Teaching Story - The Value Of A Coin

by Life Positive

. During one of his tours, he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech, a poor old woman got up. Bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. “I must see him,” she insisted and going up to Gandhiji, touched his feet. From the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin, and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin, and put it away carefully. The funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin, but Gandhiji refused. “I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,” Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly, “Yet, you won’t trust me with a copper coin.” “This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands,” Gandhiji said, “If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn’t mean much. This coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. That is why I value this copper coin more than crores of rupees.”