102. Silent Speech to Press

About the middle of June 1944 a group of pressmen, waited, on Gandhiji at Juhu, near Bombay, where he had come from Poona to recoup his health, shortly after his release from his internment in the Aga Khan Palace. Gandhiji, however, would not speak to them, as it was his day of silence. This deeply disappointed the journalists. One of them then presented Gandhiji with a slip of paper scribbled on as follows:

"We are not satisfied with this silent interview. We are eagerly looking forward to the day when you are completely restored to health and will speak to us as before. Not only we, but the whole of India and a good part of the world are waiting to hear you. - Press."

Without uttering a word, Gandhiji wrote as follows at the bottom of the slip and handed it back to the spokesman of the Press:

"Amen so help us God. The contract is that there' should be silence on both sides. You may read what you can from the silence.