15. The Mother of the Poor

Bapu was at Sevagram and Kasturba was supposed to come there shortly. People inquired about her arrival, time and again. When would Ba come? By which train would she come? Ba had gone to Surat. She would have to go to Bombay and then come to Wardha. But it was rather a longer route and costly too. Catching Tapti-valley train from Surat and coming via Bhusawal would cost less.

A lady had especially come to see Ba and was awaiting her eagerly. It was time for a train from Bombay. She asked, "Will Ba come by this train?" Bapu replied, "If she is rich people's Ba, she will come by this train, But if she is poor people's Ba then she will catch 'Tapti-valley' and will reach till morning." The poor people's Ba indeed reached there next morning. Horace Gundry Alexander wrote about this unique couple, "Whether Ba and Bapu were together at one place or in adjacent rooms, they conversed very little. But it always gave you the feeling that they knew each other to the core of their hearts."