A meeting was arranged at the Excelsior
Theatre of Bombay. The meeting was called to find out a solution to the
Malabar problems. Gandhiji attended the meeting. After Barrister Jaikar’s
speech Gandhiji came to know that the meeting was called to solve the
Malabar problem as well as to honour him. People belonging to various
national parties came one by one and delivered speeches in his honour. Then
it was Jamnadas Dwarkadas’ turn to speak.
It was obvious from his speech that it was an
effort to prove him better than others in felicitating Gandhiji. Suddenly,
someone from the crowd cried, “Not Gandhiji, say Mahatmaji!” Jamnadasji
tried to appease him by saying, “Gandhiji himself doesn’t like to be called
‘Mahatma’, he told me so himself. I don’t want to hurt him.” He continued
his speech. Again someone shouted from the crowd. Jamnadasji again explained
politely. There were other speeches too. At last it was Gandhiji’s turn to
address. Expressing his hurt he said, “A few of our friends have insulted
Bhai Jamnadas and this assembly too. I had instructed Jamnadas not to say
‘Mahatma’. Many a useless things have been done in the name ‘Mahatma’. For
me the word stinks. If someone insists on calling me ‘Mahatma’, it writhes
me with pain. No matter how desperately I try to avoid it, it keeps sticking
to me. Saying only ‘no’ to it doesn’t work. This is a forbidden word in the
Ashram. Bhai Jamnadas said many nice things about me. Had he said, ‘There
was no other miserable man like Gandhi’, no one among us would have the
right to stop him.” While Gandhiji was speaking, someone in the front
balcony got up and greeted the assembly politely by putting his hands
together for Namaskar. Gandhiji said, “That is enough, but there are two
more persons! They too should asked to be pardonded.” Those two persons also
got up and asked to be pardoned. Gandhiji was satisfied. He said, “I was
hurt when you insulted Jamnadasji, but your polite request for forgiveness
has transformed the sorrow into happiness. God will bless not only those who
asked to be forgiven but those too who have witnessed this incident.”