Santbal A Saint with a Difference

Author(s): T U Mehta
Publisher: Navjivan Prakashan Mandir

Page 63

So when a Parsee gentleman from Ahmedabad visited this place for shooting birds, some youngsters tried to stop him. The Parsee gentleman, however, took them lightly and ignored their protestation and tried to proceed further in his car. However, by this time many more village people gathered and surrounded his car with sticks and other usual instruments in their possession.
The atmosphere threatened to become violent. Shri Chhotubhai who was also at that time working as a close colleague of Santbal, in the meanwhile came to know about this incident. He, with a view to stop any untoward incident, reached the spot and pacified the crowd. The Parsee gentleman was greatly impressed by the attitude of Chhotubhai. After the atmosphere was calm, Chhotubhai explained to the gentlman the whole background of the movement and explained why and how the villagers of the round about area were organised and convinced to prevent such senseless destruction of beautiful birds only for a frivolous sport. This gentleman was so much pleased with the work undertaken by Santbal that he immediately contributed Rs.10/- and subsequently sent Rs.50/- for the reconstruction work started by Santbal.
Another incident was more interesting. Once Santbalji and his party were returning from Bavla and going towards Juwal. On their way they heard the sound of gun shots which attracted their attention. They went towards the place from where the shots were heard and found that the British Collector of the District, one Mr. Drew and his guests were sporting to shoot down the birds of the Lake.
Santbal tried to explain to the Collector his own point of view to show why the innocent birds should not be killed merely for sport. Those were the pre-independence days when even the entreaties of this type to a white British Officer of Collector's rank was considered an act of great profanation and facelessness The arguments and counter-arguments gathered heat during the
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