Gandhi’s absence from the celebrations in New Delhi highlighted his deep grief over the partition and the surrounding violence. He stayed in a humble house in Beliaghata, Kolkata, working to heal the wounds of communalism. His presence and his “miracle of a fast” were credited with bringing peace to a city that was on the verge of a bloodbath. Lord Mountbatten famously referred to him as the “One-Man Boundary Force,” noting that Gandhi achieved with moral persuasion what thousands of soldiers could not achieve with arms.