CHENNAI: When S Pandian, who translated Rajmohan Gandhi’s book Ghaffar Khan — Non Violent Badsha of Pakhtuns, met Abdul Ghaffar Khan himself, he thought Khan did not look like anything he had imagined.
Twenty-seven years of imprisonment — 18 of which he was sentenced to by the very country he helped free, had taken a toll on Khan. “We shook hands and his grip was so strong that you might think your hand would be crushed in a few more seconds,” said Pandian.
The book was originally written by Rajmohan Gandhi, an award winning biographer and historian, who also happened to be the grandson of both Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji. He brought out the life of Khan, who led the struggle of the Pakhtuns.
A day after Martyr’s Day when Mahatma Gandhi (considered Khan’s brother in spirit) was assassinated, Rajmohan Gandhi, the chief guest for the event, said it was also important that India remembers Ghaffar Khan for his dedication to nonviolence and his struggle for a land where all religions were equal. “He was a lion who did not act like a lion because of his principles of non-violence,” he said.
Many students, with their notebooks tucked under their arms for an autograph, hoped to steal a quick selfie with him. “Many of his followers, who also believed that all religions belong together, were killed by the hundreds in the last decade by extremists because they, like Khan, stood by what they believed in,” he added. “There are some in India who don’t want to be concerned with Khan, simply because of his religion.”
However, Rajmohan’s close study of Khan was not limited to his principles and struggle. “When I met him a year before he died, he was sick in bed. While he was still lying down he kissed my forehead. I couldn’t help but notice he had an enormous nose – almost 9 inches long,” he laughed.