Chennai, Oct. 1: “The constable came. He took me by the hand and pushed me out. My luggage was also taken out. I refused to go to the other compartment and the train steamed away. I went and sat in the waiting room, keeping my hand-bag with me, and leaving the other luggage where it was. The railway authorities had taken charge of it.”
Thus narrates Mahatma Gandhi, in his autobiography - The Story of My Experiments with Truth - about his first taste of racial discrimination, an experience that would see “Bapu” realising his convictions on civil disobedience and emerge to challenge the British Crown that ruled over India for 300 years.
But, as the nation celebrates the 141st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, there lies adjacent to the Technical Training Centre inside the Integral Coach Factory campus in Chennai, in derelict condition, a wooden train coach, which according to the ICF staff is the train coach from which the Mahatma was thrown out.
According to the general secretary of the ICF protection and working labourers federation, Mr B. Jaisankar, “When the coach was placed here, we were informed by the officials that this is the coach that the Mahatma was in. But soon after taking it apart, the work was stalled.”
The office of ICF general manager, claimed there was no evidence to say that it is the same coach that the Mahatma travelled in.
Mr Jaisankar, however, said, “In June, I took the matter up with the ICF general manager, Ms Pompa Babbar, and she never denied its heritage,” said Mr Jaisankar.