A shawl is a type of clothing worn loosely over the shoulders. It is also gifted to guests of honour as a token of appreciation. In this lesson, the author elaborates on how he put to better use the shawls received as gifts of honour on various occasions and also shares his experiences associated with them, which are etched in his mind forever. Read on to learn about the author’s experiences in his own words.

“Once I was visiting P. L. Deshpande for some work. When I was about to leave, Sunitabai gave me a shawl. I readily accepted it because receiving a shawl from PL and Sunitabai was the greatest honour one could have. I preserved it ardently and never used it.

Later on, I went to Wal as Chairperson of Vishwakosh (the Encyclopedia) and stayed in a room at Pradnya Pathshala on the bank of the river Krishna. During the winter, a poor lady came there to fish with a baby in a basket. The baby was shivering in that chilling cold weather, but the mother had no time to look after it. I could not stop myself, and I immediately took my ‘precious PL’ shawl, gave it away to the lady, and asked her to wrap the baby in it. The warmth of that memory is more precious than the ‘precious PL’ shawl itself.

Eminent poet Narayan Surve, who was also President of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, used to attend numerous literary conferences and gatherings. Naturally, he had a huge collection of shawls gifted to him as a token of honour. He personified the word शाल as शालीन, meaning that, upon receiving the gift of many ‘shawls’ he has gained the quality of being ‘polite’. 

The ironic personification in his words can be easily noticed by anyone. What is the relationship between shawls and decency? In fact, Mr. Surve displayed real politeness through his conduct, even without a shawl.

After a few years, when I was unanimously chosen as President of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, I too was showered with so many shawls that it became difficult to store them in my small home. I passed them on to a close friend and asked him to use them as per his wish, but he preserved them fondly. Eventually, one by one, I gave them away to poor labourers.

One day on my regular walk to the bridge near Omkareshwar Temple, I spotted a frail old beggar sitting on a rag, covering himself in a torn piece of cloth, and shivering due to severe cold. The very next day, I gave him two shawls. He took them with gratitude in his trembling hands.

After a few days, when I went there again, I found that the old beggar was sitting on the same old rag, shivering in the cold. I asked him if he recognized me. He didn’t, but later he greeted me and said in a grateful tone, “You are really a kind person, who gave me two shawls. But how can a beggar wear them? The hunger in my empty stomach is more severe than the external comfort, so I sold them off and ate food to my heart’s content for 2–3 days. I am very grateful to you.”

Such is the agony of life. The grace and warmth of a shawl versus a hungry stomach and the warmth of food!

Provide food to the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and if that is not possible, at least give precious shawls to the destitute.