Going To Wipe Their Tears

by Pyarelal

Between 1946-47, occured the heart-rending communal divide across the sub-continent and Mahatma Gandhi's valiant, single-handed struggle to stand against the tornado of primitive passions. With what super-human strength did Gandhiji carry on the battle is summed up by Pyarelal (Gandhiji's faithful secretary for 28 years) in one panoramic stroke of the pen : "During those fateful days like a Titan he rushed from one danger spot to another to prop up the crumbling heavens."

An attempt is made in ‘Going to Wipe Their Tears' to condense the epic story of those days in 1946-47. That story has become significant as required reading for all of us in 2002 because the same ghastly communal conflagration of 55 years ago stares us in the face today. Gandhiji said that the barbarity and cruelty such as India witnessed then had its origin in cowardice. Five and a half decades later, our country is confronted today with the same barbarity rooted in the same cowardice. Pyarelal's labours in recapturing the past could induce us to ponder gravely and act manfully in the present.