66. Floored

There was a Suppressed Class night school under the Gujarat Vidyapith at Ahmedabad conducted by the students of the Vidyapith. They used to take considerable pains over the school, which had a large attendance of Dhed children. The teachers thought of the sweepers' children and induced the parents to send their children to the school, but as soon as these came most of the Dheds withdrew their children from the school. The teachers, therefore, turned to Gandhiji to find a way out of the situation.

"So I went there," said Gandhiji, "very few Dhed children attended the meeting. One of them whom I tried to tackle said frankly taking his stand on the traditional religion : 'How may a Dhed touch a sweeper ?' 'But if the touch of the sweeper pollutes a Dhed, why should the higher classes touch the Dheds ?' I asked. 'We never ask them to do so,' he quickly rejoined, and floored me !"