Santbal A Saint with a Difference

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

Page 95

encouraged to join the Dhuns and Bhajans. They were also told religious stories. More and more children began to collect and join the Dhuns. (“Dhuns" are the recitals of religious slogans.) The person would go away in the evening and would return next morning without taking any food in that village. After two-three days more persons were attracted. Then he gave slogans admonishing people to gether courage, to expose injustice, to help the helpless and to pray to God to give good sense to those who had strayed the path of honesty and truth. Gradually he took out processions with these slogans and moved in village streets. All this went on for about a week.
There were specific instructions of Santbal not to do or speak anything which would create hatred or animosity against the gang of rowdies.
During the course of this week the associate who was conducting the Shuddhi Prayog overheard in the village outskirts two women whispering in low tone and talking about the theft in widow's house. One of them was the wife of one of the thieves and was heard saying that her husband remained confined in the house out of fear as some outsider had been in the village to find out who were the miscreants. This talk gave the clue about their identity.
The associate, after creating, some opinion in his favour went to the persons who were suspected and told them that in their own interest, in the interest of the whole village as well as the poor widows they should come out with the true story as village people were suspecting their hands in the theft. They denied having any involvement in the matter and also threatened him that if their names were involved in the matter, he would be risking his life. The associate, however, informed them that if they were not coming out clean within three days the programme for Samaj Shuddhi would be undertaken. Nothing happened within these
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