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He took Rup's hand and the two were united in a meaningful moment of oneness and forgiveness.
It was incidents such as these which made Rup more wise, more human, until the rough edges were little by little filed away and made smooth. After leaving the hospital, he kept Gandhiji's words at the back of his mind, “I request all of you to do your work with complete conviction, with the faith that moves mountains. Your foundation is love and light, not hatred and fight. Remember there are thousands of British people who have never even heard of India. Why should we hate a whole race just because of the greed of a handful of leaders? Remember your intention is for Satya, for truth."
In this active year and a half, Rup understood more clearly the difference between violence and Non-Violence. One has to be in a state of Non-Violence in order to see violence. Otherwise, one is too close to it to get out from under its grip.
Interlude
The friendship implanted in two hearts did not wane during Rup's many absences to work with Gandhiji. A feeling of presence remained to sustain each of them, to give them a feeling of connection and inner meaning.
From time to time, Rup left his fellow freedom workers to visit his beloved Usha in Bangalore where her father was a medical officer. He spent time with his own father as well, who was still living in nearby Tumkur.
One day Rup and Usha went on a horseback ride together. Stopping by a little stream to let the horses drink, they enjoyed breathing in deeply the fresh and fragrant air and felt joyously the beauty of nature.
Usha was struck by one particularly radiant, blossoming flower.
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