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Bapu - The host

In Johannesburg, Gandhiji would get up early, offer his prayers, sometimes would grind the wheat, light the stove and place the kettle to warm the water.

The toilet buckets of the house were being cleaned in a six to ten feet high tank. The water from bathing and cleaning accumulated in the tank. Once in a week, a troop of Blacks from the municipality would come with a big iron tank, pulled by two horses, to empty this water tank of the house.

After the cleaning work was over, the Blacks would get themselves cleaned and in cold days would come shivering to Gandhiji due to lack of enough woolen clothes.

It was Gandhiji's routine to pour hot tea, made by him, in their tumblers.

While enjoying the hot tea, they would express their thanks and gratitude to Gandhiji and at the same time they would raise their left hand and say in the Zulu language:

" 'Kos Baba fezlu' - 'God is up there in the heaven', but we get assurance of His presence in this hot tea offered by you."