Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Tales of the Mahatma

Tales of the Mahatma
Narayanbhai Desai’s ‘Gandhi Katha’ fascinated the audience with its riveting anecdotes

Narayan Desai

For five days from October 2, Narayanbhai Desai kept the audience that filled Gandhi Sewa Mandir Hall in Bandra glued to their seats with his narration of Gandhi Katha. It was a story that most people knew in broad strokes, but had never heard told in quite this intimate, passionate and engrossing fashion. Gandhi knew me before I knew him, Narayanbhai began. 

Son of Gandhi’s secretary Mahadevbhai, he based his quizzical claim on the fact that Gandhi had held him as a baby when he didn’t know who Gandhi was. As every teacher who has ever stepped before a crowded class knows, if he is to turn diverse ears into a single focused ear, he needs to be a performer.


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