “great Calcutta killing”. This inhuman and mindless orgy of violence threatened to throw India into a civil war. The news of the killings was spreading to other parts of India and there were preparations being made in respective communities to start fighting’s. This was especially alarming in northwestern part of India and Pakistan.

Britain who had already decided to withdraw from India due to its weak position from world war II was totally under equipped to handle a crisis of this magnitude. They simply didn’t have the required police personnel to stop this mindless violence. The newly formed government was in a much worse shape. The local governments in cities and towns had thrown their hands in despair as they were driven by party and religious loyalties.

Amidst all this Gandhi was totally forgotten His methods of Satyagraha and non violence which had contributed to independence were abandoned as useless. Even the so called leaders who professed their allegiance to gandhian ideology were finding it difficult to believe in its efficacy.

In such a situation and on its most bloodiest of days Gandhi arrived in Calcutta. His mission – To Stop the Riots and Bring peace. All he had with him in this war was his own frail old body of 77 years. A body which has undergone countless fasts and which had spent a majority of life in jails.

He moved – Unprotected from one locality to other in the riot torn  city.

He held prayer meetings where people from both communities turned out in large numbers.

He even took up residence in a muslim house as his message to people.

When the rioting and killings didn’t stop completely he resorted to his “infallible weapon”. He announced his intention to start a FAST UNTO DEATH till all violence ceased.

On the first day nothing happened…killings continued Many doubted that this would not work this time as it had worked in the past.

On the second day the killings and violence reduced a bit

As the news of his fasting and deteriorating health spread,  Calcutta and the world would witness a most dramatic turnaround.

A large mixed procession of hindus and muslims came and promised to reconcile their differences.

Then peace demonstrations began to be organised…..

On the third day most dramatic of transformation happened….the gangs which were involved in the killings came and surrendered their weapons……

By the end of third day all violence had ceased…ONCE AGAIN A FRAIL OLD MOHAN DAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI HAD PREVAILED…..

GANDHI BROKE HIS FAST…

THIS INCIDENT IS KNOWN AS “ CALCUTTA MIRACLE”…HISTORIANS CALL IT GANDHI’S FINEST HOUR

LORD MOUNTBATTEN REMARKED “ I HAVE MY MILLION POLICE MEN ON THE WESTERN BORDER ON INDIA AND PAKISTAN AND THERE ARE KILLINGS GOING ON, AND I HAVE A ONE MAN BORDER IN THE EASTERN REGION WHERE THERE IS COMPLETE CALM.

Gandhi’s triumph was complete, and the peace he brought was destined to endure..He had infact worked a miracle, perhaps the greatest of modern times…

On this day of his birthday when it is no more than a holiday for us young generation it would do well to remember why is that this old man is so revered in the world !!!