“Why do you ask me that? Why do you even have such a doubt? For me, there is only one path. That is the royal road—the very path shown by Gandhiji. There’s nothing left for us to think about. He has already thought of everything for us. Our job is not to think, but only to follow,” she declared, with great courage, without the slightest hesitation or shyness.

“Well then, let’s leave it to my own efforts,” I said, slowly leaning back on the bed. That devoted wife followed me.

For some months, without a moment’s rest, neglecting even my court cases, I wandered about like a man possessed. In villages and towns, at gatherings and meetings, I began to speak to the people about our country—its former glory, its present misery, and the administrative systems that had brought about this decline. I strove to awaken the people, to open their eyes. Day by day, my campaigning grew more intense. Old and young alike, in droves, flocked to these meetings. They began to listen with great enthusiasm, and their eager attention spurred us on even more. Not only did I neglect my household duties and my court work, but I even began to feel as though I was neglecting my own—

One day, I was giving a speech at a meeting in a hurry, when I began to feel a headache and feverish. By the time I returned home, Saraswati was not there. She had locked the door, assuming I wouldn’t return until ten at night, and had even taken the key with her. At a loss for what to do, I went to a hotel, had some coffee, and then spent time at a nearby friend’s house until nine o’clock. Then, I slowly made my way back to my lodgings. When I arrived, the lock was still firmly in place. I didn’t have the patience to go anywhere else, so I simply sat there.

After about half an hour, Saraswati came bustling in. She was startled to see me sitting on the steps, and rushed over to me, placing both her hands on my shoulders and peering into my face.

“Oh dear, what’s this? How long have you been sitting here? Why are you like this?” she asked, touching my cheek and forehead. “Oh no, you seem to have a fever!”

“All right, all right! First, open the door,” I said.

“Oh, my foolishness!” she exclaimed, hurriedly unlocking the door. After lighting the lamp, she came back to the porch, took me by the hand, and led me inside. She made me lie down on the bed.

“The moment you lie down, I’ll bring you some coffee,” she said, and dashed inside.

I didn’t even have the energy to protest, so I lay there in silence. True to her word, in five minutes she returned with a steaming cup of hot coffee and handed it to me. She sat beside me, her hand resting on me, gazing at my face with concern, not saying a word until I finished the coffee. As soon as I finished, she took the cup from my hand and said, “What a mistake I made! Poor thing, how long you must have been sitting here, suffering. I came late, thinking you wouldn’t be back until ten o’clock,” she said, bowing her head as if she’d committed some crime.

“It’s all right, never mind. But where did you go, anyway? You never mentioned it,” I said. She managed a faint smile without lifting her head.

“I am doing the same work as you,” she said. I was startled. Saraswati grabbed both my shoulders.

“What is this?” I asked anxiously.

“Nothing at all. Why are you getting so flustered? Lie down first. I’ll tell you,” she said, moving to the other side and making me lie down.

“Well then, start your lullaby,” I said.

“I’ll sing, but you mustn’t fall asleep. And don’t be in a hurry for anything else, either.”

“Just a few days after you started your campaign, some of the ladies from our Women’s Association came to me. They said that women, too, should not stay behind the men, but must come forward, spread awareness, and awaken all of womankind from this slumber. Only if women also join the political field and the struggle for self-rule alongside men, can our ideal be achieved. They said the responsibility to bring women into the sphere of action lies greatly upon you, as you are educated and a graduate. We greatly need the help of people like you. They insisted that I must join them. They didn’t even give me time to ask your permission. So, from that day, I have been going from village to village with them, carrying on the campaign,” she said.

I sat there, frozen, unable to reply, staring at her, pale as a ghost.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think what I did was wrong? Was it a mistake? Say something quickly—your silence is very troubling. Tell me, am I doing something wrong? I am your better half, after all. If we both go our separate ways, how will that look? I never thought you’d be so narrow-minded. What do you say? What is your intention?” she asked, looking straight at me.

“Oh, you crazy woman! Don’t try to convince me with that whole lecture now. I have no patience to listen to it. I’m not at all saying that what you did was wrong. My...

I was delighted, thinking, “Is Saraswati really this lively, this grand? There seems to be no limit to my happiness.” Suddenly, she drew herself close to me...

“Wait, you have a fever, don’t you? I’ll go get you some medicine,” she said, and leapt off the bed in a hurry. I lay back, laughing to myself.

By the time she returned, my fever had subsided, but I was still feeling quite weak and didn’t venture outside. I had no mind