The Copper Coin

Gandhiji visited several places for collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his tours, he was addressing a meeting in Odisha.

After his speech, a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters! The volunteers tried to stop her, but she insisted on meeting Gandhiji and finally went to the place where the latter was sitting.

She touched Gandhiji's feet. Then she took out a copper coin from the folds of her sari and placed it at the latter's feet.

Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away at a safe place carefully.

The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused to give it to him.

Jamnalal Bajaj was amused at this and said laughingly that he had kept cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh and yet Gandhiji would not trust him with the copper coin!

Gandhiji replied that this copper coin is worth much more than the cheques of thousands of rupees! He added further that if a man has several lakhs and gives away a thousand or two, then it does not mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman had! She gave him(Gandhiji) all that she had! That was very very generous and kind of her. What a great sacrifice she had made! 

That was why he valued the copper coin much more than the thousands of rupees!