IT was Raksha Bandhan Day. Chandra Shekhar Azad, the intrepid revolutionary who was dodging the British minions at that time, happened to be in Allahabad at a friend’s house. Somehow the police got wind of his presence there and surrounded the place.
Thinking fast, the lady of the house, Shridevi Mutsaddi, donned her finest sari and shoving a basket of sweets into Azad’s hands, asked him to follow her as if he were her servant.
“Hurry up, hurry up, man!” she snapped, as they stepped out of the house. “My brother will be waiting for me to come and tie rakhi and I’m late!” A police inspector stepped into their path and was about to say something when the lady picked up a laddoo from the basket Azad was carrying and stuffed it into the policeman’s mouth, saying, “Bhai Saheb, please have some sweets.” Then she hurried away, followed by Azad who did his best to do justice to the role he was playing.
The inspector was completely fooled. He let them go and rushed into the house with his men, hoping to find Azad there, unaware that the bird had flown.