Madhusudan_Das

100 Madhusudan Das :
Rani, the baby daughter requested me to bring her father to her. I did
a most daring thing in entering this disreputable woman's house
without the knowledge of my father. It was a most daring thing for a
young girl like me to do, but my woman's instinct prompted me to
satisfy the craving of the child for her father. I entered the house of the
Maharaja and called him by his name. He came out and look the dust
of my feet. I put my hand on his shoulder and said "come with me" and
I brought him in my car to his little daughter, but could not keep him
there permanently. When his mistress died, he found himself a pauper.
My father brought him to our house and we tried to reform him as best
as we could. The Maharani and her children were brought down by my
father from her State and they lived together. The Maharani's allowance
used to be spent mostly by the Maharaja for his drink. The Maharani
would come to us in a state of destitution and was often in want of
money for her daily needs and my father helped her many a time with
money. When she was almost on the point of death after the deliver}'
of her second son, my father nursed her day and night as she would not
have anything to eat or drink from anyone but from my father. The
Maharaja, his wife and daughter all had a tragic end, leaving two sons,
behind.
These sons knew the history of their parents and how my father
had helped them but they never thought of giving a helping hand
to my father when he was in great distress, neither have they ever
inquired of his daughter, or taken notice of her in anyway. This is
ingratitude with a vengeance.
THE PASSING OF THE GRAND OLD MAN
My late father, Sri Madhu Sudan was always physically weak.
But in his case, the mind ruled the body. His indomitable will ruled
his weak body with an iron hand. But this could not go on for long.
He did not take sufficient nourishment for a long time and the result
was a breakdown. In January, 1934 he felt very weak and hardly could
digest any food. After the great earthquake in Bihar in January, 1934
my sister sent me a wire saying "Dada is very ill." I felt a premonition
that it was the last illness and came to Cuttack at once. On arrival
I found him lying on a couch in his bedroom, physically very weak
yet full of spirit. He wanted to know all about the Bihar earthquake.
He told me that I should try to raise funds for the Bihar sufferers.