67. The story of Muktapur Summer:

Doctorjee visited Muktapur village (in Katol Taluk) for a Utsava (festival) celebration of the local Sangha Shakha. That year, the Varsha Pratipada (Hindu New Year's Day) fell in Mid-April, the height of summer in that area. (The temperatures easily hit 110-120 F in this region at this time of the year). The stifling, searing heat of a boiling, scorching sun had begun to be felt right at 8:30 AM when the Utsava function of the morning shakha concluded.

In our eagerness to organize a good function, the local workers had completely forgotten about arranging Doctorjee's return transportation to Nagpur. The nearest bus stop was at Katol, 14 miles away. The road was nothing but hard packed earth, full of pits and boulders with nary a tree or shade in sight.

The common form of transportation from Muktapur to Katol in those days (1928) was a bullock cart. One had to make arrangement for it on the previous day. Muktapur Swayamsevaks obviously had not done this, and so they were looking for a canopied bullock cart at the last minute, in desperation. They could not find it since most bullock owners had taken the bulls to the agricultural fields for tilling the land.

Finally, an open bullock-cart was located. It was small to accommodate all in Doctorjee's group, but somehow everybody squeezed in. As the journey was in progress in the blistering sun sorching the people, the Swayamsevaks responsible for this were feeling extreme guilt, shame and remorse. The leader was in tears. As soon as Doctorjee saw me he smiled and said, "Hey, why are you feeling sad? Cheer up; you did the best with whatever was available!" He patted him on his back.

The whole group instantly became cheerful, and the rest of the journey was done in a very good mood. I saw Doctorjee many times after this incident, but he never mentioned it to anyone, anywhere.

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