Kenya MP comes back to India after 30 years to repay debt of ₹ 200

July 11: In a rarest of the rare incident, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Kenya exhibited a such a good gesture that perhaps will be reckoned as a glaring instance for the posterity. Richard Tong’i, now an MP from the Nyaribari Chache constituency in Kenya, recently came to the historic city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra to repay a loan of Rs 200 taken from Kashinath Gawli nearly 30 years back.

Richard was a student of management studies at a local college in Aurangabad from 1985 to 89. When he left the country to go back to his homeland, he owed a debt of ₹ 200 to SK Gawli, who used to run a grocery shop in the Wankhedenagar locality where Richard stayed. For 70-year-old Kashinath Gawli, it was probably the biggest shock of his life, when he found Tong’i knocking at his doorsteps along with his wife Michelle.

The two shared an emotional moment on reconciliation. Richard, who was in tears on meeting an old friend, talked about how Gawli helped him out when he was in a tight spot. Richard told media, As a student in Aurangabad, I was at my lowest point, when these people helped me. Then I thought that some day, I will come back and (re)pay. I want to say thank you. God bless the old man and his children. They were wonderful to me. They wanted to take me to a hotel for meal but I insisted that we should eat in their house.

Septuagenarian Gawli, who had completely forgotten Tong’i, was initially unable to recall his face, but when he was reminded of the old times and how he helped the African national – then a young management student – the old man’s joy knew no bounds. “I could not believe my eyes,” Gawli said. Before leaving from the house of Gawli, the Kenyan MP Richard invited Gawli Kaka (Uncle) to visit his country.