In Quetta it was not long before Suresh began to feel very keenly the need for initiation. He continued his spiritual disciplines as usual. During this time an ugly incident tested his strength of character. At that time the British Government of India was pouring money into the war, and all the bills that officers submitted were automatically approved in order to expedite war supplies. Taking advantage of this situation, Suresh’s superior officer drafted a false bill misappropriating funds. To protect himself from possible detection, the officer offered one third of the amount to Suresh, who not only flatly refused to accept the bribe but also threatened to resign from his post to prevent possible implication. The humiliated officer was furious and threatened to take severe military action against Suresh if he resigned from his post. Helpless, Suresh was forced to continue working under the officer. Fortunately, he knew the medical officer, a kind-hearted Englishman. Having no other option, Suresh approached him and told him the story. The doctor, who admired Suresh’s honesty, certified him as physically unfit for military service. Thus Suresh was discharged from his duties, being detained only long enough for a replacement to arrive.
As soon as he was relieved of his job, Suresh headed for Calcutta. He had only twenty rupees in hand, which he spent during his first few days in Varanasi. Penniless, he continued on foot to Calcutta, which was five hundred miles away. When the long walk exhausted him, Suresh would chant from the Bhagavad Gita, his only companion. He did not beg for food during the journey, relying instead on whatever the villagers offered him. In this way he travelled as far as Bhagalpur, where a generous person bought him a train ticket to Calcutta.
Arriving in Calcutta, Suresh had to find a job to support his family. His younger brother, who earned only twenty-five rupees a month, should not, Suresh felt, be burdened with the responsibility of his wife and daughter. Being of an independent disposition, he found a temporary solution to the problem. After managing to collect a little money Suresh went to a market and bought a forty-pound sack of potatoes. He then engaged a porter to carry the sack to the other side of the Ultadanga bridge, to a thinly-populated suburb of Calcutta. Hiding his regular clothing in a bag, he donned a torn cloth, and like a common vegetable vendor, he sold the potatoes door to door, earning half a rupee a day. In this way he managed to maintain his family, who had no idea what he was doing. Meanwhile he looked for a good job, and after several weeks he found one that paid sixty rupees a month. Content with plain food and clothing, he devoted more time to spiritual pursuits. Thus he set the example of an ideal devotee possessing unwavering faith.
Another incident occurred in Calcutta that illustrates his uncompromising honesty and faith in God. The Lipton Tea Company sponsored an English essay competition. The subject was ‘tea,’ and the winner was to receive a prize of five hundred rupees. Suresh won the competition. The British director of the company in London was so pleased with his writing that he offered Suresh a job with a monthly salary of two hundred and fifty rupees. Suresh took the job, only to give it up shortly thereafter when another English executive directed him to adulterate the tea formula. Thus Suresh changed his jobs many times with the faith that God would always provide for him. (Source: They Lived with God)