I was not angry; in fact, I was pleased. And I knew that if I went to Milka Singh, he would still honour me. But my fever was very high. So I left my friends from Singapore and secretly started going away.
I was almost at the last exit when whom did I see? Jogendra! He was the one who had been so kind to me and introduced me to the manager, Ghuli. He asked me, “Are you going away?”
I said, “Yes, I am tired.”
He said, “Let me take you to Ghuli. This time he will give you the T-shirt.”
I said, “No, I do not wish to speak to Ghuli. I would like to see Milka Singh again, but he is busy.”
He said, “Milka Singh? I don’t deal with him. You have to see Ghuli.”
I said, “I don’t want to see Ghuli.”
This Sardar-ji had been there in the room when Milka Singh said he would honour me. So he reminded me, “Milka Singh has not yet honoured you.”
I said, “I have a high fever. I would like to go home.”
But Jogendra just took my arm and brought me back to Milka Singh. Milka Singh sat me down. This time I did not say anything about the T-shirt. I only said, “I am sick.”
Milka Singh told me, “You have to stay. In five minutes we shall honour you.”
Just then Milka Singh’s secretary came to me with a T-shirt and placed it on my lap, very gently, and smiled at me.
I thanked him profusely.
So the famous T-shirt story finally ended.
If I hadn’t been so persistent in my T-shirt quest, I wouldn’t have met Milka Singh.
— 31 March 1983From:Sri Chinmoy,The world-experience-tree-climber, part 2, Agni Press, 1993
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/we_2