The ‘Stick’y Story of Gandhi’s Dandi March

While preparing a video for the song ‘Inninisu nee Mahatma…..’ composed by renowned literary laureate, Shri Manjeshwara Govinda Pai, I was wondering if there is any special connection between Gandhi and Pai. After digging deep, I bumped into the blog of Dr. Jyotsna Kamat, the well-known historian. It was really amazing to find the connection!! On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi, I want to share this interesting episode from Mahatma Gandhi’s life.

Every one of us knows about Dandi March undertaken by Gandhi to begin Civil Disobedience Movement. Do you know there is a close connection between Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and famous Kannada poet M. Govinda Pai?

Sri M. Govinda Pai

M. Govinda Pai was an illustrious prose and poetry writer as well as historian in Kannada. He was well versed with many languages and has written essays and poems on Freedom Movement and patriotism. It was during freedom movement that he was impressed by Gandhian ideals and principles. He went to Navasari, Gujarat, to study Gandhism and also to learn Marathi and Gujarati. He became close friend with Shri Dattatreya Balakrishna Kalelkar (known as Kaka Kalelkar). Kaka Kalelkar was a close associate of Gandhi in propagating Swadeshi and Hindi. However, after a brief stay Govinda Pai had to go back to Manjeshwara due to his wife’s ill health.

In 1920 Kaka Kalelkar visited Mangalore in connection with Hindi propagation and decided to meet his dear friend Govinda Pai at Manjeshwara. Though it was a day’s meeting, both friends had great time together discussing varied topics from literature to national movement. At the time of departing Govinda Pai gave him a walking stick as a gift. It was a light weight but strong and very rare cane stick which had beautiful natural black spots on it.

The same cane stick gifted by Govinda Pai used by Gandhi during Dandi March

Gandhi launched Civil Disobedience Movement with the historic Dandi March in 1930. Gandhi had to walk 240 kms to reach Dandi. Kaka Kalelkar gave Gandhi the cane stick gifted to him by Govinda Pai as it was light and strong. The same walking stick that we see in pictures of Gandhi on Dandi March!! Is it not amazing? As Jyotsna Kamat says we have heard guru giving the ‘taste’ of cane to a erring shishya, but how delighted this poet from Manjeshwara would be to see his stick in the hands of his spiritual guru!!