Today, on the death anniversary of Bapu, we are telling you about those popular women on whom Gandhiji’s thoughts had a deep impact, these women remained close to him, some in the form of friends, some as daughters and granddaughters, some as colleagues. As so as no fan.
Mahatma Gandhi with Abha and Manu Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Gandhi who is sometimes called the saint of Sabarmati and sometimes the Mahatma, among the children he is famous as Bapu, and the nation considers him as the father. His personality has been something like this, Gandhiji’s philosophy of life, his thoughts are an ideal for every person, on Bapu’s death anniversary today we are telling you about the popular women on whom Gandhiji’s thoughts had a deep impact. These women remained close to him, some in the form of friends, some as daughters and granddaughters, some as colleagues and some as admirers.
1. Princess Amrit Kaur
Mahatma Gandhi met Princess Amrit Kaur for the first time in 1934. In the first meeting, the princess was deeply impressed by Gandhi, who was from the royal family and was the daughter of Raja Harnam Singh of Kapurthala. She was one of the closest Satyagrahis to Gandhiji. She also went to jail during the Quit India Movement in 1942. Meanwhile, correspondence continued between the princess and Gandhiji. After the independence of India, the princess was made the first health minister of the country.
2. Sarla Devi Choudharani
It was during the independence movement that Mahatma Gandhi and Sarla Devi Chaudharani met each other, Sarla Devi was already influenced by Gandhi’s ideas. She was the niece of Rabindranath Tagore, so she had a special interest in music and writing. Gandhiji, who went on a trip to Lahore in connection with the freedom movement, used to stay at Sarla Devi’s place. She was very close to Gandhiji, the fact that Gandhiji has called her ‘spiritual wife’ many times.
3. Madeleine Slade
Madeleine Slade, daughter of British Admiral Sir Edmund Slade, was greatly influenced by Gandhi’s ideas. In fact, somehow she came in contact with the French intellectual and writer Romain Rowland, who wrote the biography of Gandhiji. When Madeleine read it, she could not stop herself from becoming a fan of Gandhiji. She expressed her desire to come to the ashram by writing a letter to Gandhiji and in 1925 she reached Ahmedabad via Mumbai. According to Madeleine, ‘In the first meeting, I sat down on Gandhiji’s feet. Bapu picked me up and said that you are my daughter’, later Madeleine was named Miraben by Gandhiji.
4- Dr. Sushila Nayyar
Pyarelal was the secretary of Mahatma Gandhi, originally he was from a Punjabi family. His sister’s name was Sushila Nayyar, who was very much influenced by Gandhi’s ideas, it is said that the mother did not like that Sushila should go to Gandhiji but later she herself became a devotee of Bapu. Sushila Nayyar was Gandhi’s personal doctor. She was caught in Mumbai with the Quit India Movement along with Kastur Gandhi. It is said that Sushila was also involved in Gandhi’s experiments on celibacy.
5- Aura Gandhi
The name of Abha is at the top of the women who were close to Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhiji considered her as his granddaughter. Often the two women on whom Gandhiji was seen placing his hand on his shoulder, there is only one aura in them. She was originally a Bengali, she was married to Kanu, Gandhi’s great-grandson. This was the period when Abha used to sing hymns in Gandhi’s meetings and Kanu used to do photography. When Godse shot Gandhi, Abha was not with him.
6- Prabhavati Devi
Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan’s wife was named Prabhavati Devi, she was one of Gandhi’s exclusive devotees, she was married to JP at the age of 14, after which JP went abroad for higher education and Prabhavati Devi’s father sent her to Gandhi’s ashram. Here Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi treated her as their daughter. Prabhavati Devi was so influenced by Gandhiji’s thoughts that when Gandhiji used celibacy, Prabhavati Devi also took an oath to observe celibacy throughout her life. Jai Prakash Narayan was very angry after knowing about this, although he later supported Prabhavati Devi in fulfilling this oath.
7- Manu Gandhi
Manu Gandhi was a distant relative of Gandhiji at the age of Abha, Bapu considered her as his granddaughter. Often Abha and Manu used to stay with Bapu, Bapu used to walk with the support of these shoulders. Manu has mentioned in his diary with many things how Gandhi’s time was spent in the last moments. Manu’s name is at the top of those who served Kasturba Gandhi in her last days.
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