Title PARTITION: Tape 74 Writer 255MODEM Mod Date & Time 255MODEM Apr 24 15:32 TAPE 74 Side A Mrs Ashoka GUPTA - 85; in 1946 was a wife of an ICS officer working as a judge in Chittagong; reached Noakhali by late October to help with women's relief in particular - before Gandhi; very much influenced by her encounters with Gandhi; then had a son aged c 12 and an infant daughter; now a formidable women, energetic, determined, kind; a feminist; daughter of novelist Jyotirmoyee Devi; when I arrived her house was being used for a mtg about the establishment of an old people's home - interviewed at her home in Ballygunj in s. Calcutta - 24/4/97 14 - first delivred relief aid from rail stations in Noakhali, then had to go back to get fresh goods 30 - first got to Noakhali, Oct 24 or 25; 'it was an outcome of the riots in Cal; it was a repercussion of the people who had come and told the stories, ... and that has infuriated the Ms that so many Ms had been killed in Cal, therefore we must get retaliation ... there was a lot of arson and loot and abduction and conversion ... when it started it snowballed ... and at that time Ms had the upper hand, and they started to see that if you want to live her, tou have to convert yourself to the faith of islam, and then you can stay' 90 - 'we suddenly heard that G-ji ic coming ... and his boat reached Noakhali, Cahndpur, on 4th Nov, and we all wanted to see him ... (and by then exodus of Hindus) ... G-ji's boat came on 4th Nov ... (and children came from C;'gong to see him) ... so we rowed along in a small boat to that steamship and we were allowed to board ... I remember climbing up was v difficult, but in any case we attended G's prayers and then G ji sd you sd all go back and I am coming by the special train to N'li and you can all accompany us' (train from Chandpur to Chaumuni) 145 - 'we all boarded the same train, and of course everybody was singing, e/body was happy that is something is going to happen ... [songs] smoething like ... Tagore's song ... that we have started our journey ... and he's the man to show us the way ... the whole train was singing' 162 - (Gandhi's initial shelter in the house of Majumdar, a rice merchant on Chaumahuni) 172 - 'G-ji first addressed us in evening prayer, that hs and Ms who sdn;t they have faith in each other ... that is where he sd for the first time, you sd sing with me ... Ishwar, the God, and allah, they're all the same ... we went inside, and G wanted all the women workers to talk to him, the women workers were quite a no ... there were not less than 100 women who wanted G's guidance' 181 - 'G-ji started sd yes I can u'stand that you all want to work, but have you thought what has caused this ... hjave you come ... onl^ to help the Hs ... I'm going to the interior and I'm going to one of the villages, and I'' found out what was the real cause and how I sd be able to help ... the whole comm'y who were fighting each other'