Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi paying tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar at his birthplace in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (Source: PTI Photo) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi paying tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar at his birthplace in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. (Source: PTI Photo)

Much like his sudden sabbatical, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took an unscheduled meditation break during his visit to the Mhow-based Ambedkar Memorial when thousands were waiting elsewhere to hear him.

Rahul visited Mhow to launch his party’s yearlong celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Dalit icon Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The memorial’s head monk has revealed that Rahul was completely immersed in meditation.

“He asked me, ‘kya, meditation kare?’ Hum baithe (we sat). Soon, he was so immersed that he had to be gently shaken (when it was time to leave),’’ president of Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial Society Bhante Sanghsheel said.

The monk was impressed by Rahul’s grasp of Vipassana. “I wanted to help him but he knew the technique, he is trained. I’m sure he practises it daily. The moment I saw the abha (glow) on his face, I realised he is a vipasi”. He also said that Vipassana could be the reason behind Rahul’s improved “performance and andaaz (style)” in the Lok Sabha after he returned from his “agyatvas”.

Interestingly, the same monk had told this paper on April 14—when “rumours” of Rahul’s visit were doing the rounds—that he had an intuition that the Congress vice-president won’t come to Mhow. “How could he when Congress has lost ground in the region,” he had asked. On Tuesday, however, he found Rahul “swayam prakashit (self illuminated).”

Bhante also said that he had a talk with Rahul after the meditation session. “I won’t tell you what we spoke because it’s between him and me,’’ he said.

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