From “Fire” to Stronger “Fire”!

Sharma: For nearly thirty years you were in politics. What were the reasons for your quitting politics?

Chacha Ji: It is very difficult to give the reasons for my quitting the Congress. I was not in it for any motives. It was only for the sake of the Motherland, which I loved, I was doing some work—which I could do in my life. Not for any power or to get any position—this had never come even for a second in my life. But the actual thing is in my life, life from a young age, even from my early childhood—there may be a Destiny—I was always dragged into the fire of Tapasya of one nature or the other...maybe on account of ‘Agni’ in my being. When I was in school and college, I was in D.A.V. High School & D.A.V. College as an Arya Samaji, when I came to Delhi then I was deeply in the Arya Kumar Sabha & Arya Samaj—I was the Secretary of the Arya Kumar Sabha. It was the “Fire” into which I always wanted to be.

Then when the Congress movement took clear shape then I jumped into this movement because I thought highly of the Gandhiji’s way of life and the sacrifice. So I jumped into that only for this reason.

But gradually, when I went to the Ashram, I found that that “Fire” of yogic life was a thousand times more powerful than Gandhiji’s movement.

So I jumped into that. I gave up everything of my life, including my wife and children—I sent them to Pondicherry—all I had, all I possessed.

I jumped into this “Fire” because that has been my habit, and my destiny is to go into a “Fire”. Certainly if I find anything higher I would like to go into that. But with all the experience of my life, I don’t think there could be anything higher than the Ashram life where you have to surrender yourself completely in all respects.

But to surrender from within is not an easy thing. It may take many lives. But whatever I could do or whatever was my destiny or whatever was possible for me, I have been doing and have done.

Sharma: Was your quitting politics a slow process or a spontaneous reaction to something?

Chacha Ji: No, it was not spontaneous. It was a slow process. As I have said, I went to the Ashram in 1940. My first visit was in December 1939. It had some effect on me. Then in 1940, I went first on the Mother’s Birthday, and after that on all the four Darshans, four times in a year, minimum, and many times it was more. And gradually the Ashram was much more appealing, and much more difficult. So gradually politics did not interest me, especially when it changed into power politics after independence, I lost my interest in it. I never thought that his disciples—or those who worked with Mahatma Gandhi—will seek power or that they will control power after that. I was always under the impression that those who were with Mahatma Gandhi will, all their lives, work for the benefit of the country— remaining outside politics not as rulers.

Sharma: Then why did you stand for the Delhi Assembly?

Chacha Ji: I must say that, more or less, that was a foolishness. The people in the city surrounded me and they forced me, saying that people like me should come forward.

I asked the Mother: “What is to be done?” But those days the Mother’s ways were very peculiar. She said: “If you can show something different then you can try.”

But what I felt was that she wanted to give me this experience.

Certainly I had a hundred times better chances of winning than the other person who was contesting me as a Congressman. He was never a Congressman at all. He had only paid money to the Congress and had got the ticket. But I had been a staunch Congressman all my life and I had never seen his face in Congress before that. I had the background of a great sacrifice and I did not seek any power, and all that. So probably I lost on account of my over-confidence—being too sure that even if I stand from anywhere the people will certainly vote for me. But you know, the methods which the other party was adopting—bribing the people, because that was a very very poor colony and all the voters were being payed money in my presence and even liquor was being distributed to them! And such things which I can never do whatever may happen…

In spite of that I was certain that no one can beat me. And so on account of over-confidence I lost that election by 200 or 250 votes.

Sharma: Your defeat in the election and the whole process and the way the election was fought using all sorts of methods—did it in any way influence your decision of quitting politics?

Chacha Ji: Certainly, it was a practical experience. So this was also one of the reasons—because I never do anything where I have to use wrong methods and tell lies for securing votes or to go to some people like that. Naturally that was a very strong point which never allowed me to go near power politics.

He made great dreams a mould for coming things

And cast his deeds like bronze to front the years.

His walk through Time outstripped the human stride.

Lonely his days and splendid like the sun’s.

Savitri, p. 45

...his march is a battle and a pilgrimage.

Savitri, p. 446