It was a shivering cold morning in Delhi on December 19, 1947. Cold winds were blowing and there was no trace of the sun. The mood in Delhi was sombre, as many parts of the capital like Karol Bagh, Pahar Ganj and Shahdara were in flames due to unabated communal violence despite the untiring efforts of Mahatma Gandhi. Since his arrival at Shahdara Railway station on September 9, 1947 from Calcutta – after controlling the riots there – he was again visiting the riot-torn areas.That morning, Gandhi was at the Birla House at Tees January Marg. He was ready to visit Gurugaon’s Jesarah village, around 55 kilometres from Delhi. He had been asked to visit the region by respected Meo leader Ch. Yasin Khan. A member of the Punjab assembly and the Unionist Party, Khan met Gandhiji on September 20, 1947 at Birla House and told him that hundreds of Muslims from the Mewat region were planning to leave for Pakistan because of the violence they faced in Alwar and Bharatpur.After hearing this plea, Gandhi told Khan that he would visit Mewat soon.On December 19, 1947, his programme was conveyed to Khan and others. They made elaborate arrangements for Gandhi’s address at Jesarah village panchayat ground. Gandhi reached there before 12:30 pm. It would have taken around two hours to reach there, as roads beyond Dhaula Kuan were pathetic during those days. He was accompanied by Gopi Chand Bhargava, the chief minister of Punjab, and a couple of others from Delhi.According to a report in The Harijan on December 28, 1947, Gandhiji told the packed Jesarah panchayat ground, “My voice was not so powerful as it once used to be. There was a time when whatever I said was acted upon. If I had the original power, not a single Muslim should have found it necessary to migrate to Pakistan from India or a single Hindu or Sikh to leave his home in Pakistan and seek asylum in the Indian Union.” The capacity crowd was listening to his address with full attention.Gandhi added that “the murder, arson, loot, abductions, forcible conversation were really barbaric.” He was referring to gory incidents that rocked the country after India’s partition. Naturally, he was very sad about the state of affairs and sounded helpless. A 17-year-old boy was also there at Jesarah panchayat ground with his father and other family members. He later became Maulana Jameel Iliyasi and established the mosque on the capital’s Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Years later, his eyes become moist recalling Gandhi’s historic visit to Mewat. He believes that Mewat would remain indebted to the Mahatma for giving a helping hand when it was facing a great deal of trouble.The ground where Gandhi spoke. Photo: Special arrangementThe Harijan further reports that Gandhi said, “I would feel happy if my words could bring some consolation to you in the distress.” Referring to the Meo refugees, who had been driven out of Alwar and Bhartapur states, Gandhi remarked that he looked forward to the day when all enmities would be forgotten and hatred buried underground and all those who had driven away from their hearths and homes would return to them and resume their evocations in perfect security and peace as before.Finally, he told all those planning to move to Pakistan to shun their decision. “India belongs to you and you belong to India.” And Meos did not disappoint him. They decided to stay in Gandhi’s India rather than move to Jinnah’s Pakistan.And at the end of his address, Gandhi remarked, “I am told Meos were almost like criminal tribes. If the statement was correct, it called for an all out effort on their part to reform them.” Surely, only a brave man like Gandhiji could have made this statement to them. After his address at Jesarah, he spent some time with Meo leaders at Khan’s home and had his vegetarian lunch there. As the cold conditions were becoming severe, the dhoti-clad Gandhi left for Delhi to attend his multifaith prayer meeting. There too, he discussed the Jesarah trip.Cut to now: No leader worth his salt has visited Mewat after the riots and destruction that have erupted there recently. Meanwhile, a school in the name of Gandhiji exists in Jesarah. Some village elders assemble there every year on December 19 to commemorate Gandhi’s visit.Vivek Shukla is a journalist.
