Champaklal Speaks

House for Mementos

This happened in 1923, when I had just starred my work with the Mother. She used to write letters to her mother. At times she would show me the address she had written on the envelope. She wrote it with a Japanese brush; it was so pretty to see. At times she sealed the cover. Once I was present when she was sealing: she lit a candle, kept the match-stick aside and sealed the cover with lac.

After she finished, she gave me the match-stick to throw away. I asked humbly: “Can I keep it?”

Mother looked at me and smiled. Affectionately she said: “You can, surely. But you see, you will require a whole house to keep things like this.” Again she smiled. Then she placed the match- stick in my palm, pressing it gently.

On another occasion, when a similar thing happened, I said to Mother: “In Gujarat, my mother had a separate house for storing things. Whenever something was needed from there I went and brought it for her. I was then very young but did this work with great enthusiasm.”