But the Maharashtra Express was gone. There was another train leaving for Akola within seconds–the Gitanjali Express which left from Nagpur Railway Station. And so all of them rushed back in the car to try and catch it. It appeared as if it would be impossible to board the train in time.
Another man in Shri Nathji’s situation would have indignantly cancelled the trip. But Shri Nathji was not one to break anyone’s heart.
Even as they reached Nagpur Railway Station there was the Gitanjali Express moving out of the station. On a sudden impulse, Shri Nathji and the others ran after the train to board it.
It was a horrible moment for Priya Nath who was at Shri Nathji’s side along with his wife. He gripped Shri Nathji’s arm and helped him get inside the moving train.
Shri Nathji was 76 years old and had never run at any time before at this age. It was a tremendous strain on his heart and could have resulted in dangerous consequences. He could also have slipped and fallen off the platform. But he risked his life for the sake of the devotees of Akola.
They had got inside the Gitanjali Express without any reservations or tickets. There was just one person in the compartment they had boarded, and he was a drunken passenger lying on one of the seats.
And it was in that state– with a drunkard lying in front of him, that Shri Nathji took the trip to Akola. The drunkard was so overawed by Shri Nathji’s presence that he left the compartment. Perhaps it was to give his darshan and blessings to that lost soul that Shri Nathji had to board the particular compartment
Shri Nathji was rightly angry with Muley for the manner in which he had mismanaged the departure and said to him:
“Anything could have happened to me at this age, while running on the platform! Is this the respect you are showing me? Ye meraa aadar kar rahe hain aap?
“I am not a person unknown. Lakhs of people know me in India and they would have held you responsible if anything had happened to me!”
Shri Nathji was in fact never really angry with anyone. As Mrs. Bhutt used to say:
“Ye to aise hee dikhaave ki naaraazgi hai. Agar sach much naaraaaz ho jaayen, to pralaiya ho jaaye! He is merely acting. If he were to be really angry, the world would come to an end!”