Sharma : Mr. Chavan, you were present at the historic A.I.C.C. session in Bombay. Could you recapituate the atmosphere?
Chavan : I remember very well the historic session. It is just as fresh as if it happened last month. The most important person who made impact was naturally Gandhiji because he had already given the slogan of 'Quit India'. So all eyes and ears were eager to see and hear him. Maulana Azad and Pandit Nehru also played a very important role. Maulana Shib made a very beautiful speech summing up the political situation of that time. It was one of the best speeches that I have heard. of course, we were unable to follow some of the experssions of the Urdu language for which we had to take help of somebody else. So with Pandit Nehru, who was popular all the time, there is no doubt about it. There was a feeling that jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi had some differences. So we all were watching it with enxiety and curiosity as to what was happening.
The most important thing that I remember in detail was the speech that Mahatma Gandhi delivered after the resolution was passed. Some of the sentences he uttered were historic at any time of human struggle of any country. He said : Every one of you should from this moment onwards consider yourself a free man or woman and act as if you are free… I am not going to be satisfied with anything short of complete freedom… we shall either have a free India or die in the attempt. I tell you, they were such dramatic, hypnotic words, though he was speaking very slowly and softly. We were sitting somewhere at the back of the pandal and practically we strained our ears to listen to him. And people got the message that though the leaders might not be there to issue instructions they should work out their own programmes and fight. This was the last struggle to be fought.
Sharma : " Do or die"?
Chavan : Yes, he said, "Do or die". This message was of the supreme importance for the whole A.I.C. apart from its proceedings and passing of resolutions.
Sharma : In the Congress leadership, as you rightly said, there was a difference of opinion. Panditji was not for launching the struggle and so were many others. Was there any such feeling in Maharashtra also among the leaders?
Chavan : Well, at least, I have not come acrs such feelings. But there was a general feeling, that some thing historic was going to happen in the A.I.C.C seession And I went with my group to Bombay. We were there on 7,8 and 9 Augest, when the leaders were arrested and the who city of Bombay was protesting against this repression.
