c


Gandhi¶s autobiography, which he had titled µMy experiments with Truth¶ can be
rated as one of the most popular and the most influential books in the recent
history. It was written at the instance of Swami Anand. It appeared in the Weekly
µNavjivan¶ during 1925 -28. It covers Gandhi¶s life up to 1920. He did not cover
the period after that as it was well known to the people and most of the
concerned persons were alive. Besides he felt that his experiments in that period
were yet to yield definite conclusions. à

Gandhi¶s autobiography is very different from other autobiographies. The

autobiographies normally contain self-praise by the authors. They want to
criticize their opponents and boost their own image in the people¶s eyes. Gandhi¶s
autobiography is completely free from all this. It is marked with humility and
truthfulness. He had not hidden anything. In fact, he is rather too harsh on
himself. He did not want to show to the world how good he was. He only wanted
to tell the people the story of his experiments with Truth.à

Truth, for Gandhi, was the supreme principle, which inclu des many other
principles. Realization of the Truth is the purpose of human life. Gandhi always
strove to realize the Truth. He continuously tried to remove impurities in himself.
He always tried to stick to the Truth as he knew and to apply the knowledge of
the Truth to everyday life. He tried to apply the spiritual principles to the
practical situations. He did it in the scientific spirit. Sticking to the truth means
Satyagraha. Gandhi therefore called his experiments as µExperiments with Truth¶
or µExperiments in the science of Satyagraha.¶ Gandhi also requested the readers
to treat those experiments as illustrative and to carry out their own experiments
in that light. à
à
P  c
 
 à

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a man considered one of the great sages and
prophets. He was held as another Buddha, another Jesus, Indians called him the
µFather of the Nation¶. They showered their love, respect and devotion on him in
an unprecedented measure. They thronged his way to have a glimpse of him, to
hear one world from his lips. They applied on their foreheads the dust on the
path he had trodden. For them, he was almost an incarnation of God, who had
come to break the chains of their slavery. The whole world bowed to him in
reverence. Even his opponents held him in great respect. à

Mohandas Gandhi was, however, not a great scholar, nor was he a great warrior.
He was not born with exceptional faculties. Neither was he a good orator, nor a
great writer. He did not claim anything exclusively divine in him. He di d not claim
being a prophet or having superhuman powers. He considered himself an
average man with average abilities. Born in a middle class Bania family in an
obscure princely State in a corner of India, he was a mediocre student, shy and
nervous. He could not muster courage to speak in public. His first attempt at
legal practice miserably failed.
But he was a humble seeker of Truth. He was a man with exceptional sincerity,
honesty and truthfulness. For him, understanding meant action. Once any
principle appealed to him, he immediately began to translate that in practice. He
did not flinch from taking risks and did not mind confessing mistakes. No
opposition, scorn or ridicule could affect him. Truth was his sole guiding star. He
was ever-growing; hence he was often found inconsistent. He was not concerned
with appearing to be consistent. He preferred to be consistent only with the light
within.à

He sacrificed his all and identified himself with the poorest of the poor. He
dressed like them, lived like them. In the oppressed and the depressed people,
he saw God. For him, they too were sparks of the divine light. They might not
have anything else, but they too had a soul. For Gandhi, soul -force was the
source of the greatest power. He strove to awaken the soul -force within himself
and within his fellowmen. He was convinced that the potentialities of the soul -
force have no limit. He himself was a living example of this conviction. That is
why this tiny and fragile man could mobilise the masses and defeat the mighty
British empire. His eleven vows, his technique of Satyagraha, his constructive
programme - all were meant to awaken and strengthen the soul-force. He
awakened and aroused a nation from semi-consciousness. It was a Herculean
task. For, India was not a united country, it was a sub-continent. It was a society
divided in different classes, castes and races, in people with different languages,
religions and cultures. à

It was a society where almost half of the population i.e., women, was behind
purdah or confined to the four walls of houses, where one -fourth of the
population - the depressed classes - was living marginalised life, where many did
not have a single full meal every day. Gandhi made the oppressed sections wake
up and break their chains. He mobilised the people and united them to work for
the cause of Swaraj, which gave them a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose.
Gandhi wanted to win Swaraj for the masses. For him, Swaraj did not mean
replacement of White masters by brown masters. Swaraj meant self-rule by all.
He said: ´Real Swaraj will come, not by the acquisition of the authority by a few,
but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when it is abused.´
He worked to develop such a capacity. Development of such a capacity involved
transformation of the individual. à

Transformation of the individual and transformation of the society - they were

not separate, unrelated things for Gandhi. Revolutionary social philosophies had
concentrated on changing the society. On the other hand, spiritual seekers had
concentrated on the inner change. Gandhi not only bridged the gap between
these extremes, he fused them together. Gandhi was thus both a saint and a
social revolutionary. For Gandhi, unity of life was great truth. His principle of
non-violence stemmed from this conviction. Non-violence was not a matter of
policy for him; it was a matter of faith. He applied the doctrine to all the
departments of individual and social life and in so doing revolutionized the
doctrine, made it dynamic and creative. He believed that a true civilization could
be built on the basis of such non -violence only.
He rejected the modern civilization. For him, it was a disease and a curse. This
civilization leads to violence, conflicts, corruption, injustices, exploitation,
oppression, mistrust and a process of dehumanisation. It has led the world to a
deep crisis. The earth¶s resources are being cornered by a handful of people
without any concern for others and for the coming generations. The conventional
energy sources are getting depleted. Forests are being destroyed. Air, water,
soil-everything has been polluted. à

We are living under the shadow of nuclear war and environmental disasters.
Thinking men the world over are looking to Gandhi to find a way out of t his crisis
and to build an alternative model of sustainable development. Gandhi knew that
the earth has enough to satisfy everybody¶s need but not anybody¶s greed. He
had called for the replacement of greed with love. Gandhi is, therefore, now a
source of inspiration and a reference book for all those fighting against racial
discrimination, oppression, domination, wars, nuclear energy, environmental
degradation, lack of freedom and human rights- for all those who are fighting for
a better world, a better quality of life. Gandhi is, therefore, no longer an
individual. He is a symbol of all that is the best and the most enduring in the
human tradition. And he is also a symbol of the alternative in all areas of life -
agriculture, industry, technology, education, health, economy, political
organisations, etc. He is a man of the future - a future that has to be shaped if
the human race has to survive and progress on the path of evolution. à
à
0
 
P  à
We hereby give a short version compiled from his Autobiography. We cover the
period of his life from 1869 to 1922. à
à
0

à

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born at Porbandar, a coastal city in

Kathiawad (now a part of the Gujarat State) on the 2nd October 1869. He was
the youngest child of his parents, Karamchand and Putlibai. à

Gandhis belonged to the Modh Bania community. They were originally grocers.
However, Uttamchand, Mohan¶s grandfather, rose to become Dewan of the
Porbandar State. Mohan¶s father. Karamchand, also served as the Dewan of
Porbandar, Rajkot and Vankaner States. Kathiawar then had about 300 small
States. Court intrigues were the order of the day. At times, Gandhis became their
victim. Uttamchand¶s house was once surrounded and shelled by the State
troops. Karamchand was once arrested. However, their courage and wisdom
earned them respect. Karamchand even became a member of the Rajashanik
Court, a powerful agency to solve disputes among the States. à

Karamchand had little education, but had shrewdness of judgment and practical
knowledge acquired through experience. He had little inclination to amass wealth
and left little for his children. He used to say that ³My children are my wealth¶. He
married four times, had two daughters by the first two marriages and one
daughter and three sons by his fourth marriage. Putlibai, his fourth wife, was
younger to him by 25 years. She was not much educated but was well -informed
about practical matters. Ladies at the palace used to value her advice. She was
deeply religious and superstitious and had strong will-power. She used to visit
the temple daily and regularly kept difficult vows. Mohan loved his mother. He
used to accompany her to the Haveli (Vaishnav temple). à

Mohan had a great devotion for his father and he often used to be present at t he
discussions about the State problems. Gandhis had Parsi and Muslim friends and
Jain monks used to make regular visit. Mohan thus had occasion to hear
discussions about religious matters also. Being the youngest, he was the darling
of the household. à

à
†  
Mohan attended Primary School at Porbandar. When he was seven, his family
moved to Rajkot. He was a mediocre student, was shy and avoided any
company. He read little besides the text books and had no love for outdoor
games. He had no love for outdoor games. However, he was truthful, honest,
sensitive and was alert about his character. Plays about Shravan and
Harishchandra made a deep impression on him. They taught him to be truthful at
any cost and to serve his parents with devotion.à

He was married along with his brother and cousin for the sake of economy and
convenience. He was only 13 then. He enjoyed the festivities of the marriage.
Kasturbai, his wife, was of the same age. She was illiterate but strong-willed. His
jealousy and immature efforts to make her an ideal wife led to many quarrels. He
wanted to teach her but found no time. His experience later made him a strong
critic of child-marriages.à

Mohan joined High School at Rajkot. He was liked by the teachers and often
received prizes. But he neglected physical training and hand-writing. Habit of
taking long walks made up for the first neglect, but he had to repent later for the
neglect of handwriting. He was devoted to his father and considered it his duty to
nurse him during his illness. In the High-School, he made friends with one Sheikh
Mehtab, a bad character. He stuck to the friendship despite warnings from
family-members. He wanted to reform Mehtab but failed. Mehtab induced him to
meat-eating, saying that it made one strong and that the Bri tish were ruling
India because they were meat-eaters. Mohan was frail and used to be afraid even
to go out alone in the dark. The argument appealed to him. Later, he realized
that lying to his parents was worse than not eating meat, and abandoned the
experiment.à

Mehtab once sent him to a brothel, but God¶s grace saved him. He induced
Mohan to smoking. This once led to stealing. But all this became unbearable for
Mohan. He confessed his guilt to his father, who did not rebuke him but wept
silently. Those tears cleaned Mohan¶s heart and taught him a lesson in
nonviolence. à

Mohan¶s father died when Mohan was 16. He had nursed him daily. But at the
time of his death, Mohan was with his wife. He always felt ashamed for this
lapse. Mohan passed the matriculation examination in 1887. He attended the
College at Bhavnagar, but left after the first term. At that time, the idea of his
going to England for studying law came up. Mohan was fascinated. He made up
his mind and overcame resistance from the family-members. He took the vow
not to touch wine, women and meat at the instance of his mother to remove her
fears. He then sailed from Bombay in September 1888, leaving behind his wife
and a son. The caste elders were against his going to England. They
excommunicated him from the caste.à
à
P  à

Gandhi reached England by the end of September 1888. Everything was strange
to him. He was shy and diffident, could not speak English fluently and was
ignorant of British manners. Naturally, loneliness and homesickness gri pped him.
Gandhi became a vegetarian for life. It was difficult to get vegetarian food.
Friends persuaded him to break the vow of vegetarianism but he stuck to it. He
began searching vegetarian restaurants and found one ultimately. He purchased
Salt¶s book µPlea for Vegetarianism¶, read it and became vegetarian out of
conviction. He studied other literature and joined the Vegetarian Society. à

He came in contact with the leaders of that radical cult, became a member of the
Society¶s Executive Committee and contributed articles to the Society¶s paper. He
even started a Vegetarian club in his locality and became its Secretary. This
experience gave him some training in organising and conducting Institutions.
Experiments about diet became a life-long passion for him.à
à
P 



 P

For a brief period, Gandhi tried to become µThe English Gentleman¶ to overcome
lack of confidence and to make up for the µfad¶ of vegetarianism. He wanted to
become fit for the British elite society. He got clothes stitched from an expensive
and fashionable firm, purchased an expensive hat and an evening suit and learnt
to wear the tie. He became very careful about his appearance. He even joined a
dancing class, but could not go on for more than three wee ks. He purchased a
violin and started learning to play it. He engaged a tutor to give lessons in
elocution. But all this was for a brief period of three months only. His conscience
awakened him. He realised that he was not going to spend his whole life in
England; he should rather concentrate on his studies and not waste his brother¶s
money. He then became very careful about his expenses.à
à


 à

Gandhi also started the study of religions. Before that, he had not even read the
Gita. Now he read it in the English translation. He also read Edwin Arnold¶s µThe
Light of Asia,¶ Blavatsky¶s µKey to Theosophy¶ and the Bible. Gita and The New
Testament made a deep impression on him. The principles of renunciation and
non-violence appealed to him greatly. He continued the study of religions
throughout his life. à
à
P 0
 à

Bar examinations were easy. He therefore studied for and passed the London
matriculation examination. Becoming a Barrister meant attending at least six
dinners in each of the twelve terms and giving an easy examination. Gandhi,
however, studied sincerely, read all the prescribed books, passed his examination
and was called to the bar in June 1891. He then sailed for home. à
à
c

Gandhi¶s three year¶s stay in England was a period of deep turmoil for him.
Before that, he knew little of the world. Now he was exposed to the fast-changing
world and to several radical movements like Socialism, Anarchism, Atheism etc.
through the Vegetarian Society. He started taking part in public work. Many of
his ideas germinated during this period. à
à
P 
c
Gandhi returned to India as a Barrister, but he knew nothing about the Indian
law. Lawyers used to pay commissions to touts to get cases. Gandhi did not like
this. Besides, he was shy and an occasion to argue in the Court unnerved him.
He became a disappointed and dejected µBridles Barrister¶. At that time, a South
African firm Dada Abdulla and Co. asked for his assistance in a case. Gandhi
eagerly agreed and sailed for South Africa in April 1893. à
à

c 
The small Indian community in South Africa was facing many problems at that
time. It consisted mainly of indentured labourers and traders. The indentured
labourers were taken there by the European landlords as there was acute labour
shortage in South Africa. The condition of these labourers was like slaves. During
1860-1890 around 40,000 labourers were sent from India. Many of them settled
there after their agreement periods were completed and started farming or
business.à

The Europeans did not like it. They did not want free Indians in South Africa.
They also found it difficult to face competition from Indian traders. Therefore the
White Rulers imposed many restrictions and heavy taxes on the Indians. They
were not given citizenship rights, like right to vote. They were treated like dirt
and constantly humiliated. All Indians were called µcoolies¶. The newspapers
carried out the propaganda that the Indians were dirty and uncivili zed. The
Indians could not travel in the railways and could not enter hotels meant for
Europeans. They were hated and radically discriminated in all matters by the
dominant White community.à
à
P 


Right since his arrival, Gandhi began to feel the pinch of racial discrimination in
South Africa. Indian community was ignorant and divided and therefore unable to
fight it. In connection with his case, Gandhi had to travel to Pretoria. He was
travelling in the first class, but a Whi te passenger and railway officials asked him
to leave the first class compartment. Gandhi refused, whereupon he was thrown
out along with his luggage. On the platform of Maritzburg station. It was a
severely cold night. Gandhi spent the night shivering and thinking furiously. He
ultimately made up his mind to stay in South Africa, fight the racial
discrimination and suffer hardships. It was a historic decision. It transformed
Gandhi.à

He had also to travel some distance by a stage-coach. During this travel also, he
was insulted and beaten. On reaching Pretoria, Gandhi called a meeting of the
local Indians. There he learnt a lot about the condition of Indians. It was there
that he made his first Public Speech and suggested formation of an association.
He offered his services for the cause. Gandhi later settled the case, for which he
had come, through arbitration. He then decided to return home. But at the
farewell party, he came to know about a bill to restrict Indian franchise. Gandhi
thought that it had grave implications. The people then pressed him to stay for
some time. He agreed.à

Gandhi¶s first major fight had started. He addressed meetings petitioned to the
legislative assembly, conducted a signature campaign. He also started regular
legal practice there and soon became a successful and leading Lawyer. For
sustained agitations, a permanent organisation was needed and the Natal Indian
Congress was born. Illiterate indentured labourers also joined the struggle. A
proposed tax on them was fought and got aboli shed after a fierce battle.à

In1886, Gandhi visited India for a brief period. In India, he met renowned
leaders and gave wide publicity to the South African struggle. Rumours reached
South Africa that Gandhi had maligned the Whites there and that he was coming
with a large number of Indians to swamp the Natal colony. It was wrong. But it
made the Whites furious. Gandhi had to face the fury, when he returned with his
wife and children, he had to enter the port town secretly, but he was found out
and assaulted. The Whites wanted to hang him but he was saved by the Police
Superintendent and his wife. He forgave his assailants. à
 à
’ 0
Gandhi, however, remained a loyal citizen of the British Empire. In that spirit, he
decided to help the British during the Boer War. The Boer were the Dutch
colonizers who ruled some of the South African colonies. They were simple and
sturdy people with strong racial prejudices. The British wanted to rule whole of
the South Africa. The British-Boer broke out in 1899. Gandh i¶s sympathies were
with the Boers. But being a British citizen, he considered it his duty to help the
British. He also wanted to show that Indians were not cowards and were ready to
make sacrifices for the empire while fighting for their rights. à

Gandhi raised an ambulance corps of 1100 persons. The work consisted of

carrying the wounded on stretchers. At times, it required walking more than 20
miles. The corps had sometimes to cross the firing line. The Indians worked hard,
their work was praised and the leaders of the corps were awarded medals. Indian
community learnt a lot from this experience. Its stature increased. British won
the war, although the Boers fought with determination, which made a deep
impression on Gandhi.à
à
’ 

 
In 1901, Gandhi returned to India. He travelled widely and worked closely with
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, whom he considered his guru. He was about to settle
down in Bombay, when he received an urgent telegram from South Africa to rush
there. Gandhi again went to South Africa. He found that the condition of Indians
had worsened. Gandhi had to devote himself to public work. In 1904, Gandhi
started the journal µIndian Opinion.¶ à
à
’  



In 1904, Gandhi happened to read Ruskin¶s book µUnto This Last.¶ He was deeply
impressed by Ruskin¶s ideas and decided to put them in practice immediately.
They were: (I) That the good of the individual is contained in the good of all. (ii)
that all work has the same value and (iii) that the life of labour is the life worth -
living.à

Gandhi purchased some land near Phoenix station and established the Phoenix
settlement in mid-1904. The settlers had to erect structures to accommodate
themselves and the printing press. µIndian Opinion¶ was transferred to Phoenix.
The settlers had to go through many trials to print the issue in time. Everyone
had to join in the work. The settlers were divided in two classes. The µSchemers¶
made their living by manual labour. A few were paid labourers. To make a living
by manual labour, land was divided in pieces of three acres each. Stress was on
manual labour. Even the printing press was often worked with hand -power.
Sanitary arrangements were primitive and everyone had to be his own
scavenger. The colony was to be self-supporting and the material needs were to
be kept to the minimum. A spirit of self-reliance pervaded the colony. Gandhi,
however, could stay there only for brief periods. He had to be in Johannesburg in
connection with his work.à
à
’    
The Zulu µrebellion¶ broke out in April 1906. It was not in fact a rebellion, but a
man-hunt. The British wanted to crush the freedom -loving Zulu tribals. The
operation to massacre them was, therefore, started under a flimsy pretext. Out
of a sense of loyalty to the British empire, Gandhi offered the services of the
Indian community, though his heart was with the Zulus. An ambulance corps of
24 persons was formed. Its duty was to carry the wounded Zulus and nurse
them. The Zulus were flogged and tortured and left with festering wounds.
Whites were not ready to nurse them. Gandhi was happy to nurse them. He had
to work hard and walk miles through hills. It was a thought -provoking
experience. He saw the cruelty of the British and the horrors of the war. While
marching through Zululand, Gandhi thought deeply. Two ideas became fixed in
his mind-Brahmacharya and the adoption of voluntary poverty. à
à
0


 
The White rulers were bent on keeping South Africa under thei r domination. They
wanted as few Indians there as possible and that too as slave-labourers. In
Transvaal, Indians were required to register themselves. The procedure was
humiliating. The registration was proposed to be made stricter in 1906. Gandhi
realised that it was a matter of life or death for the Indians. A mammoth meeting
was held in September 1906 to oppose the bill. People took oath in the name of
God not to submit to the bill at any cost. A new principle had come into being -
the principle of Satyagraha. The bill about registration was however passed.
Picketing against registration was organised. A wave of courage and enthusiasm
swept the Indian community. The Indian community rose as one man for the
sake of its survival and dignity.à

The agitation was first called µpassive Resistance¶. Gandhi, however, did not like
that term. It did not convey the true nature of the struggle. It implied that it was
the weapon of the weak and the disarmed. It did not denote complete faith in
nonviolence. Moreover, Gandhi did not like that the Indian struggle should be
known by an English name. The term µSadagrah¶ was suggested. Gandhi changed
it to µSatyagrah¶ to make it represent fully, the whole idea. Satyagraha means
asserting truth through non -violence. It aims at converting the opponents
through self-suffering.à

Gandhi was ordered to leave the colony. He disobeyed and was jailed for two
months. Indians filled the jails. Repression failed to yield the results. General
Smuts called Gandhi and promised that the law would be withdrawn if the
Indians agreed to voluntary registration.à
à
c


P 
Gandhi agreed. He and his co-workers were set free. Gandhi exhorted Indians to
register voluntarily. He was criticized for this by some workers. A Pathan named
Mir Alam was unconvinced by Gandhi¶s arguments and vowed to kill the first man
who would register himself. Gandhi came forward to be the first man to register
himself. When he was going to the registration office, Mir Alam and his friends
assaulted him with lathis.à

Gandhi fainted with the words µHe Ram¶ on his lips. It was 10th February 1908.
His colleagues tried to save him otherwise it would have been the last day for
him. Mir Alam and his friends were caught and handed over to the police. When
Gandhi regained consciousness, he inquired about Mir Alam. When told that he
had been arrested, Gandhi told that he should be released. Gandhi was taken by
his friend Rev. Doke to his house and was nursed there. Rev. Doke later became
his first biographer. à
à
P 


Smuts however, betrayed Gandhi. The agitation was again resumed. The
voluntary registration certificates were publicly burnt. Meanwhile, Transvaal
passed Immigration Restriction Act. This too was opposed by the Indians. They
crossed Transvaal border illegally and were jailed. Gandhi, too, was arrested and
convicted. The fight continued in spite of the repression. à
à
’


Gandhi realised that the fight would be a long one. He, therefore, desired to have
a center where the Satyagrahis could lead a simple community life and get
training for the struggle. Phoenix was at about 30 hours distance from
Johannesburg. Gandhi¶s German friend Kallenbach therefore bought 1100 acres
of land at a distance of about 20 miles from Johannesburg, where Tolsto y Farm
was established. The community was named after Tolstoy to pay respect to the
great Russian writer whose book µThe Kingdom of God is within You¶ had greatly
influenced Gandhi and made him a firm believer in non-violence.à

The inmates numbered about 50-75. It was a heterogeneous group. It was a

tribute to Gandhi¶s leadership that they remained together happily under hard
conditions. The inmates erected sheds to accommodate themselves. They did all
their work themselves. Drinking, smoking and meat-eating were prohibited. All
ate in the community kitchen. Small Cottage Industries were started for self-
sufficiency. Gandhi and his colleagues learnt shoe-making. A school was started.
Gandhi himself undertook the responsibility of educating the children. The l ife
was simple, hard, but joyful. Experiments at Tolstoy Farm proved to be a source
of purification and penance for Gandhi and his co -workers.à
à
’ 
 

 
Satyagraha continued for four years. Gandhi discontinued his legal practice in
1910. After many ups and downs, the last phase of Satyagraha began in
September 1913. A Black Law imposing three pounds tax on Indians provided
occasion for it. Satyagrahis crossed Transvaal border defying the law. Even the
women were invited to join. Indian workers in the Natal coal-mines struck work
and joined the struggle. Gandhi led a large contingent of these workers. They
were about 2200 in number. It was on epic march. à

It aroused sympathy for Satyagraha and indignation for the South African
Government throughout England and India. Indian National Congress supported
the Satyagraha. Gandhi was arrested. The Satyagrahis marched to Natal without
their leader. There, they were arrested and jailed. Thousands of labourers struck
work in sympathy. The public outcry in India forced the Indian Government to
express sympathy for the Indian cause. The repression having failed, General
Smuts had to bow ultimately. Indian demands were accepted. The fight was
over. Gandhi now could return to India where a great work awaited him.à

It was South Africa which made Gandhi. He had gone there as a young, shy,
Briefless Barrister. He returned as an extra-ordinary leader who had mobilised
masses to an unprecedented extent for a novel fight. In South Africa, Gandhi¶s
ideas were shaped. He was influenced by Ruskin, Tolstoy and Thoreau. He made
a deep study of religions there and became a staunch believer in nonviolence.
The principle of Satyagraha was born in S. Africa. à
 à
P    
Gandhi returned to India in January 1915. He was welcomed and honoured as a
hero. He spent a year touring the country at the instance of Gokhale, his guru.
He travelled mostly in third class railway compartments. He saw the conditions in
the country first-hand. He founded the Satyagraha Ashram in May 1915 and
started getting involved in the social and political life of the country. The
Champaran Satyagraha was his first major struggle.à
à
† 

 
Champaran was a district in Northern Bihar. When Gandhi was called there, it
was virtually under the rule of European indigo planters. They cruelly exploited
and terrorised the tenants. Under the µtinkathia¶ system, the tenants had to
cultivate indigo in 3/20th part of the land. The tenants were oppressed and fear -
stricken. The British administration supported the planters. à

Gandhi was invited to visit Champaran by Rajkumar Shukla, a peasant from the
area, in December 1916. Gandhi was first reluctant. But Shukla¶s persistent
requests made him change his mind. He went to Champaran in April 1917 to
know the conditions there and the grievances of the peasants. Before visiting the
district, Gandhi visited Muzaffarpur and Patna. He discussed the matter with
lawyers and social workers. Gandhi declined to seek legal remedies as he felt that
law courts were useless when the people were fear-stricken. For him, removal of
fear was most important. He made request to the lawyers for clerical assistance.
Many of them gladly offered the same.à

Gandhi first met the planters and the District Commissioner. They were hostile.
Gandhi was ordered to leave the area. He ignored the order. He was then
summoned to the court. The news electrified the area. Crowds gathered at the
court. Gandhi pleaded guilty, saying that he was obeying a higher law, the voice
of conscience. The case against him was later dropped. Gandhi and his co -
workers met thousands of the peasants. They recorded about 8000 statements.
Efforts were made to ensure that they were true. Recording was done in the
presence of police officials. Undue publicity and exaggeration were avoided.
Planters¶ campaign of slander was ignored. The masses in Champaran overcame
their fear. Public opinion in the country was aroused. The Government ultimately
appointed an enquiry committee in June 1917, with Gand hi as a member. The
committee recommended abolition of tinkathia system and partial refund of
money taken illegal by the planters. The Satyagraha was thus successful.
Champaran Satyagraha was the first Satyagraha on the Indian soil. It was
Gandhi¶s first major political work in India. It was carried out strictly in
accordance with the principles of Satyagraha. Attention was paid to constructive
work like sanitation, education and primary health-care.à
à
c 

 
A dispute between the textile mill-owners and the labourers at Ahmedabad arose
in 1918, about the grant of bonus and dearness allowance. The labourers wanted
50% increase allowance due to steep rise in prices. The mill-owners were ready
to give only 20% increase. Gandhi was approached to find a solution. He
persuaded both the parties to agree to arbitration. But after a few days, some
misunderstanding led to a strike. The mill-owners seized the opportunity and
declared lock-out. Gandhi studied the case. He thought that 35% increase woul d
be reasonable. He advised the labourers to demand the same. Regular strike
began on the 26th February 1918. Thousands of labourers struck work. They
took a pledge not to resume work till their demand was met or arbitration was
agreed upon. They also decided to observe non-violence and maintain peace.à

Gandhi had friends in both the camps. The mill -owners being led by Shri Ambalal
Sarabhai. His sister Ansuyaben was leading the labourers. During the struggle,
Gandhi¶s co-workers regularly visited the labourers¶ quarters to solve their
problems and to keep high their morale. Daily meetings and prayers were held.
Bulletins were issued. Gandhi did not like charity. Efforts were made to find
alternative employments for the workers. However, after a fortnight, the workers
started getting tired. It was difficult to face starvation. It was unbearable for
Gandhi that they should break the vow. He then decided to undertake an
indefinite fast. This strengthened the workers. It brought moral pressure on the
mill-owners. They consented to arbitration after three days. Gandhi broke his
fast. The Satyagraha was successful. The arbitrator studied the case for three
months and recommended 35% increase in dearness allowance. The workers¶
demand was thus fully met. However, Gandhi¶s fast did involve in an element of
coercion. But it was a spontaneous decision. The situation demanded some
drastic action. The Satyagraha was significant in many respects. It was the first
Satyagraha by industrial workers. It was wholly peaceful. It showed how workers
could fight non -violently. It also gave rise to a strong Gandhian Labour Union. à
à
D 

 
Kheda was a district in Gujarat. In 1917, there was a crop failure due to famine.
Peasants were unable to pay the land revenue. The rules permitted suspension of
revenue collection when the crops were less than four annas. According to the
peasants¶ estimate, the crops were less than four annas. Gandhi¶s inquiries, as
well as inquiries by independent observers, showed that the peasants were r ight.
The Government, however, thought otherwise. It even turned down a suggestion
of an impartial enquiry. It started coercing the peasants to collect revenue.
Petitions etc. were of no avail. Satyagraha was therefore started on the 22nd
March 1918.à

Gandhi advised the peasants to withhold payment to revenue. Satyagrahis took a

pledge not to pay the same and resolved to be ready to face the consequences.
Volunteers went to villages to keep up the morale of the peasants. As in
Champaran, Gandhi¶s main concern was to remove the fear from the peasants¶
minds. The officials started attaching the property of the peasants including
cattle and even standing crops. Notices were sent for attachment of the land. An
occasion for civil disobedience arose when standing onion crop was attached at
one place. Gandhi advised one Mohanlal Pandya and a few volunteers to remove
the crop. This was done. The volunteers were arrested. Pandya earned the
nickname µOnion Thief.¶à

The struggle went on for about four months till July 191 8. It tested the people¶s
patience. The Government discontinued coercive measures. It advised that if the
well-to-do peasants paid up, the poor ones would be granted suspension. In one
sense, the Satyagraha was thus successful. The peasants¶ demand was not,
however, fully met. Gandhi was not satisfied. He wanted people to come out
stronger after Satyagraha. However, the Satyagraha resulted in awakening the
peasants. It educated them politically. It was the first peasant struggle under
Gandhi¶s leadership, the first nonviolent mass civil disobedience campaign
organised by Gandhi in India. The peasants became aware of their rights and
learnt to suffer for them.à
à
!

c

British Government appointed a Committee in 1917 under the chairmanship of
Justice Rowlatt, (1) to enquire and report to the Government about the nature
and extent of anti-government activities, and (2) to suggest legal remedies to
enable the Government to suppress those activities. The Committee submitted its
report in April 1918. Its work was carried out in secrecy. The Committee¶s
recommendations were embodied in two bills.à

The first bill sought to make a permanent change in the Criminal Law. The
second bill intended to deal with the situation arising out of the expiry of Defence
of India Rules. The first bill made punishable the possession of an
antigovernment document with mere intention to circulate it. The second bill also
gave sweeping powers to the officers. There were other harsh provisions also.
The bills shocked the entire country. All the leaders considered the bills unjust,
unwarranted and destructive of elementary human rights and dignity. The second
bill was eventually dropped and the first one passed as a Law in March 1919. à
à


 

 !

c

India had helped the British in the World War. She expected substantial political
rights. Instead, she received the Black Rowlatt bills.à

Gandhi had decided to help the British war efforts during the war. He undertook a
recruiting campaign and worked hard which ruined his health. While he was
recovering, he heard about Rowlatt bills. He was shocked. He took up the matter
and started propaganda against the bill. Gandhi carried out propaganda against
the bill. A separate body called Satyagraha Sabha was formed. A Satyagraha
pledge was drafted and signed by selected leaders. The Government was,
however, adamant. It then suddenly it occurred to Gandhi that a call for nation -
wide hartal should be given. Everybody in the country should suspend his
business and spend the day in fasting and prayers. Public meetings should be
held everywhere and resolutions passed for withdrawal of the Act. à

The programme was taken up. 30 March was fixed as the day of the hartal, but it
was later postponed to 6th April. The notice was very short. Still the masses rose
to the occasion. The country rose like one man. Hartal was observed throughout
India. Communal prejudices were forgotten. All fear disappeared. In Delhi,
Swami Shraddhanand, the Hindu sanyasi was invited to Jama Masjid. It was also
decided that civil disobedience should be offered to selected laws which could
easily be disobeyed by the people. Gandhi suggested breaking of the Salt law and
the sale of the banned literature. The civil disobedience was a great success.
Throughout India, meetin gs were held and processions taken out. à

The public awakening was unprecedented. It startled the British. Repression was
let loose. Processions were broken up by mounted police and firing was done at
several places. Many persons were killed. At some places, people lost balance in
the face of repression. In such a situation, Gandhi thought it fit to suspend the
Civil Disobedience Campaign. It was done on the 18th April. Satyagraha against
the Rowlatt Act was historic. It was the first nation -wide struggle, in which crores
of people participated and showed exemplary courage. The Indian freedom
movement was transformed into a truly people¶s movement. The period also
witnessed Hindu-Muslim friendship to an extent that was never surpassed
thereafter.à
à
[!0
Satyagraha in Punjab was also quite successful. Its leaders Dr. Satyapal and Dr.
Kitchlew were arrested. People observed hartal and took out a procession in
Amritsar to demand their release. It was fired upon, and many persons were
killed. The crowd therefore became violent and killed 5-6 Englishmen. Some
public buildings were burnt. Army troops were rushed in to stop the violence.
This was on April 10th 1919. On April 11, a peaceful funeral procession was
taken out.à

General Dyer then took command of the troops. Meetings and gatherings were
prohibited. Still a large meeting was held on April 12th at Jallianwala Bagh.
General Dyer took no steps to prevent the meeting. But when the meeting was
taking place, he surrounded the place and without any warning , gave orders of
firing. The crowd of nearly 10,000 men and women was peaceful and unarmed.
They had no idea that they would be fired upon. When the firing started the
people became panicky. There was only one exit. Bullets were showered on the
trapped people. 1650 rounds were fired. About 400 persons were killed and 1200
injured. General Dyer did this deliberately to teach the Indians a lesson.
Jallianwala Bagh massacre shocked the country. It showed how brutal the British
power could get. It was followed by many more atrocities. They turned Gandhi
fully against the British Empire. à
à
c
†
The annual session of the Indian National Congress was held at Amritsar in
Punjab in December 1919. Most of the leaders in jails were released before or
during the session. The session was attended by 8000 delegates including 1500
peasants. It was the last Congress session attended by Lokmanya Tilak. The
Moderates, however, did not attend it. Pandit Motilal Nehru was in the Chair. The
Congress was now acquiring a mass character. The proceedings were conducted
mainly in Hindustani.à

The Congress passed a resolution for removal of General Dyer, the butcher of
Jallianwala Bagh. Recall of the Punjab Governor and the Viceroy was also
demanded. It was decided to erect a memorial for the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs.
Gandhi moved a resolution condemning violence on the part of the people and
got it passed. It was a very significant event. The resolution also urged the
people to remain peaceful. The Congress also reiterated the demand for
responsible Government. The Montague Reforms were considered inadequate,
disappointing and unsatisfactory. But it was decided to work the reforms. Revival
of hand-spinning and hand-weaving was recommended. The Congress appointed
a subcommittee for reconsideration of the Congress Constitution with Gandhi as
the Chairman. It was the first Congress session in which Gandhi took an active
part. His leadership was strengthened in Amritsar Congress. à
à
’ D 
" 

During the First World Way, Turkey sided with Germany against the British. The
Sultan of Turkey was the Khalifa, the religious head of the Muslim world. The
future of Khalifa, therefore, became a matter of concern for Indian Muslims. The
British Government promised them that the Khilafat would not be violated and
favourable peace terms would be offered to Turkey. But when Turkey was
defeated in the war, the promises were forgotten. Turkish Empire was broken.
Indian Muslims felt agitated over this. à

Gandhi sympathised with the Khilafat cause. He felt that Hindus should help the
Muslim in their need. For him, it was an excellent opportunity to forge communal
unity, bring Muslims in the freedom movement and form a common front against
the British. The Khilafat Committee was formed. It demanded that terms of
treaty with Turkey should be changed to satisfy the Indian Muslims. Gandhi
suggested the programme of Non-Cooperation with the British Government. This
programme was adopted by the Committee in May 1920. à
à
’ #†$
%

The redressal of injustice of Punjab and Khilafat and the attainment of Swaraj
became the key issue. The masses were getting awakened. Gandhi announced
the inauguration of Non -violent Non-Co-operation Movement on the 1st August
1920. A special session of Congress in September accepted the programme. The
Nagpur Congress in December 1920 endorsed it enthusiastically.
The programme consisted of the following points -à

Surrender of titles and honours given by the British Government à

Boycott of law-courtsà

Boycott of educational institutions à

Boycott of councils and elections à

Boycott of foreign cloth à

Boycott of Government functions à

Picketing of liquor shops à

Refusal to get recruited in the armyà

The programme was not just negative. It included the building of new
institutions. National Education was encouraged. Stress was laid on Khadi.
Charkha became the symbol of freedom.à

The Congress was completely reorganised and a new constitution drafted by

Gandhi was adopted to make it a mass organisation and a useful tool for th e
struggle. The movement started with hartal, fasting and prayers. It soon spread
like wildfire. The freedom movement had become a mass movement. Gandhi
declared the Swaraj could be won within one year if the programme was fully
implemented. People showed great unity, determination and courage. Hundreds
of National schools were established. Tilak Swaraj Fund was over-subscribed.
About 20 lakh charkhas began to be plied in the country. The boycott shook the
Government.à

1921 was the year of the rise of Indian Nationalism Gandhi became a Mahatma,
the most loved and revered figure in the country. Masses looked to him as a
saint, as an incarnation of God who had come to free them from slavery and
poverty. The Government started repression. Arrests were made. Firing took
place at some places. The country boycotted the visit of Prince of Wales, the
British Prince in November 1921. Disturbances broke out at Bombay and Gandhi
had to fast to control the situation. By the end of 1921, the number of prisoners
had risen to 30,000. Processions and meetings were being broken up. à

The masses were getting impatient. Call was given for Civil Disobedience. Gandhi
wanted to start the campaign step-by-step. He chose Bardoli in Gujarat for
starting the campaign. Notice was given to Government on the 1st February
1922. However, the movement had to be called off within a few days. On the 5th
February, a mob including Congressmen set fire to a police station at Chauri
Chaura in U.P., killing about 22 policemen. Gandhi was shocked. He re alised that
people had not fully accepted non-violence. He persuaded the Congress to
suspend the agitation. Gandhi was arrested in March and was sentenced to 6
years¶ imprisonment. He was kept in the Yeravda jail near Pune. à
à
’ & 
P '() **$()+,-à

Gandhi was freed from jail in 1924 on the ground of health. The country was
witnessing a wave of communal riots. Gandhi fasted for 21 days in October 1924.
He toured the entire country. He laid stress on the charkha and the removal of
untouchability. Political atmosphere in the country began to change slowly. There
was a wave of labour strikes in 1928-29. Armed revolutionaries stepped up their
activities. There was widespread discontent among the peasants. The historic
Satyagraha at Bardoli in Gujarat showed its intensity. à
à
0

  à

Bardoli was a tehsil in Gujarat. Government increased the land revenue

assessment there by 30%. Protests brought it down to 22%. The peasants
thought it unjust. Vallabhbhai Patel studied the case. He was convi nced that the
peasants were right. The peasants decided to withhold the payment until the
enhancement was cancelled or an impartial tribunal appointed for setting the
case. Gandhi blessed the Satyagraha. It started in February 1928.à

Vallabhbhai Patel led the struggle. He organised sixteen camps under the charge
of 250 volunteers. His organisation was superb. It earned him the title µSardar¶.
The government tried its best to terrorise the people and extract the payment. It
tried flattery, bribery, fines, imprisonment and lathi-charge. Pathans were
brought in to threaten the people. The cattle was taken away and lands
auctioned at several places. Patel kept up the people¶s morale. His volunteers
were arrested. People imposed a social boycott on the Government officials and
against those who bought auctioned property. Seven members of the Legislative
Council resigned in protest against the Government repression. Several village
officials, too, resigned their posts. à

1) The Government issued an ultimatum for payment. Patel demanded that

2) The Satyagrahi prisoners should be released.
3) The lands sold and forfeited, should be returned.
4) The cost of seized movables should be refunded.

All the dismissals and punishments should be undone. Gandhi and Patel promised
to call off the agitation if these demands were met and an inquiry ordered. The
Government ultimately yielded. An Inquiry Committee was appointed. The
Committee recommended an increase of 5.7% only. The satyagraha was thus
successful. The Bardoli struggle was very well organised one. The peasants
remained united against all odds. Women took part in the struggle on a large
scale. The struggle became a symbol of hope, strength and victory for the
peasants in the country.à
 à


à

The discontent against the British Government was increasing. The Government
appointed Simon Commission to decide about the grant of political rights of
India. Indian leaders had not been consulted. There was no Indian Member in the
Commission. The country boycotted Simon Commission. à

Gandhi had regarded himself as a µPrisoner¶ and refrained from political activities
till 1928, when his jail term was to expire. He thereafter took the reins of
Congress in his hands. Congress resolved in 1929 to fight for complete
independence. Confrontation with the Government became imminent. Gandhi
launched Civil Disobedience Campaign-the famous Salt Satyagraha. à
à
’ 


  à

Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, listing eleven demands which, according to him,
formed the substance of self-government. They were rejected. Gandhi then
decided to start Civil Disobedience by breaking the Salt Law, which heavily taxed
the salt, an article of daily consumption for the poorest of the poor. He started
his epic Dandi March on the 12 March 1930 from Ah medabad.à

A carefully selected band of 78 Satyagrahis accompanied Gandhi in this March to

Dandi, a deserted village on the sea-coat, at about 240 miles from Ahmedabad.
As the March progressed, the atmosphere in the country was electrified. Several
village officials resigned their posts. Gandhi declared that he would not return to
Sabarmati Ashram till Independence was won. Congress Committee met on the
21st March to plan the strategy. à

Gandhi reached Dandi on the 6th April and broke the Salt law symbolically by
picking up a pinch of salt. It was signal for the nation. Civil Disobedience
campaign was started throughout the country. Salt Law broken at many places
by illegal production of salt and its sale. Gandhi went to the surrounding places
and started a campaign to cut toddy trees. Picketing of liquor and foreign cloth
shops was started. Women were on the forefront in picketing the liquor shops.
The whole country was stirred. Some other laws like Forest Laws were also taken
up for disobedience at some places. à

Government intensified the repression. Most of the important leaders including

Gandhi were arrested. But the agitation grew in strength. People bravely faced
police brutalities and even firing at many places. A wave of strikes and hartals
swept the country. At Peshawar, soldiers of Garhwali regiment refused to fire on
the unarmed people. They were court-martialled. Before his arrest, Gandhi hit
upon a novel idea to raid salt depots. The Dharasana raid, in which several non -
violent Satyagrahis were mercilessly beaten, sent shock-waves throughout the
world. It lowered the British prestige. The movement progressed till January
1931. The boycott of foreign cloth, liquor and British goods was almost complete.
Gandhi and other leaders were subsequently released from jail. Government
started negotiations. Gandhi-Irvin Pact was signed in March. The Satyagraha was
discontinued. This was a major Satyagraha, during which 111 Satyagrahis died in
firings and about one lakh persons went to jail. à
à
c  à

Gandhi took part in the Round Table Conference in England in 1931 as the
representative of the Congress. It was a frustrating experience for him. The
British were bent on prolonging their rule by following the policy of Divide and
Rule¶. Gandhi stayed in London in a poor locality. He even met the unemployed
textile mill-workers who had lost the jobs due to Gandhi¶s movement of Swadeshi
and Boycott. He explained to them the rationale behind Khadi. The workers
showered love on him.à

The Round Table Conference yielded nothing. Gandhi returned in December

1931. He was arrested and the Civil Disobedience Campaign was resumed. The
Congress was declared illegal. The Government was determined to crush the
movement. The leaders and a large number of workers were arrested.
Ordinances were issued to arm the Government with wide powers. Gandhi was
lodged in the Yervada jail. à
à
%
à

While Gandhi was in Yeravda jail the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald
announced the provisional scheme of minority representation, known as the
Communal Award. The depressed classes (now known as Scheduled Castes) were
recognised as a minority community and given separate electorates.à

Gandhi was shocked. It was an attempt to divide and destroy the Hindu Society
and the Nation and in turn to perpetuate India¶s slavery. It was not good for the
depressed also. Gandhi announced his decision to fast unto death from the 20th
September 1932. He was fully for the representation to the depressed classes,
but he was against their being considered as a minority community and given
separate electorates. Gandhi¶s decision stirred the country. Indian leaders began
hectic efforts to save Gandhi¶s life. But Dr. Ambedkar described the fast as a
political Stunt. Gandhi¶s decision awakened the Hindu S ociety. It dealt a blow to
the orthodoxy. Hindu leaders resolved to fight untouchability. Several temples
were thrown open to the Harijans. à

The fast began on 20th September. Attempts to evolve an alternative scheme

were continuing. Gandhi¶s health started deteriorating. He had several rounds of
discussions with Dr. Ambedkar. At last, an agreement was reached on the 24th
September. The Government was urged to accept the same. The British
Government ultimately gave its consent. Gandhi broke his fast on 26th
September. The agreement is known as the Yeravda Pact or the Poona Pact. It
provided for doubling the number of representatives of depressed classes.
Separate electorates were however, done away with. It was decided that for
every reserved seat, members of the depressed classes would elect four
candidates and the representative would be elected from them by joint
electorate. The system of primary election was to be for ten years.à
à
c
$ 
  

† à

Yeravda Pact gave a great boost to the anti -untouchability work. Harijan Sevak
Sangh was established. µHarijan¶ Weekly was started. After his release, Gandhi
put aside political activities and devoted himself to Harijan service and other
constructive work. All-India Village Industries Association was al so formed.
Gandhi gave the Sabarmati Ashram to the Harijan Sevak Sangh and later settled
at Wardha. He toured the entire country and collected Harijan Fund. The massive
anti-untouchability propaganda launched by him had spectacular results. He had,
of course, of face opposition. Even a bomb was once thrown at him. The
campaign destroyed the legitimacy of untouchability. It cleared the way for legal
ban. In 1936, Gandhi settled down at Sevagram, a village near Wardha. In 1937,
he presided over the Educational Conference, which gave rise to the scheme of
Basic Education.à
à

 à

While Gandhi was busy in the constructive work, elections to the provincial
assemblies were held in 1937. Congress Ministers were formed in several
provinces. the Second World War began in 1939. The British Government
dragged India into the War without consulting Indian leaders. Congress Ministries
resigned in protest. The Congress expressed expressed sympathy for the Allied
powers¶ fight against Nazism and Fascism and offered co-operation provided
responsible Self-Government was granted. Gandhi was however against any co-
operation in war efforts on the ground of Nonviolence. When the Government
turned down the Congress demand, Gandhi was requested to resume the
leadership.à

Gandhi decided to launch Anti -War individual Satyagraha against curtailment of

freedom. It was inaugurated by Vinoba in October 1940. Pandit Nehru was the
Second Satyagrahi. The Satyagrahis were arrested. By May 1941, the number of
Satyagrahi prisoners had crossed 25000.à
à
†à

The War was approaching India¶s borders with the advance of Japan. England
was in difficulties. It could not afford any agitation in India. There were various
other pressures on the British Government to make political concessions. As a
result, Sir Stafford Cripps was sent to India in March 1942. à

Cripps discussed the matter with the Indian leaders. He proposed Dominion
Status with power to the States and the provinces to secede and convening of a
constitution-making body after the War. But the adherence to the constitution
drafted by that body was not to be obligatory. Indian leaders including Gandhi
found the Cripps Proposals disappointing. They were aptly termed as post dated
cheque on a crashing bank. The Muslim League wanted a definite pronouncement
about Pakistan and therefore criticised the Cripps proposals. Congress rejected
the Cripps scheme because it did not provide for the participation of the people of
the states and the principles of non-accession was against Indian unity. The
Cripps Mission failed. à
à
. 
%

The country wanted nothing but Complete Independence. The Congress passed
the historic µQuit India¶ resolution on 8th August 1942. Gandhi and other leaders
were arrested. The country now rose in revolt. With most of the leaders in jail, it
fought in the way it thought fit. Railway lines and telegraphic communications
were interfered with. Government property was burnt or destroyed in several
places. The people displayed unprecedented cour age and heroism. Unarmed
people faced police lathis and bullets. Young boys suffered flogging without
flinching. Government machinery was paralysed and parallel Government was set
up at some places.à

Many workers went underground. About 1000 people died in firings during the
movement. About 1600 were injured and 60000 people were arrested. It was
noteworthy that violence was done to Government property only. Englishmen
were safe throughout the Movement. There was little personal violence. Thus,
while the masses rose to great heights of heroism, they also displayed
remarkable restraint. It was surely Gandhi¶s contribution. The rebellion was,
however, gradually put down.à

Gandhi was in Agakhan Palace jail. He was blamed by the British for the
disturbances. He could not tolerate questioning of his faith and honesty and
fasted for 21 days. Gandhi lost his wife Kasturba and his Secretary Mahadev
Desai in the Agakhan Palace. It was a great blow to him. His health was not in a
good condition. He was finally released i n May 1944 on health grounds. He then
started efforts to break the political stalemate.à
à
0/ 



The Hindu-Muslim unity, forged at the time of the Khilafat agitation, collapsed
thereafter. The country witnessed a wave of communal riots. The British
encouraged Muslim communalism and used it to obstruct the path of the
Freedom Movement. M. A. Jinnah, an erstwhile liberal leader, who had been
sidelined when the Congress became a mass organisation, assumed the
leadership of Muslim communalism.à

The Muslim League under his leadership became more aggressive, unreasonable
and violent. The two-nation theory-that Hindus and Muslims were two separate
Muslim homeland called µPakistan,¶ consisting of the Muslim-majority provinces.
Jinnah¶s shrewdness, ambition and ruthlessness, communalisation of large
sections of society and the British support for Jinnah, brought about such a
situation that the Muslim demands became an obstacle in the way of India¶s
Independence. Jinnah kept the demands fluid and utilised every opportunity to
frustrate the Nationalist Movement and further his end with the support of the
British rulers.à

The two-nation theory was an untruth. The Hindus and Muslims had lived
together in India for centuries. Gandhi fought this untruth with all his might. He
did everything possible, including meeting Jinnah several times. But he failed.
Jinnah wanted recognition of the League as the sole representative of t he
Muslims. It was not acceptable to the Congress. à
à
†

The War ended in 1945. After an election, Labour Party¶s Government came to
power in England. England had been extremely weakened financially and
militarily. The Azad Hind Sena had shown that even the army was not untouched
by nationalism. Mutiny of the naval ratings in February 1946 gave the same
indication. The people were in an agitated mood. The British rule had lost
legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The British, therefore, decided to withdraw
from India.à

Cabinet Mission was sent to India to help in the formation of Interim Government
and to purpose a scheme regarding the transfer of power. The mission proposed
that the provinces be divided in three groups, in one of which Hindus we re in the
majority while in the other two Muslims. Subjects like defence, foreign affairs,
communications etc, were to be with the Central Authority and the groups were
to be free to frame constitutions about other subjects. Gandhi found the
proposals defective. Muslim League declared µDirect Action¶ to get Pakistan.
µDirect Action¶ meant unleashing of violence. The Hindus retaliated. In Calcutta
alone, over 6000 people were killed 4 days. The Hindu communalism too became
stronger.à
à
’ #/ 
In the Noakhali area of East Bengal, where Muslims formed 82% of the
population, a reign of terror was let loose in a planned and systematic way in
October 1946. The Hindus were killed and beaten, their property was burnt,
thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted and thousands of Hindu women
were abducted and raped. Temples were defiled and destroyed.à

The League Government in Bengal aided the goondas. Even ex-serviceman joined
in committing the atrocities. In Noakhali, about three-fourth of the land belon ged
to the Hindu landlords and the tenants were mostly Muslims. The peasant unrest
was naturally there. It was now turned along communal channels. The Noakhali
massacre had few parallels in the history. It showed to what level communal
politics could stop to. It was meant to terrorise, kill, convert or drive away the
Hindus from Muslim-majority areas so that Pakistan could become a reality. à
à
P #/ 
Gandhi was deeply shocked. He could not bear the defeat of his long -cherished
principles. On 6th November 1946, he rushed to Noakhali. It was to be his final
and perhaps the most glorious battle. à

Gandhi reached Shrirampur and camped there for a few days. He sent his
associates including Pyarelal and Sushila Nayyar to different villages which were
mostly deserted by the Hindus. He did all his personal work himself. He worked
like a possessed man. He walked barefooted, went from house to house, talked
to Hindus and Muslims, heard their points of view, and reasoned with them and
addressed meetings.à

He wanted to instill fearlessness into the Hindus. He exhorted them to die

nonviolently, if need be, but not to submit to terror. He did not appease the
Muslim. He told the truth bluntly. He wanted to win their confidence and make
them see reason and earn the confidence of the Hindus. He did not only preach,
he served the village poor. He was testing his Nonviolence. It was very difficult to
establish mutual trust. The League had made poisonous propaganda against him.
But Gandhi¶s mission began to yield results. It boosted the morale of Hindus.
Passions began to subside. Some evacuees started returning home. Some even
returned to their original faith. Gandhi gradually succeeded in earning the love
and confidence of even the Muslims. à
à
!
Noakhali had its reaction in Bihar, where Hindus resorted to violence. The country
was seized by communal madness. Gandhi went to Bihar and brought the
situation under control.
The situation in the country was explosive. Civil War was imminent. The
Congress ultimately consented to the partition of India. Despite Gandhi¶s bitter
opposition, he could not do anything to prevent the partition. à

While the country was celebrating the Independence. Day on 15th August 1947,
Gandhi was in Bengal to fight communal madness. Partition was followed by
riots, a massacre of unparalleled dimensions. It witnessed movement of about
one crore persons and killing of at least six lakh persons. Calcutta was once more
on the verge of riots. Gandhi under-took a fast which had a magical effect. Lord
Mountbatten described him as µone-man peace army¶. Gandhi continued to plead
for sanity in those turbulent days. à
à
P 

It was January 1948. Communal feelings were high due to the partition of the
country. Hindu communalists thought that Gandhi was pro -Muslim. His fast for
communal amity which resulted in the Government of India honouring its
obligation of giving Rs. 50 Cro res. to Pakistan had further angered them. Gandhi
was staying at the Birla house in New Delhi. He used to hold evening prayer
meetings regularly. He used to speak on various issues. Once a bomb was
thrown during his prayer meeting. Still, Gandhi did not pe rmit security checks.à

On 30th of January 1948, about 500 people had gathered for the prayer meeting
on the lawns of the Birla House. Gandhi was a bit late as Sardar Patel had come
 to see him. At 5.10 p.m. he left the room and walked to the prayer ground. H e
was supporting himself on the shoulders of Abha and Manu, his grand daughter -
in-law and granddaughter respectively. People rushed forward to get his darshan
and to touch his feet. à

Gandhi folded his hands to greet them. When he was a few yards away from the
prayer platform, a young man came forward. He saluted Gandhi, suddenly took
out a small pistol and fired three shots. The bullets hit Gandhi on and below the
chest. He fell to the ground with the words. µHey Ram¶ on his lips. He died within
minutes. The crowd was shocked. The assassin was Nathuram Godse,¶ a worker
of Hindu Mahasabha. He was caught and handed over to the Police. à

Gandhi's body was taken to Birla House. People thronged the place and wept
bitterly. The whole world was plunged in sorrow. The next morning, Gandhi¶s
body was placed on a gun-carriage and taken to Rajghat. Millions of people
joined the procession to have the last darshan (glimpse) of the Mahatma. His son
Ramdas lit the funeral pyre. The Mahatma had become a martyr for communal
unityà
à

c 
0à

šI know of nothing which is of greater value than reading the Gita. And yet, I have
found a living person who follows the philosophy of Gita in his own life. He is my
master and lives in an Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati river in Gujaratš said
Vinoba Bhave, while concluding his fiftieth talk on Gita. Perhaps these were the apt
words in which a disciple could pay tribute to his master. Acharya Vinoba Bhave is
not known for wasting words superfluously, for he doesn't possess even a g ram of
sycophancy in him. Being a student of mathematics and also having a scientific
temperament, he knew the worth and significance of the word as a medium of
expression. His estimation of Mahatma Gandhi was as good as any judicious person
could give. Not only does it shed proper light on the character of the Mahatma, but
also speaks volumes on the character of his follower. à

Vinayak was only 20 when he came to Kochrab Ashram on 7 June 1916 from Kashi,
where he had gone to study Sanskrit. The young man who had gone all the way
from Baroda to Kashi to quench his thirst for learning, suddenly left Kashi and
turned up at the doors of the Ashram. This was another story of Gandhi's magnetic
call. On reaching the Ashram, Vinoba was taken to the kitchen where Gand hi was
cleaning and cutting vegetables for the meals. The first conversation continued
between them while Gandhi was actually engaged in his daily routine. He welcomed
the young man and offered him full membership of the Ashram. à

After joining the Ashram, Vinoba conformed to its rigorous and austere life. He
worked in the kitchen, in the workshop and in the garden like any other inmate.
One day he was heard loudly reciting verses from the Gita and the Upanishads early
in the morning at 4 o'clock. It was onl y then that the inhabitants discovered that
the new entrant was a profound scholar of Sanskrit and the religious scriptures. It is
interesting to know that Mama Phadke, an inmate of the Ashram from Maharashtra,
was the first to name Vinayak as Vinoba, in t he saintly tradition of Maharashtra. à

In the following days Gandhi and Vinoba worked together grinding corn, cleaning
toilets and studying the philosophy of Gita and Upanishads. Some time later,
Gandhi described Vinoba to C G Andrews as šone of the few pear ls in the Ashram,
who came there not to be blessed, but to bless itš. But Vinoba in all humility tried to
reduce himself to a zero. He did not give the slightest impression of 'showing off.' In
the course of a talk with an inmate Vinoba had said: šOnly I can know what I have
got in the Ashram. It was an early ambition of mine to distinguish myself, by some
violent deed, in the service of my country. But Bapu cured me of that ambition. It is
he who had extinguished the volcano of anger and other passions in me. I have
been progressing every day of my life in the Ashram.š Later, recollecting his first
meeting with Gandhi at the Ashram, Vinoba wrote: šWhen I was at Kashi my main
ambition was to go to the Himalayas. Also there was an inner longing to visit
Bengal. But neither of the two dreams could be realized. Providence took me to
Gandhi and I found in him not only the peace of the Himalayas but also the burning
fervour of revolution typical of Bengal. I said to myself that both my desires had
been fulfilled. šà

One day while taking bath in the river Sabarmati, Vinoba lost his balance and fell
into a fast-moving current. He did not raise any scare for sometime, but when he
found that he was being swept away, he cried: šConvey my namaskar to Bapu and
tell him that, though Vinoba's body has disap peared, his soul is immortal.š As luck
would have it, Vinoba was soon thrown up on a strip of land in mid -stream where
the water was shallow. From there he swam back to the Ashram. à

Kakasaheb Kalelkar has also narrated another incident of similar nature. Once he
and Vinoba had gone to a neighbouring village and were returning in the evening
along the railway line, and as they were crossing the railway, bridge they heard the
sound of an approaching train behind them. There was no railing or foot-path on
either side of the bridge. Kakasaheb got scared and started running over the bridge
on the wooden planks with gaps in between. Vinoba had weak eyesight so he could
not see the gaping gaps between the planks. He too started running after
Kakasaheb.. The slightest mistake on his part would have thrown him down into the
gushing river below. But mathematics came to his succour and he negotiated the
planks with arithmetical accuracy even without seeing them. The engine was only a
few yards behind. Kakasaheb had already crossed the other end of the bridge but
Vinoba was still running. Seeing that Kakasaheb shouted: šVinoba, jump to the
left.š He did so and jumped into a pit nearby. Vinoba had a narrow escape. When
Gandhi learnt of this incident, he advised Vinoba to wear glasses in order to stop
further deterioration of his eye sight. à

In his Ashram life, Vinoba did not rest for a minute during the day. He not only
looked after the boys in the hostel and taught various subjects to the students of
the Rashtriya Shala, but also spent a few hours in spinning, weaving, cooking,
grinding, and preparing the fields with pick -axe for cultivation. Even while teaching,
Vinoba exerted all his energy and would even perspire. Whatever he did was done
with his whole being. à

In 1920, Jamnalal Bajaj came in contact with Gandhi. He was anxious about starting
a similar type of Ashram at Wardha, and requested Gandhi to shift there with other
inmates. That was not possible at that time. There upon, on Jamnalalji's insistence,
Gandhi agreed to spare Vinoba for Wardha Ashram. Maganlal Gandhi was against
the proposal, but Bapu prevailed upon him. Vinoba agreed to go to Wardha with a
few chosen colleagues and pupils. à

Vinayak Narhari Bhave was born on 11 September 1895 at Gagode, formerly in

Baroda state but now in Kolaba district of Maharashtra. His father Narhari
Shambhurao was in government service at Baroda. Vinoba's grandfather
Shambhurao, though deeply religious, was quite progressive in his views. His
mother Rukminibai was a devout lady. She knew hundreds 'of Marathi Bhajans-
devotional songs- which she would keep on singing in the course of her domestic
work. Vinoba's early character was moulded mainly at the hands of his pious and
affectionate mother. She led a life of simplicity and self -restraint, and observed
religious vows with regularity. It was at her feet that Vinoba imbibed the basic
precept: 'He who gives is a god: but he who withholds is a devil.' Vinoba on ce told a
group of workers: šMy mother was the source of strength. She had unlimited
confidence in my capacity. That living faith of hers gave me immense strengthš. à

Vinoba's personality was shaped by the great qualities of Shambhurao, Narhari and
Rukminibai into an extra ordinary amalgam of the wisdom, devotion and action-
Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. One comes but rarely across a man who combines the
three qualities with such distinction. à

In October 1940, Gandhi selected Vinoba Bhave as the first Satyagrahi -civil resister-
for the individual Satyagraha against the British, and Jawaharlal Nehru was the
second. Gandhi personally went to Pavnar Ashram to seek his consent. During the
talk Gandhi expressed his desire to see Vinoba free from the rest of his activities for
the Satyagraha. Vinoba's reply was very characteristic of him. He said: šI carry no
load on my head. I am as prepared to obey your call, here and now, even as I
would be, if the Yamaraj-God of death-had sent for me.šà

Both Jamnalal Bajaj and Mahadev Desai, who accompanied Gandhi to Pavnar, were
deeply touched by this rare example of voluntary obedience and dedication. à

After obtaining Vinoba's consent, Gandhi issued a comprehensive statement on 5

October 1940. He introduced Vinoba in the following words :à

Who is Vinoba Bhave and why has he been selected for offering individual civil
disobedience? He is an under-graduate, having left college after my return to India
in 1916. He is a sanskrit scholar. He joined the Ashram almost at its inception.....
In. order to better qualify himself he took one year's leave to prosecute further
studies in Sanskrit. And practically at the same hour at which he had left the
Ashram a year before, he walked into it without notice. I had forgotten that he was
due to arrive that day. He had taken part in every menial activity of the Ashram
from scavenging to cooking. Though he has a marvellous memory and is a student
by nature, he has devoted the largest part of his time to spinning in which he had
specialized as very few have. He believes in universal spinning being the central
activity which will remove the poverty in the villages and put life into their
deadness. Being a born teacher, he has been of the utmost assistance to Ashadevi
Aryanayakam of Hindustani Talimi Sangh.in he r development of the scheme of
education through handicrafts. Sri Vinoba had produced a textbook, taking spinning
as the handicraft. He has made scoffers realize that spinning is the handicraft par
excellence which lends itself to being effectively used for basic education. He had
revolutionised Takli spinning and drawn out its hither to unknown possibilities. For
perfect spinning, probably, he had no rival in all India. à

He has abolished every trace of untouchability from his heart. He believes in

communal unity with the same passion that I have. In order to know..... Islam, he
gave one year to the study of the Koran in the original. He, therefore, learned
Arabic.à

He has an army of disciples and workers, who would rise to any sacrifice at his
bidding. He is responsible for producing a young man who has dedicated himself to
the service of the lepers. Vinoba was for years director of the Mahila Ashram in
Wardha. His devotion to the cause of Daridranarayan took him to a village near
Wardha... from where he has established contact with villagers through the disciples
he has trained.à

Vinoba believes in the necessity of the political independence of India. He is an

accurate student of history. But he believes that real independence of the villagers
is impossible without the constructive programme of which Khadi is the centre. He
believes that the spinning wheel is the most suitable outward symbol of non -
violence which has become an integral part in the previous Satyagraha campaigns.
He has never been in the limelight on the political platform. With many co-workers
he believes that silent constructive work with civil disobedience in the background is
far more effective than the already heavily crowded political platform. And he
thoroughly believes that nonviolent resistance is impossible without a hearty belief
in and practice of constructive work. à

But this was not the first time when Gandhi had talked or written about Vinoba. As
early as June 1916, he had informed his father at Baroda in the course of a brief
letter: à

šYour son Vinoba is with me. He has acquired at so tender an age such high -
spiritedness and ascetism as took me years of patient labour to do.šà

During the Individual Satyagraha, Vinoba courted three imprisonments and a year's
jail term. During his incarceration he wrote the Swaraj Shastra or A Grammar of
Politics, which is ranked among the very few original treatises on politics. à

In 1942 Vinoba was again put behind bars on the very first day of the Quit India
movement. He was kept under detention for three years, first at the Vellore Central
Prison and later at the Seoni Jail. à

On his release in 1944 Vinoba returned to his Pavnar Ashram and carried on his
constructive work.à

In early March, after the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948, an

all-India conference was convened at Sevagram. Attended by many including
Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, J B Kripalani, Shankarrao Deo
and top ranking constructive workers like Kaka Kalelkar, R R Diwakar, Dada
Dharmadhikari, P C Ghosh and Jayaprakash Narayan, Vinoba initiated the formation
of the Sarvodaya Samaj, a world-wide organization of all those who believed in
Gandhi's principle of the purity of means. à

On Nehru's request Vinoba worked for some time among the refugees. He also
toured other parts of the country to spread the message of love, compassion and
sympathy.à

After returning to his Ashram, early in 1950, Vinoba plunged into a new experiment
of Kanchan Mukti or liberation from money economy. He and his co-workers took a
solemn pledge to eat only what they could raise on the Ashram land and to wear
only the Khadi which was spun and woven within its premises. All donations except
in the form of labour or Shramdan were strictly ruled out. à

While Vinoba was engaged in his crucial experi ment of his life, a pressing invitation
came from Shankarrao Deo, to attend the second All India Sarvodaya Sammelan at
Shivarampalli near Hyderabad. Vinoba naturally demurred, but was ultimately
prevailed upon. Thereupon, Vinoba an nounced his decision to go to the Sammelan,
covering its 300 miles from Wardha to Shivarampalli on foot. à

At the conclusion of the conference Vinoba expressed his desire to tour the
Telengana area affected by terrorist activities. He refused to accept any kind of
security arrangements. On 18 April 1951 when Vinoba reached Pochampalli village
he was surrounded by 40 families of poor Harijans. They entreated upon him to give
them land on which they could work hard and eke out their own livelihood. Vinoba
was at his wit's end and did not know how to pacify the Harijans. First, he thought
of asking the Government to consider their request. But, on the spur of the moment
and without any expectation, he asked the audience in half seriousness, whether
there was anybody amongst them who could donate land to the poor Harijans. A
young man stood up with folded hands and urged Vinoba to accept his dona tion of a
hundred acres. Everybody was pleasantly surprised and tears trickled down from
Vinoba's eyes. He saw God's hand in this miracle. On enquiry, the Harijans
conferred among themselves and stated that only 80 acres would suffice for their
needs. Vinoba announced this first donation of land with deep emotion at the
evening prayers.à

This was the birth of the Bhoodan Movement in India. Prime M inister Nehru warmly
lauded his work in the Parliament. The New York Times special Correspondent
Robert Trumbull described Vinoba as šthe God who gives away landš and šloots
people with loveš. President Rajendra Prasad termed Bhoodan as not merelyš a gift
of landš but the šspirit behind it gives a vision of the social order that Mahatma
Gandhi envisaged, and kindles and enlivens the hope of its attainmentš. The Time
magazine featured this 'man on foot' in its cover story and hailed him as the
dynamic disciple of Gandhi.à

The Bhoodan March of Vinoba began and continued for more than thirteen years in
different parts of India, covering a total distance of 36,500 miles, more than the
circumference of the earth. During this Padayatra, he collected 4.4 million acres of
 land as free gifts, out of which about 1.3 million acres were distributed among
landless farm workers. The Bhoodan Movement was followed by Gramdan and
Jeevandan movements. Vinoba had also received 1.61akh villages as Gramdan,
especially in Bihar and Orissa. All this had been achieved single-handedly. In
Jeevandan, the person who created a thrilling joy was Jayaprakash Narayan who,
while dedicating this life; said: šDespair had seized our hearts after the attainment
of independence: Ahimsa was being treated as a negative creed. Vinoba has now
dispelled these illusions. As the light of Bhoodan Yagna spreads out, these clouds of
doubt and darkness scatter away«the task before us all is to sustain the new
outlook by concrete work and to make it a reality.š à

Acharya Vinoba Bhave, the founder of many movements and hermitages, and
hardly known outside India before 1940, became a world figure soon after the
Bhoodan Movement. The šWalking Messiah and Saintš was invited by Bertrand
Russell to join the Anti -Nuclear March in London in 1962, characterizing him as a
šsymbol of the role of conscience in human affairs.š Arthur Koestler met him thrice
and termed the Bhoodan Movement as the šgreatest peace revolution since
Gandhiš. Ellsworth Bunker described him as ša saint who com presses into a small
body and great spirit the essence of ancient Indian tradition.šà

Hallam Tennyson, grandson of the English poet who walked with Vinoba for several
days, called him 'the embodiment of India', and remarked: šThe twentieth century
may be rich in jet aeroplanes, but it is pretty poor in saints. We need to remember
that what we call 'progress' is nothing if it leads to no corresponding inner change,
and Vinoba gives us this reminder in the one way which has power to move and
impress.š He ends it with a significant observation: šBut with all his ascetism,
Vinoba has resisted pride of poverty-that subtlest temptation of the saints. He has
never urged anyone else to follow his way of life. And he goes his own way with a
striking serenity. To someone who asked him if his work would succeed, he replied,
'Fire merely burns. It does not care whether anyone puts a pot on it, fills it with
water and puts rice in it to make a meal. To burn is the limit of its duty'.š à

Vinoba Bhave died on 15 November 19 82. Once in a message to the Sarvodaya

conference, Jawaharlal Nehru had said: šin the troubled but dynamic scene that was
India, the frail figure of Vinobaji stood like a rock of strength, modest and gentle,
yet with something of the vision of the future i n his eyes... He represented, as no
one else did, the spirit and tradition of Gandhi and of India.š à

à
  %1à

Mahadev Desai was born on 1 January 1892 in the village of Saras in Surat district
of Gujarat. His father Haribhai Desai was a teacher in the primary school of Saras.
Mahadev's mother Jamnabehn belonged to Dihen, the ancestral place of this Desai
clan. She was sharp in intelligence as well as in her nature. The village-folk
respected her. Mahadev resembled his father in build and his mother in appearance.
He was only seven years old when his mother expired in 1899. à

Haribhai was a straightforward and simple man who would not hesitate to trust
anyone readily. He had a good memory, keen intellect and beautiful handwriting. He
was fond of Gujarati literature and read books with perseverance. Although he had
not studied Sanskrit, he had read Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita and Upanishads
with the help of commentaries and explanations. Very fond of Bhajans, he used to
sing them early in the morning. à

Mahadev was educated in a manner befitting a brilliant son of a poor but cultured
father. He got married to Durgabehn in 1905, when the bridegroom was thirteen
years old and the bride twelve. After the marriage, Mahadev passed his
matriculation examination the following year, precisely at the age of 14. He stood
first in the Surat High School and maintained it in the Matriculation examination.
Thereafter, he joined Elphinstone College in January 1907. Haribhai's salary at that
time was forty rupees a month; therefore, it was almost impossible for him to meet
the cost of Mahadev's higher education. In the circumstances, Mahadev applied for
free admission to Gokuldas Tejpal Boarding House and was, fortunate in getting the
admission. He unexpectedly got a college scholarship which was earlier gracefully
rejected by his friend Vaikunth Lallubhai Mehta in his favour. This enabled him to
continue his studies without being a burden on his father. à

Mahadev had no inclination for games, indoor or outdoor; nor could he play any. He
liked walking. When the Navajivan was stationed at Pankor Naka and Sarangpur
Gate in Ahmedabad, he often used to walk from the Sabarmati Ashram to the office
and back. He walked briskly, at an average of four miles an hour. In the days of
army recruitment in 1918, Mahadev was staying at Hindu Anath Ashram in Nadiad.
To get accustomed to long marching practice, he always got up early in the morning
and walked a distance of nine miles to and fro. Even after such a tiresome walk of
18 miles, he used to work for Gandhi the whole day. When Gandhi shifted his abode
from Wardha to Sevagram, Mahadev continued to live at Maganwadi in Wardha.
From there he would start on foot, at noon, for Sevagram, a distance of five and a
half miles, and walk back in the evening to his home in Maganwadi. At times he
would go and come back, twice a day, in the scorching heat of Central India,
covering twenty two miles in a single day. Even after such long walks, he did not
put away his routine activity of reading, writing and spinning. à

In spite of his lack of interest in games, Mahadev was full of sportsmanship. He

overlooked defects in others, but was always ready to see and acquire their virtues.
He may be labeled a man of serious temperament but was warmhearted, jovial in
nature, and possessed the art of combining fun and humour in a natural and easy
way in the midst of serious and important work, so much so that there was always
around him an atmosphere of playfulness, mirth and enthusiasm. This quality of his
endeared him to all.à

After passing B.A. degree examination in1910, Mahadev was anxious to study for M.
A. But since the subject of his choice was not prescribed that year, he opted for LLB
On the other hand, in order not to burden his father, he decided to improve his
educational qualification on his own and sought to earn his livelihood by some kind
of a job. He got one with the Oriental Translator's office. During this time the
Gujarat Forbes Society announced a prize of one thousand rupees for the best
Gujarati translation of On compromise written by Lord Morley. Mahadev offered
himself for the competition and won the prize. à

He passed his LLB examination by the end of 1913. His father was then the Head
Master of a Women's Training College in Ahmedabad. So Mahadev decided to cast
his lot with Ahmedabad, with a view to save establishment expenditure. He stayed
for 15 to 18 months in Ahmedabad and when his father retired, Mahadev with the
help of his friend Vaikunth L Mehta secured an appointment as inspector in the
Central Co-operative Bank of Bombay. But his destiny was fast drawing him into the
folds of Gandhi. à

In January 1915, Gandhi left South Africa and came back to India. In May 1915, he
started his Ashram in a hired bungalow near Kochrab in Ahmedabad. After some
time, he issued a draft of objectives and rules for the proposed Ashram and
requested his friends and well-wishers, all over the country, to send their opinion
and criticism. Responding to that Mahadev and Narahari Parikh offered their
criticism jointly and awaited a reply from Gandhi.à

Shortly thereafter, Gandhi came to speak at a public meeting in Premabhai Hall.

Mahadev and Narahari followed Gandhi when he started back for his Ashram.
Intercepting him on his way, they inquired if he had received their letter. In reply
Gandhi said: šYes, I have received a letter signed by two persons. Are you the
two?š Both replied in affirmative. à
Thereupon Gandhi took them to the Ashram and explained his ideals and his
concept for nearly an hour and a half. When they came out, it had began to drizzle
and at the same time something was stirring within their hearts too. Silently they
reached Ellis Bridge, and Mahadev broke the silence: šNarahari, I have a mind to go
and sit at the feet of this manš. šWe shall be most blessed if we can do soš, replied
Naraharibhai. This was their spontaneous response, the first springing up of a desire
to join the Ashram. Mohanlal Pandya and Dayaljibhai were the two persons who
strengthened their initiation and ultimately led them both into the hands of Gandhi. à

Narahari Parikh was the first to join Gandhi's Ashram in Apri11917. Kaka Kalelkar
had already started living in the Ashram when Narahari Parikh went there. Mahadev
had to make up his mind; nonetheless, he continued to remain in touch with the
Ashram and especially with Gandhi. It was during one such meeting in Bombay that
Gandhi expressed his mind, in the following words, to Mahadev Desai: à

It is not without reason that I have asked you to visit me every day. I want you to
come and stay with me. I have found in you just the type of young man for whom I
have been searching for the last two years. Will you believe me if I tell you that I
have got in you the man I wanted-the man to whom I can entrust all my work some
day and be at ease, and on whom I can rely with confidence? You have to come to
me ...I am confident that you will be useful to me in various ways because of your
good qualities. à

This was a clarion call. It was irresistible. Mahadev could not concentrate his mind
on any other thing. The thought of his new master was uppermost in his mind. With
a mind to join Gandhi, Mahadev with his wife Durgabehn went to meet Gandhi on 3
November 1917, at Godhra, where Gandhi was attending the first Gujarat Political
Conference. After the conference Gandhi was to go straight to Champaran. Gandhi
told the couple to accompany him on his tour to Bihar and then finally decide what
to do. Mahadevbhai and Durgabehn joined his entourage. à

After his visit to Champaran, Mahadev came back to Dihen to consult his father and
get his blessings. Narahari Parikh was then with Gandhi in Champaran. They were
anxiously awaiting the news of Mahadev's arrival. Mahadev came the next day. That
was the beginning of a relationship destined to last for a quarter of a centu ry, till his
death on 15 August 1942. Mahadev not only remained with Gandhi but also merged
himself completely with his master. He began writing his diary from 13 November
1917 and continued writing it until 14 August 1942 the day before he died. à
In 1918 he was with Gandhi during the mill workers' strike in Ahmedabad. In 1919
when Gandhi was arrested for the first time in Punjab for breaking a prohibitory
order of entering Punjab, Gandhi nominated Mahadev as his heir but Mahadev
humbly accepted to follow Hanuman's ideal of serving his master. In 1920 he came
in touch with prominent leaders like Chittaranjan Das, Motilal Nehru and
Rabindranath Tagore. à

In 1921 Gandhi sent Mahadev to Allahabad on Pandit Motilal Nehru's request to run
his paper, the Independent. After some time the government arrested Motilal and
Jawaharlal. Being unable to bear the editorial castigations, the Government also
arrested George Joseph, its second editor, and ordered the paper to pay a security
deposit. In the mean time preparations were afoot for the Congress session to be
held at Ahmedabad. For this purpose Gandhi was also in Ahmedabad. Deshbandhu
Chittaranjan Das, the president elect of the Ahmedabad Congress, was arrested in
December 1921. At Allahabad, when the security deposit o f the Independent was
confiscated. Mahadev wrote:à

We owe our new avatar to those who šseeing see not, hearing hear not, nor either
understand ³the whole policy of repression is a deliberate, calculated dive into the
abyss of darkness. Our security was forfeited because the article Mrs. Nehru's
Message and Let Us Also See It Through were considered to be šinterfering with the
administration of law and the maintenance of law and order.š We may frankly say
that we do not recognize any law made by Government..... Truth, Non-violence and
other laws of our Ethical Code are sufficient to keep us true to us and to God..... à

It is likely that this endeavour, like its predecessor, may also be suppressed.....The
tyrant is potent enough to arrest everyone of the activiti es of our mortal frame, but
he cannot touch the immortal spirit within. He may force the one to submit to his
law, he may not dream of forcing his law on the other. I may be killed which only
means, šI change, but I cannot dieš.à

With the caption 'I change, but I cannot Die', Mahadevbhai started publishing the
paper by printing it on a cyclostyle machine. He too was arrested and convicted for
a year's jail term which he passed in Naini, Agra and Lucknow jails respectively. à

In his absence, the paper was taken over by Devdas Gandhi. Durgabehn preferred
to stay back in Allahabad and help Devdas in running the cyclostyle machine,
sticking wrappers on the copies and writing addresses on them. In those days,
women rarely did such work, especially in the northern region of India. Madan
Mohan Malaviyaji was greatly pleased to see Durgabehn working like this. à

Mahadev was released from Lucknow jail in 1923. In the same year his father died.
In 1924 he took over as editor of Navajivan and also saw his home blessed with a
son. From 1925 he started rendering Gandhi's autobiography into English and
published it serially in Young India. In 1926 he became the chairman of the
executive committee of Satyagraha Ashram, received a prize from the Gujarati
Sahitya Parishad for his article in Navajivan, took part in Bardoli Satyagraha along
with Sardar Patel in 1928 and then became a member of the enquiry committee. In
1929 he traveled to Burma with Gandhi, courted arrest and imprisonment in 1930
for taking part in the Salt Satyagraha. After his release from jail he accompanied
Gandhi to the Round Table Conference, in the company of Mirabehn, Devdas Gandhi
and Pyarelal. Mahadev was the only person to accompany Gandhi when the latter
had a meeting with King George V. à
In 1932, he was again incarcerated with Gandhi and Sardar Patel in Yeravda Central
Prison. He was released and re-arrested in 1933 and detained in Belgaum Jail.
Here, he wrote Gita According to Gandhi, which was published posthumously. In
1936, Mahadev was invited to preside over a separate session on journalism held
under the auspices of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. His address delivered at the
conference is relevant even today.à

In 1938 the annual gathering of the Gandhi Seva Sangh was being held at Delang in
Orissa. The holy temple of Jagannath was not very far from the place. So Kasturba,
Durgabehn, the mother of B G Kher and a couple of other women decided to go to
Jagannath Puri to worship Lord Jagannath. This temple was not open to Harijans
which meant that the managers of the temple were in favour of untouchability.
When Gandhi came to know that the women folk had gone to Jagannath Puri he
could not contain his exasperation. He sternly rebuked Mahadevbhai, that he could
have at least convinced Durgabehn, that the temple which believed in segregation
was not a worthy place for Darshan. Mahadev could have defended himself but he
chose not to. Next day, in the early hours of the morning, at prayer time, Mahadev
went to Gandhi, wept remorsefully and in a not addressed to him, offered to resign.
It increased the anguish of Gandhi who wrote back: à

What a gift in the morning? Even before the first mistake is rectified other mistakes
follow one after the other! I would suffer thousands of mistakes rather than bear
the separation. It is better to die at the hands of a devotee«so there is no reason
for you to go«except cowardice there is nothing in your letter. If you leave me, do
you think Pyarelal would live here? If Pyarelal goes would Sushila stay with
me?...This is not the time to cry or to go on fast«etc. à

Mahadev knew that to live with Gandhi was never an easy task. One always felt
being on the mouth of a volcano. Yet Mahadevbhai adjusted his bearing so well that
he became indispensable to Gandhi. à

In 1939, he played an important role during the agitations in Mysore and Rajkot. In
1940, he went to Bengal and Punjab to seek release of revolutionaries who were in
prison and in 1941 to create peace and amity after the communal riots of
Ahmedabad. à

On 9 August 1942, Mahadev was arrested and put in Aga Khan Palace along with
Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn, to be followed by Kasturba and Dr
Sushila Nayar. à

On 15 August, Mahadev did not get up as he was wont to at four o'clock for the
morning prayer. He got up after the prayer was over. He prepared juice for Gandhi
and toasts and tea for the rest of the inmates. He looked cheerful. Sarojini Naidu
saw him shaving with full involvement. She thought it unusual for Mahadev, not
because the InspectorGeneral of Prisons was to visit them that day. à

After a little chit-chat Sushila Nayar went to massage Gandhi. Sounds of laughter
could be heard from the room of Sarojini Naidu. Suddenly someone shouted
šSushila, come soon!š Sushila thought that it might be t he Inspector General
eagerly waiting to meet everyone. Therefore she did. not respond to it. Then she
heard her name called out again and at the same time Kasturba rushed to them,
panting: šSomething is wrong with Mahadev.š Sushila rushed to Sarojini's ro om and
found Mahadev lying unconscious. She checked his pulse for blood -pressure. But his
heart had ceased to throb. Gandhi who came soon after stood dumb founded. He
stared at Mahadev without blinking. He could not believe it. Mahadev was no more! à

The government, in the beginning, was reluctant to give the dead body to friends
and relatives for cremation. But Gandhi was firm. He said: šHow can I give the dead
body to strangers? Can a father ever think of giving the dead body of his son to
unknown persons?š The government had to ultimately concede to Gandhi demand.
They allowed Mahadev's cremation in the open ground of Aga Khan Palace. Breaking
the news of his death to his family Gandhi in a telegram to Durgabehn said: à

Mahadev died suddenly. Gave no indicati on. Slept well that night. Had breakfast.
Walked with me. Sushila, jail doctors did all they could. God had willed otherwise.
Sushila and I bathed body. Body lying peacefully covered with flowers, incense
burning. Sushila and I reciting Gita. Mahadev has d ied Yogi's and patriot's death.
Tell Durga, Babla and Sushila no sorrow allowed. Only joy over such noble death.
Cremation taking place front of me. Shall keep ashes. Advise Durga remain Ashram
but she may go to her people if she must. Hope Babla will be b rave and prepare
himself fill Mahadev's place šworthilyš.à

A sincere and disciplined man, Mahadev Desai had become what he could, passing
through all the tests of life. He had gathered everything in his final moments of
sacrifice. Handsome, good humored and noble at heart, he won the acclaim of all
the major leaders of India. Many people chose him to be the arbiter of their cause.
He was, many a times, a bridge between the rest of the world and Mahatma Gandhi
without being partial to either. But his ultimate fidelity was with his master. In his
innermost heart Mahadevbhai always thought of remaining with Gandhi and even
chose to die before him. It was a unique relationship in which the master and the
disciple had not only become complimentary to one another but also a single soul in
two separate bodies.à

Gandhi was a hard taskmaster who expected a very high standard from his personal
secretary. Though there was nothing personal in this universal man, though his life
was like an open book for all those who cared to read it, Gandhi believed that his
secretary should be a living embodiment for all the values that he stood for. Such a
secretary needs to be far away from publicity. Mahadev had passed the test.
Remaining independent and aloof he had merged his persona lity with the
personality of his Guru. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi he had šreduced himself to
a zero.šà

Mahadev could do this because he was essentially a man of devotion. During his
college days, he had read the works of Swami Vivekanand and through him had got
glimpses of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He had seen some traits of Swami
Ramakrishna in Purushottam Sevakram, a saintly person from Godhra and,
therefore, known as Godhrawala Maharaj. His method of explaining seemingly
difficult things was unique. Bei ng a man of very meagre education the Maharaj
explained things in a very simple way. Explaining the central idea of Gita, he once
said: šIf you go on repeating the word Gita Gita Gita, you will hear the word Tagi
Tagi Tagi, which means renunciation. One wh o has succeeded in discarding his
identity with the body has understood the Gita correctly!š On another occasion he
surprised a great Pandit by explaining him the meaning of the word Moksha thus:
Moksha contains two words: Moha (infatuation) and Kshaya (de struction); thereby,
Moksha means destruction of infatuation. à

The unassuming Maharaj taught with great conviction that the way to overcome the
ego and the attachment to the body was through humility and service. He said: šAll
try to walk high, but none walks humbly. But he who walks humbly shall alone
reach the Highest.š à

Mahadev went to Gandhi with this wealth of a character. He was at ease with
Gandhi and the surroundings. Moreover, enriched and refined through reading,
Mahadev could even infuse the same in the style of Mahatma Gandhi's writings and
yet reduce himself to zero. Describing him, Kishorelal Mashruwala had said: à

In spite of his being a learned philosopher, writer, poet, singer and artist he chose
to become a sweeper not only of his master but also of his friends, wife, servants
and for that matter, of any human being. He became a nurse for tending the sick, a
washer man to wash clothes, a cook to feed others, a clerk to copy out in a neat
hand, a teacher who would correct written compositions, a colleague who would
complete unfinished tasks, a secretary who would understand your thoughts and
put down in writing, an ambassador who would accomplish delicate errands with
skill on your behalf, an advocate who would study carefully your side of the case
and fight it out for you, an arbitrator who would remove every misunderstanding his
master may have about you, a man of highest balance, who would try his best to
preserve simultaneously varied relationships like filial devotion, fidelity to the
master, faithfulness to friends, love for wife and affection for the son. He was a
comrade who would give courage and shelter to persons in distress. And in addition
to all this, he was an ever alert Sadhaka, who protected himself from allurements of
love and attachment that were born of his chivalrous temperament and love of art,
as also from emotions like ambition, lust for wealth and fame, and attraction for the
other sex. à

These were the virtues for which Mahadev was sought by persons like Rabindranath
Tagore, Chittaranjan Das, Madan Mohan Malviya, Motilal Nehru, Rajgopalachari,
Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel.à

In 1928, after the Bardoli Satyagraha, Gandhi had sent Mahadev Desai to assist
Sardar Patel in collecting and processing the evidences to put before the Broomfield
Committee. This was so ably and meticulously done by Mahadevbhai that
Broomfield and Reginald Maxwell soon began to treat him as their friend. Each one
of them expressed his feeling in a different way. One with a kindly affection and the
other by keeping Mahadev away and separate from other criminal prisoners in
Belgaum prison.à

His public relations were par excellence. He was the harbinger of Gandhi's thoughts
and experiments. It was Mahadev's herculean task to present in minutest detail all
and sundry activities of Mahatma Gandhi, in the twenty volumes of his diary
published so far. Without the least trace of ego he had become the master builder.
It is difficult to imagine Mahadev without Gandhi or Gandhi without Mahadev. One
was incomplete without the other. à

From the year 1917 to 1942, Mahadev lived with Gandhi. And Gandhi had rightly
said that Mahadev in his life span of fifty years had done the work of one hundred
years. If you look at almost the fifty books that he wrote, you would realize the
propriety of Gandhi's statement about him. These works include some of his
translations from Tagore, books written on contemporary affairs, his biographic
 sketches, twenty diaries, ten books including the translations of the autobiog raphy
of Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, into English and the
autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru into Gujarati. Besides, he also wrote articles for
Young India, Navjvan and Harijanbandhu. à

This is the life story of a man šwho had become what he could.š Therefore, his loss
was irrepairable. After his death in Aga Khan Palace, Gandhi visited his samadhi
every day and in the course of one such visit, he told his retinue around him that
the whole life of Mahadev was a poem of devotion and he wanted them all to read
and recite Bhakti Yoga in front of the samadhi. He also said: šRemaining the
disciple, Mahadev became my Guru. I visit his samadhi to remember and emulate
his worthy example. Pray God, let us walk in his foot-steps. šà

P à

Hridaya Kunj was the heart of Satyagraha Ashram, but its soul was Maganlal
Gandhi. He was known to be the first disciple of Gandhi, yet when Maganlal died
Gandhi acknowledged him as his Guru. For conducting or developing his activities,
Gandhi did not generally ask for any person, but in South Africa he asked his
brother Khushaldas to give him both his sons, Maganlal and Chhaganlal, to assist
him and to work for him. à

In the Phoenix Ashram, the arrangement of the press, development of farming,

running of the communi ty kitchen and such other duties were entrusted to these
two brothers and they in their turn did their work conscientiously. Perhaps working
for Gandhi was not as difficult as was the shaping of Ashram life in tune with the
ideals and rules initiated by Gandhi. Yet Maganlal Gandhi moulded his own life much
in the same pattern as Gandhi would have liked him to do. à

He had to strive hard to maintain the discipline of celibacy but he also believed that
Gandhi should never be deceived. Therefore, he created an atmosphere of
hermitage in the Ashram. The man who was brought up in the English tradition of
South Africa had turned an ascetic in this experiment of Gandhi. Even when there
was a heavy down pour, even when the winter cold was biting, Maganlal Gandhi
would never fail to attend the morning prayer of the Ashram, which was held at 4
o¶clock in the early morning. When eight hours of physical labour became a
compulsory routine at the Ashram, Maganal Gandhi attended to his daily chore of
sweeping, fanning, spinni ng and carding as punctually as the sun that performs its
daily work. Once when he realized the need of helping the womenfolk in their
domestic work, Maganlal started to help in cleaning utensils and washing clothes in
his homestead. à

Prabhudas Gandhi, whil e narrating the life at the Phoenix Ashram, described the
devotion and the work culture of Maganlal Gandhi thus: à

Sometimes at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, he would leave his desk and the go to green
lawns away from the Press to wallow in the green grass. If we went there he would
ask 'What do you want?', and then he would give the explanation himself: 'Look! I
began dozing in the midst of my writing, so I came here and started wallowing in
the grass. It is better to lie down on open land. The earth sucks your fatigue. In
fact, we should be immensely grateful to mother earth. In ten minutes it refreshes
us more than a three-hour sleep could do.' à

He took keen interest in the development of his eldest son Keshubhai. He wanted
him to learn spinning, weaving and carding because Gandhi wanted to see Keshu as
an expert in these crafts.à

In those days, at the time of the Congress session, an exhibition of Khadi was
arranged at its venue and experts from different provinces would vie with one
another to show their craftsmanship. Leaving spectators in amazement, Keshubhai
could spin 500 threads on the Bardoli spinning wheel. All experiments, small or big,
were done under the guidance of MaganIal Gandhi and the person who carried out
these experiments was none else but his son Keshubhai.à

There were three noteworthy features of the community life in the Ashram:
collective prayer, collective spinning and collective dining in the community kitchen.
If prayer is to be conducted properly, one should know how best to recite and tha t
too directly from memory. Maganlal learnt his prayers by heart and also learnt to
recite them. Those who heard him sing these devotional songs hardly forgot the
atmosphere and the creator of that solemn atmosphere. à

Maganlal was known to be a man of quick temper but frank and humane at heart.
He would see his point carried through either by command or by persuasion. à

Being a great organizer, people outside the Ashram would requisition the services of
Maganlal Gandhi for hard and difficult tasks. In 1927 whe n the Kheda district was
inundated and many villages were washed away, it was decided to build a new
village named after Vithalbhai Patel, the speaker of the Central Assembly. This work
was entrusted to Maganlal Gandhi by the Gujarat Provincial Con gress Committee.
Maganlal did this with utmost care in such a manner that the GPCC and its leader
Vallabhbhai Patel were pleased at the creation of Vithalpur village in Mehemdabad
tehsil of Kheda. à
In building up this village, Maganal had chosen his own team of c olleagues. Among
them was one Jagannath Joshi. from Rajkot who, leaving his fat income in South
Africa, came to work with Maganlal Gandhi on a meagre stipend of twelve rupees a
month for his livelihood. Jagannath Joshi spent, the rest of his life in Rajkot . He
resembled Maganlal Gandhi in much of his work. à

Maganlal was a hard taskmaster and as such earned resentment from many of his
co-dwellers. Gradually a feeling of unrest was born in the inmates of the Ashram.
Gandhi sensed the feeling of discontent and called a meeting on 17 February 1919
and said:à

The inmates are satisfied with nothing in the Ashram. The reason? Dissatisfaction
over Maganlal's ideas and conduct, over his manner of speaking and over a certain
partiality in his actions. Lack of faith in the Ashram on the part of others, those in
the school. What is my position in these circumstances? à

I must place before you some strict principles. I have not invited the ladies, but
they, too feel disgusted, and are thinking of leaving. I have told them th at they will
not get anywhere else what they have gained here. You may remain in the Ashram
only if you think you can put up with all that life here means. So think well before
you decide to remain or leave. Why do you stick on here despite. your
dissatisfaction? Surely, none of you is too weak to leave. It is, then, out of your love
for me and blind attachment to me. à

The first principle, then, which emerges is that to be attached to a person apart
from his work is blind attachment. I knew persons in South Africa who were blindly
attached to me. I made it clear to them that, if they found Phoenix, which was my
creation, of no worth, then I too, had none. If they lacked faith in my creation,
then, naturally, they were bound to lose faith in me as well. I am a good judge of
men but I cannot prove this to you just now. Nevertheless, if you have no faith in
the Ashram, if you are dissatisfied with it, you had better leave it. Only those of you
may remain who have joined it to give something or to point out to Gan dhi his
follies and errors. But I find none such. All of you have come here to give and to
receive. I t is from the whole lot of us that the worth of the Ashram will be judged.
We cannot measure a man's worth independently of his work.à

In South Africa, my best creation was Phoenix. Without it, there would have been
no Satyagraha in that country. Without the Ashram here, Satyagraha will be
impossible in India. I may be making a mistake in this, if so, I ought to be deserted.
I am going to ask the country no t to judge me by either Champaran or Kheda but
only by the Ashram. If you find lack of order in this place, and blindness of
ignorance, then you will find the same in all my work. I am faithful to its ideals. If I
find that I cannot hold anyone here, I wil l undertake a searching examination of
myself and will try to make a sacrifice which will be of the purest. Do not attribute
greatness to me for other works of mine; judge me only by the Ashram. One of my
creations here in the Ashram is Maganlal. If I have found from experience five
million shortcomings in Maganlal, I have found ten million virtues in him. Beside
him, Polak is a mere child; the blows that Maganlal has endured, Polak has not.
Maganlal has offered all his work as sacrifice, not for my sake but for the sake of an
ideal. It is not for me he is slaving; he is wedded to an ideal. Once he was ready to
bid good-bye, and leave me.à

It boils down to this, that I cannot run the Ashram after sending away Maganlal. If I
sent him away, I would be the only one left in the Ashram. For the tasks we have
undertaken Maganlal, too, is fully needed. I have yet to see a better man than he.
To be sure, he is short tempered, has his imperfections, but on the whole he is a
fine man. As for his honesty, I have no dou bt. You must take it as proved that I am
bad to the extent that Maganlal is bad. à

Just as if I quarrelled with my brother or parents, I would not go out to complain

about it to others, so also, we should not take to outsiders our complaints against
anyone in the institution where we are members. The moment one begins to
suspect or dislike another, one should leave him. When, following this course, he
has left the entire world, he will find himself all alone; and will then commit suicide,
or, realising his own imperfections, get rid of his dislikes. One should not only not
speak ill, before others, of the institution in which one stays, but one should not
think ill of it even in one's mind. The moment such a thought occurs, one should
banish it. There should be joy in the Ashram, especially when I am out. If you think
of me as an elder, you should conduct yourselves worthily, mindful of my instruc -
tions. Now that I am here, you may take some freedom and do as you please, but
once I am out you should allow your selves no freedom. à

If there is no harmony here in my absence, some thing is lacking in me and,

therefore, you should leave me. à

If I removed the cause of discontent in the Ashram, it would be to bring peace to

Maganlal; or rather, not for his peace but for the sake of the country, because I
have offered Maganlal as a sacrifice to the country. à

You may persuade me to give up either the Ashram or Maganlal. I shall not send
him away so long as I have not come to feel that he goes about setting one against
another. To measure a man's worth, the world has no other yardstick than his work.
As the work, so the man. This very charge was levelled by an intimate friend of
mine, Mr. Kitchin. However, the fine, systematic work which Maganlal has done,
none else has.à

[Mahadevbhaini Diary (Gujarati), Vol. V] à

How the Mahatma cared for Maganlal Gandhi is seen in his speech quoted above
and also in a letter which he wrote to Kasturba Gandhi. The letter was written on his
way to Bombay on 23 April 1918, In the letter Gandhi wro te:à

You have to be a mother to Maganlal He has parted from his parents and made my
work his own. At present it is Maganlal, if anyone, who has so trained himself that
he can carry on my work after me. Who will give him the needed strength? It is for
you to show concern for his suffering, to be solicitous of his meals, to save him from
all manner of worries.à

[Collected Works, Vol. 14 p 367, (1965)] à

Maganlal Gandhi died of typhoid at Patna on 23 April 1928. Gandhi had sent
Maganlal's daughter, Radha, to Bihar, to educate women and to get them rid of
hiding their faces behind the veil. Prabhavati, the daughter of Brijkishore Babu, was
also working with Radha. Maganlal Gandhi had gone to Champaran to see and feel
their work. He did not come back. In a telegram to Khushalchand Gandhi, his
father, Gandhi said:à

Maganlal died morning at Patna. You know he was more to me than to you. You
must not give way to grief. His is a noble death. Narandas leaving tonight. à

[Collected Works, Vol 36, p 255 (1970)] à

In an article entitled, 'My Best Comrade Gone' Gandhi wrote in Young India on 26
Apri11928: à

'He whom I had singled out as heir to my all is no more. MaganJal K Gandhi, a
grandson of an uncle of mine, had, been with me in my work since 1904. Maganlal's
father has given all his boys to the cause. The deceased went early this month to
Bengal with Seth Jamnalalji and others, contracted a high fever whilst he was on
duty in Bihar and died under the protecting care of Brijkishore Prasad in Patna after
an illness of nine days and after receiving all the devoted nursing that love and skill
could give. à

Maganlal Gandhi went with me to South Africa in 1903 in the hope of maki ng a bit
of fortune. But hardly had he been store-keeping for one year, when he responded
to my sudden call to self-imposed poverty, joined the Phoenix settlement and never
once faltered or failed after so joining me. If he had not dedicated himself to the
country's service, his undoubted abilities and indefatigable industry would have
made him a merchant prince. Put in a printing press he easily and quickly mastered
the secrets of the art of printing. Though he had never before handled a tool or a
machine, he found himself at home in the engine room, the machine room and at
the compositor's desk. He was, equally at ease with the Gujarati editing of the
Indian Opinion. Since the Phoenix scheme included domestic fanning, he became a
good fanner. His was I t hink the best garden at the settlement. It may be of
interest to note that the very first issue of Young India published in Ahmedabad
bears the marks of his labours when they were much needed. à

He had a sturdy constitution which he wore away in advancing th e cause to which

he had dedicated himself. He closely studied and followed my spiritual career and
when I presented to my coworkers brahmacharya as a rule of life even for married
men in search of Truth, he was the first to perceive the beauty and the necessity of
the practice and, though it cost him to my knowledge a terrific struggle, he carried
it through to success, taking his wife along with him by patient argument instead of
imposing his views on her. à

When satyagraha was born, he was in the forefront. He gave me the expression
which I was striving to find to give its full meaning to what the South African
struggle stood for, and which for want of a better term, I allowed to be recognized
by the very insufficient and even misleading termš passive resistanceš. I wish I had
the very beautiful letter he then wrote to me giving his reasons for suggesting the
name (Sadagrah) which I changed to (Satyagrah) He argued out the whole
philosophy of the struggle step by step and brought the reader irresistibly to h is
chosen name. The letter, I remember was incredibly short and to the point as all his
communications always were.à

During the struggle he was never weary of work, shirked no task and by his
intrepidity he infected everyone around him with courage and ho pe. When everyone
went to jail, when at Phoenix courting imprisonment was like a prize to be won at
my instance, he stayed back in order to shoulder a much heavier task. He sent his
wife to join the women's party. à

On our return to India, it was he again wh o made it possible to found the Ashram in
the austere manner in which it was founded. Here he was called to a newer and
more difficult task. He proved equal to it. Untouchability was a very severe trial for
him. Just for one brief moment his heart seemed to give way. But it was only for a
second. He saw that love had no bounds and that it was necessary to live down the
ways of 'untouchables', if only because the so-called higher castes were responsible
for them. à

The mechanical department of the Ashram was not a continuation of the Phoenix
activity. Here we had to learn weaving, spinning, carding, and ginning. Again I
turned to Maganlal. Though the conception was mine, his were the hands to reduce
it to execution. He learnt weaving and all the other processe s that cotton had to go
through before it became Khadi. He was a born mechanic. à

When dairying was introduced in the Ashram he threw himself with zeal in the work,
studied dairy literature, named every cow and became friends with every animal on
the settlement.à

And when tannery was added, he was undaunted and had proposed to learn the
principles of tanning as soon as he got a little breathing time. Apart from his
scholastic training in the High School at Rajkot, he learnt the many things he knew
so well in the school of hard experience. He gathered knowledge from village car-
penters, village weavers, farmers, shepherds and such ordinary folk.à

He was the Director of the Technical Department of the Spinners Association, and
during the recent floods in Gujarat, Vallabhbhai put him in charge of building the
new township Vithalpur. à

He was an exemplary father. He trained his children, one boy and two girls, all
unmarried still-so as to make them fit for dedication to the country. His son Keshu
is showing very great ability in mechanical engineering, all of which he had picked
up like his father from seeing ordinary carpenters and smiths at work. His eldest
daughter Radha, eighteen years old, recently shouldered a difficult and delicate
mission to Bihar in the interest of women's freedom. Indeed he had a good grasp of
what national education should be and often engaged the teachers in earnest and
critical discussion over it. à

Let not the reader imagine that he knew nothing of politics. He did, but he chose
the path of silent, selfless constructive service.à

He was my hands, my feet and my eyes. The world knows so little of how much my
so-called greatness depends upon the incessant toil and drudgery of silent, devoted,
able and pure workers, men as well as women. And among them all Maganalal was
to me the greatest, the best and the purest. à

As I am penning these lines, I hear the sobs of the widow bewailing the death of her
dear husband. Little does she realize that I am more widowed than she. And but for
a living faith in God, I should become a raving maniac for the loss of one who was
dearer to me than my own sons, who never once deceived me or failed me, who
was a personification of industry, who was the watchdog of the Ashram in all its
aspects-material, moral and spiritual. His life is an inspiration for me, a standing
demonstration of the efficiency and the supremacy of the moral law. In his own life
he proved visibly for me not for a few days, not for a few months, but for twenty
four long years-now alas too short-that service of the country, service of humanity
and self-realization or knowledge of God are synonymous terms. à

Maganlal is dead, but he lives in his works whose imprints he who runs may read on
every particle of dust in the Ashram.à

[Collected Works, Vol. XXIX, pp. 923 -3]à

Gandhi paid another tribute to Maganlal in Gujarati, in Navjivan on 29 April 1928 : à

When Vallabhbhai received the news of Maganlal Gandhi's death, he wired: ³The
soul of the Ashram had departed.´ There was no exaggeration in this. I cannot
imagine the existence of Satyagraha Ashram without Maganlal. Many of my
activities were started because I knew that he was there. If ever there was a person
with whom I identified myself, it was Maganlal. We often have to consider whether
certain matters will hurt another person, even if that person be one's own son or
wife. I never had to entertain such fear with regard to Maganlal. I never hesitated
to set him the most difficult tasks. I very often put him in embarrassing situations
and he silently bore with them. He regarded no work as too mean. à

If I were fit to be anyone's guru, I would have proclaimed him my first disciple. à

In all my life I gave only one person the freedom to regard me as his guru and I
had my fill of it. The fault was not his, as I could see; only I had imperfections.
Anyone who becomes guru should possess the power of conferring on the pupil the
capacity to carry out whatever task is assigned to him. I had not that power and
still do not have it. à

But if Maganlal was not a disciple, he was certainly a servant. I am convinced that
no master could possibly find a servant better or more loyal than Maganlal. This
may be a conjecture, but I can assert from my experience that I have not found
another servant like him. It has been my good fortune always to have found co-
workers, or servants if you like, who were faithful, virtuous, intelligent and
industrious. Still, Maganlal was the best of all these co -workers and servants.à

’
 


 



  
   

 


 

yajna of action, he demonstrated before
everyone their true form. And because, in this way each action of his was full of
awareness, knowledge and faith, his life attained the very summit of sannyasa.
Maganlal had renounced his all. I never saw an iota of self-interest in any of his
actions. He showed-not once, not for a short time but, time after time for twenty-
four years incessantly-that true sannyasa lay in selfless action or action without
desire for reward.à

Maganlal's father entrusted all his four sons to me one after another for serving the
country. Maganlal was entrusted to me in 1903. He accompanied me to South Africa
 to earn a living. In 1904, I i nvited him along with other friends to embrace poverty
in order to serve the country. He heard me calmly and embraced poverty. From that
time on until his death, his life was an uninterrupted flow. à

With each day I realize more and more that my mahatmaship, which is a mere
adornment, depends on others. I have shone with the glory borrowed from my
innumerable co-workers. However, no one has done more to add to this glory than
Maganlal. He cooperated with me fully and with intelligence in all my activities-
physical or spiritual. I see no better instance than Maganlal of one who made a
tremendous effort to act as he believed. Maganlal was awake all the twenty-four
hours, establishing unity of thought and action. He used up all his energy in this. à

If I have not exaggerated, consciously or unconsciously, in this sketch, one can say
that a country in which dharma can be so embodied must triumph and so must its
dharma. Hence I wish that every servant of the country should study Maganlal's life
and if it commends itself to him imitate it with determination. What was possible for
Maganlal is possible for every man who makes the effort. Maganlal could become a
true leader because he was a true soldier and I find those who could put up with his
fire weeping around me now. à

This country, as also the world, is in need of true soldiers. Service of the country,
service of the world, self-realization, vision of God-these are not separate things but
different aspects of the same thing. Maganlal realized the truth of this in his o wn life
and made others do so. Those who are curious can study his life and find this out. à

 à

Her name was Madeleine. She was born in 1892. She has not given the date of her
birth in her autobiography. Her father, a naval officer, was often away in distant
waters for two years or more at a stretch, so her mother used to go with the
children to Milton Heath, the country home of her father. This house stood in some
twenty acres of land on high ground, beautifully laid out with gardens, paddocks for
the cows, and a rich collection of shrubs and trees. Motorcars did not exist in those
days, so there were stables full of fine horses, some for the carriages and some for
riding and hunting. At the bottom of the sloping paddocks was a cowshed with four
or five Jersey cows, chicken house and pigsties. à

The house had a beautiful view up the Dorking Valley with the North Downs to the
right and the Leith Hill Range to the left. The day nursery was on the top floor, so
she got the best view of all, and the night nursery was on the middle floor, looking
out over the stable yard, which pleased her very much. à

Though h er life was carefully regulated she never felt it was monotonous. As she
grew older, she learned all about the correct use of saws, hammer, screwdrivers,
planes and chisels. But the place she loved most was the stable. She watched the
horses being groomed-the brushing and rubbing down, the picking out and washing
of their hoofs, were all a fascination to a child's eye. The head coachman taught her
the how and why of everything, including saddling, bridling, riding horses and
harnessing of carriage horses. à

When Madeleine was still very small, her mind began to search in the region of the
'Unknowable.' There was something which, every now and then, wafted her far
away. It would come at quiet moments, and always through the voice of nature-the
singing of a bir d, the sound of the wind in the trees. Though this was the voice of
unknown, she felt no fear. If at all she felt anything, it, was only an infinite joy. à

In the course of her father's posting at the Naval Train ing College at Portsmouth,
the family settled for some time in a country house at Fareham. It was a quiet
country life. But from those peaceful surroundings, something came as to awaken
her from a slumber. Her father had bought an Angelus Pianola. Once she happened
to hear a piece of Beethoven's Sonata Opus 31, No.2. She was so enthralled by it
that she played it over and over again. The playing of it stirred her heart and awoke
it to something which lingered with her, and created a feeling of deep anguish. She,
in these moments of anguish, threw herself down on her knees in the seclusion of
her room and prayed to God: 'Why have I been born over a century too late? Why
hast thou given me realization of him and yet put all these years in between?' à

This craving for Beethoven, after some years, led her to Romain Rolland, in order to
get more knowledge, about Beethoven. She met Rolland in Villeneuve, where he
lived with his sister. In this meeting Romain Rolland mentioned India in context of a
small book he had just written, calledà

Mahatma Gandhi, and asked if she had ever heard of him. Madeleine replied in the
negative. He told her that Gandhi was another Christ. These words went deep, but
she stored them away and went on her voyage to Alexandria.à

Back from Alexandria, she came to Paris, bought the book of Rolland from a
bookshop, and finished reading it on the same day. Then she realized what that
'something' was. It was a call to go to Mahatma Gandhi. This call was so powerful
and absolute that on reaching London, she reserved a berth in a P & O Liner. She
told her parents the decision she had made. They were so sensible as not to
dissuade her. But on second thoughts, Madeleine herself felt that it was rather too
hasty. She thought that she needed to put herself through severe training in order
to be acceptable. After having come to that decision, she went through all the
chores of spinning, became a vegetarian and a teetotaler, started learning the
language, taught herself squatting and sleeping on the floor. As for reading, she
immediately subscribed to Young India. She spent a part of her training programme
in Paris, where she read Bhagvad Gita, and some of the Rigveda, both in French. à

When she came back to London from Paris, she heard the news of Mahatma
Gandhi's fast for Hindu -Muslim unity. Day by day his condition was growing more
alarming. Those twenty-one days seemed never-ending to Madeleine, but at last the
fast was successfully over. She felt that she should write and send a thanks giving
offering. But she had run out of money earned through orche stral concerts and had
even sold her piano. The only thing she had was a small diamond brooch, a gift
given by her grandfather on her twenty-first birthday. She sold it and the proceeds
of 20 pounds were sent to Gandhi. This was the beginning of their acqu aintance.
Gandhi was touched by this gesture and acknowledged the receipt with thanks.
Emboldened by this experience, Madeleine wrote another letter, asking for his
consent to be with him in Sabarmati Ashram. In August 1925 came his reply from
Calcutta. à

24 July, 1925 à

Dear Friend,à

I was pleased to receive your letter which has touched me deeply. The samples of
wool you have sent are excellent. à

You are welcome whenever you choose to come. If I have advice of the steamer. . .
there will be someone receiving you. . . and guiding you to the train. . . to
Sabarmati. Only please remember that the life of the Ashram is not at all rosy. It is
strenuous. Bodily labour is given by every inmate. The climate of this country is also
not a small consideration. I mention these things not to frighten you but merely to
warn you.à

Yours Sincerelyà

M.K. Gandhi à

After receiving this letter the day of departure for India was fixed. Her mother and
her elder sister saw her off at the London Station. Her father was to bid her adieu
from Paris, which he did with the words, šBe carefulš. From Paris Madeleine went to
say good-bye to Romain Rolland and his sister. As she left them, there was a look of
pleasant wonder in Rolland's eyes, and a ring in his voice as he said, šHow lucky
you are!šà
On 6 November the ship docked at Bombay. Friends were there to meet her. They
took Madeleine to Naoroji's house on Malabar Hill. Brothers, sisters and
grandchildren of Dadabhai Naoroji pressed her to stay and rest for at least twenty -
four hours but she h ad no thought for anything but to reach Sabarmati without
delay. In the afternoon, Devdas, Gandhi's fourth and youngest son, came and
pressed her to stay. But seeing her determination, he finally arranged for her
departure by train the same night. As the train steamed into the Ahmedabad
Station on the morning of 7 November 1925, three persons were waiting on the
platform to receive her. They were Mahadev Desai, Vallabhbhai Patel and Swami
Anand.à

Vallabhbhai brought her to the Ashram and ushered her into a r oom. As she
entered, a brown figure rose up and came forward. Madeleine was conscious of
nothing else but a sense of light. She fell on her knees. Two hands gently raised her
up, and a voice said, šYou shall be my daughter.š On hearing à

these words her consciousness of the physical world began to return, and she saw a
face smiling, with eyes full of love and a gentle twinkle of amusement. He was
Bapu. In all their mutual relationship he was to remain Bapu and she his daughter,
Mira.à

Soon she arrived, right into the heart of Bapu's daily life. The impact of this on her
emotions was tremendous. From morning to night she lived for the moment when
she could set her eyes on Bapu. To be in his presence was to be lifted out of
oneself. Not that there was anything imposing about his physical appearance, or
striking about his manner of speech; indeed it was the perfect simplicity of both
which held one. Here, one was face to face with a soul which in its very greatness
made the body and speech, through which it manifested itself, glow with grace and
natural humility. At the same time there was a sense of spiritual strength, quietly
confident and all-pervading, while the whole presence was made intensely human
and appealing by the pure-hearted and irresistible humour which kept peeping like
golden sunshine through the leaves of a deep forest. à

Here, in presence of Bapu, a strict regimen began for her which lasted for almost
thirty-four years of her stay in India. It included carding and spinning, cooking,
cleaning, learning Hindi, at times traveling with Bapu or otherwise living in the
Ashram and doing her work. Her first journey along with the retinue of Gandhi led
her to Wardha, where the learned ascetic Acharya Vinoba Bhave was running a
Brahmacharya Ashram. Gandhi used to go there for about ten days rest, each year,
before attending the open session of the Indian National Congress. Mirabehn found
Wardha Ashram quite different from Sabarmati. She saw here a small, compact
group of men all earnestly believing in the principles of the institution. Bapu's ideals
and experiments were being carried out with great thoroughness. Quietness of
atmosphere, unity of endeavour, hard work and spiritual purposefulness were the
distinct qualities of this Ashram. After a few days of quiet sojourn they went straight
to the session of Congress, where Gandhi handed over the charge of its
presidentship to Sarojini Naidu. à

Mirabehn could see that Gandhi's activities had two main streams. One was the
Ashram life, by which he endeavoured to create persons who would fit in with his
search for truth and non -violence. Second was the Indian National Congress where
he would strive for independence of India with a band of workers following the line
that Gandhi enunciated in the public fiel d in India. Living with Gandhi, Mirabehn had
to be well versed in both. Living the community life of the Ashram was a tough job
for her and so was the climate of India. But her devotion to Bapu kept her
steadfast
the midst of her aversion. Not very long after her stay in the Ashram
she started wearing saree, all white, without a coloured border. Next, she got her
haircut and took a vow of celibacy. à

Just about a year after coming to Bapu, Mirabehn received a cable from her mother
saying that her father had passed away. Bapu suggested that she go to England if
she wished to. But Mirabehn politely declined to go there. Her learning of Hindustani
was not going very well. So she sought Gandhi's consent to go to the northern part
of India and live among Hindi -speaking people. For this purpose she was sent to
Kanya Gurukul, Delhi, and thereafter to Kangri Gurukul. à

When she went to Kangri Gurukul, she learnt that Gandhi was to come there in
March 1927 for its Jubilee celebrations. The thought of seeing Bapu after a long
time was inspiring. She also thought that Bapu might take her with him. But it
turned out to be a vain hope. On the contrary, Bapu was thinking of sending her to
Bhagwadbhakti Ashram, Rewari. Perhaps he was trying and training her. Soon after
reaching that Ashram, Mirabehn received a letter from Gandhi in which he wrote: à

The parting today was sad because I saw that I pained you. And yet it was
inevitable. I want you to be a perfect woman. I want you to shed all angularities. All
unnecessary reserve must go..... à

Do throw off the nervousness. You must not cling to me as in this body. The spirit
without the body is ever with you. And that is more than the feeble embodied
imprisoned spirit with all the limitations that flesh is heir to. The spirit without the
flesh is perfect; and that is all we need. This can be felt only when we practice
detachment. This you must now try to achieve. à
This is how I would grow if I were you. But you should grow along your own lines.
You will, therefore, reject all I have said in this that does not appeal to your heart or
head. You must retain your individuality at all cost. Resist me when you must. For I
may judge you wrongly in spite of all my love for you. I do not want you to impute
infallibility to me. à

In these few words Gandhi had expressed the crux of the struggle which was to face
her throughout the years to come. à

Mirabehn lived in India during a most eventful period in which she saw in 1927 the
Simon Commission facing black flags everywhere, the resolve of the people for
complete independence in 1929, the Dandi March and the Civil Disobe dience
movement in 1930-31 and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931; she accompanied Gandhi
and others to the Round Table Conference in London in the autumn of 1931;
prepared the people of Orissa to resist Japanese invasion non-violently in the
beginning of 1942, and was arrested and kept in detention with Gandhi in the Aga
Khan Palace, Pune, in 1942 where she saw Mahadev Desai and. Kasturba Gandhi
breathing their last. She was a witness to th e Simla Conference and the Cabinet
Mission, the Interim Government and the Constituent Assembly, the partition of
India followed by holocaust and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. à

Remaining in mid-stream she always had a role to play. As an inmate of Gandhi

Ashram she traveled far and wide for the propagation of Khadi. She wrote over a
hundred articles in Young India and Harijan, She also wrote articles for The
Statesman, Calcutta, The Times of India, Bombay, and The Hindustan Times, Delhi.
Without the least intention of taking part in the freedom movement, she courted
imprisonment a couple of times in 1932 -1933, and was kept first in Arthur Road Jail
and later in Sabarmati Jail. Whenever she was with Mahatma Gandhi she looked
after him in minutest detail. At times she went to the Viceroy as a personal
emissary of Mahatma Gandhi and at other times to the Congress President and the
members of the Working Committee. To plead the case of India she went abroad-
met Lloyd George, Lord Halifax, General Smuts, Sir Samuel Hoare and Winston
Churchill, visited United States and went to New York, Philadelphia, West Chester,
Boston, Harvard and Washington, delivered a lecture at the Harvard University and
met Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House in Washington. Mirabehn took keen interest
in the formation of Sevagram Ashram and organised cleanliness campaigns in the
surrounding villages. She was always unflinching in her service to Bapu and longed
to be with him as long as possible. For such longing she earned reprimands more
than once from Gandhi, Gradually she undertook independent activities with the
help and blessings of Bapu. à
For some time her mind was infatuated with a weakness for Sardar Prithvi Singh
and her emotions ran riot. When she spoke to Bapu about it, he lo oked at her with
unexpected seriousness and said, šIf you feel like that it means to my mind that
you should marryš, and added, as if thinking aloud, šperhaps marriage has been the
unspoken word in your. life.š But Prithvi Singh wisely resisted all proposa ls whether
from Bapu or others. à

Then began the period of her self-chosen seclusion and penance for her mental
aberration. She went to Haryana and then to Sivalik Hills and other places, read Rig
Veda and kept silence for a year. She came to live at Chorvad, in Gujarat, near the
sea-shore. Here, on 22 May 1941, Bapu wrote to her: An inquiry has come from
London whether the report is true that your have severed all connection with me
and are living away from me!!! How wish is father to thought! à

In 1942, when she was in the Aga Khan Palace she expressed a desire to Gandhi
that after her release from detention she would start some activities of her own, at
a suitable place in northern India. Bapu agreed and gave money to plan out the
whole thing herself. Accordi ngly, after her release from Aga Khan Palace, she
started Kisan Ashram at Muldaspur, situated between Roorkee and Hardwar. Kisan
Ashram developed rapidly. à

In 1946, Congress ministries were formed in various provinces. The United

Provinces had also a strong Congress Government headed by the veteran leader
Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. In the new atmosphere there was a general urge to
resuscitate the Province and make an all -out drive to increase food production.
Quite a lot of good agricultural land had been r equisitioned for military airfields and
camps, and the sooner these were put back into cultivation the better. With this
idea in her mind she went to Bapu and discussed the matter with him. He, in turn,
had a talk with Pandit Pant, and Mirabehn was appointed as an Honorary Special
Adviser to the U.P. Government in connection with the newly launched 'Grow More
Food' campaign. à

In 1947 she started Ashram Pashulok near Hrishikesh and a settlement named Bapu
Gram. During this period the political scene had star ted worsening. The declaration,
of 'Direct Action' by the Muslim League in October led to a wholesale slaughter of
Hindus in the villages of Noakhali district in East Bengal. à

On 30 January 1948 came the news of Bapu's assassination. It was simply stunning.
Mirabehn stood silent and still. A vast emotion held her in a trance. In the early part
of the night people came from Hrishikesh to take her to Delhi. At that moment
Bapu's words came to her mind: . à
Trust God and be where you are. There is no meaning in having the last look. The
spirit which you love is always with you. à

She obeyed Bapu's words fully. She stayed where she was and worked until 27
January 1959 before leaving for England. And in the interim period, Mirabehn
founded Gopal Ashram in Bhilangana in 1952. From 1954 to 1957 she kept herself
busy with experiments in breeding cows. Though she was intensely active during
these years, deep down inside her it had been a period of suspense, a kind of
hibernation. Her inner being had begun to stir. India without Gandhi or Gandhi's
ideals was not an enchanting place to live in. à

One day the post brought her a parcel from Paris. It was a book of Romain Rolland
sent by his widow. She started reading the book. During this time she began writing
her reminiscences. She also read the books that Romain Rolland had given her in
Villeneuve, when Bapu had stayed there in 1931. As she read them, something
again began to stir. It was the spirit of him from whose music she had been
separated for over thirty years. She left India in 1959 to be in tune with that music. à

Mirabehn's journey of life began from England. She spent the first thirty -three years
in the land of her birth. The following thirty -four years she lived in India and until
her death on 20 July 1982 the rest o f the twenty-three years were spent in Vienna.
The mysterious 'something' that lingered with her led her to three great men-
Beethoven, Romain Rolland and Mahatma Gandhi. The best years of her life were
dedicated to Gandhi. She came to India well, equipped , so as to qualify herself to be
an inmate of Gandhi Ashram. She loved nature and loved her solitary musings in
the company of nature. She loved the sky and the mountains, the forests and the
streams, feeling equally at home with the animal world. Without realizing the
meaning and the concept of the word Basic Education, she had groomed herself in
the work-centered education in her grandfather's house at Milton Heath much
before Gandhi envisaged and implemented the idea of Basic Education. à

After leaving India she went to England and lived there for some time, but she felt
completely out of tune with an England which was not familiar to her. So, in search
of a better and peaceful place, she went to Vienna and settled there. In 1969, on
the occasion of the Gandhi Centenary Celebrations, she was invited by Lord Louis
Mountbatten to visit England and narrate her experiences and recollections of
Mahatma Gandhi. The Albert Hall was full with nearly seven thousand people. The
Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and many other dignitaries were present. The
talk that Mirabehn gave to the gathering was almost beyond the highest expectation
of Lord Louis Mountbatten. The audience was spell bound. à

It 1981 the Government of India honoured Mirabehn with the Padma Vibhush an for
her meritorious service to India and mankind.à

The life story of Mirabehn is legendary like Mirabai, the devotee of Lord Krishna,
who had left Mewar to worship Lord Krishna. Mirabehn, too, had set aside her own
Mewar to explore her new abode. She never aspired to be an interpreter of Gandhi's
thought, but she never faltered in her service of attending on him at any time.
Although Bapu had made her his daughter, she did not have the good fortune of
continuously living with him, as Mahadevbhai had. Many a time, she felt that she
was missing him in the stream of her chosen life, but she never grudged this. A
word from Bapu was almost a sermon to her and she would literally obey it. She
had her vagaries and angularities, but her heart was pure and her ded ication
absolute. At times she did think that she had never been able to give full
satisfaction to Bapu for there had always been something suppressed that caused
tension to her mind. Bapu had noticed this and had warned her several times.
Nevertheless, Bapu's assessment of Mirabehn was distinct and appreciative. In a
letter to a person whose identity is not disclosed, Gandhi had written: à

You have done injustice to Mira. My assessment of her is this: She is the most pious
amongst us all. If we believe that she is candid, in the sense that she is not a
deliberate liar, she has forsaken all beastly passions. This can be said for you and
Surendra. Balkrishna and Chhotelal come next to you two. Of course, as far as I
know they are trying. The rest do not matter. If I speak of myself I stand behind
you in the sequence. Mira's faith is superior to Mahadev. It is definitely superior to
you. As far as I have understood you, you have not fully absorbed with... You see
his limitations. Mahadev tries to convince him that I have none. But Mira doesn't
see it at all. To see that there is nothing wrong in a person is a gift from God. This
cannot be achieved by intellect. We should not mix up our invaluable achievement
with all that is sham around us. à

Therefore, my anger against Mira is really against myself. For I know many of my
shortcomings which even my staunchest critics do not know. I am full of beastly
passions and I have to strive extremely hard to control them. I think I do not
deserve the inexhaustible faith Mira puts in me, and yet I have to find out a man
who is perfect. I shiver to accept her faith and guide her. That's why I, so often,
keep her at a distance and prevent her from advancing any further. The disease
that erupts in her is only owing to my limitation s. For I do not possess the flawless
power of taking decisions that she imagines in me. Making errors, I have to try to
come to a correct decision. .à

[Translated from Gujarati; Mahadevbhai¶s Diary, V 01. XI, pp 392 -93]à

The sacrifice which Mirabehn made was more than any foreigner could think of. Just
 after a year of her arrival in Sabarmati Ashram, her father passed away. Within
another five years she lost her mother. Again after a few years, Rhona her elder
sister died. But Mirabehn never turned back to lo ok at the world she had voluntarily
renounced. During the hectic days of the Round Table Conference, Gandhi and his
aids happened to pass through Milton Heath, the home of her childhood dreams, but
Mirabehn, though eager to go and peep inside the surroundi ngs, did not lose her
equanimity, while their car simply rushed on to its destination. Any other person
would have certainly liked to go inside the gate and re-encounter the fond
memories of his or her childhood days. But Mirabehn, like a true Sanyasin, ha d
wiped off her past. à

Beaconed by the stirrings of an unknown call, she had come to India. The same
stirrings led her back to Vienna, via England, near the remains of Beethoven, but
into her own solitary cave. The cycle of her life had taken a full circle. à

Mirabehn lived the life of an ascetic, but the life itself was illuminated with what was
best in her. The light that emanates from it will shine for a long time to come and
inspire people to selfless service to humanity. It would be a most fitting monument
to Mirabehn.à

D c P D à

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While Mahatma Gandhi was fighting against the British regime in
mainland India, the northwest fringes of the country, then known
as the North-West Frontier Province and now part of Afghanistan,
were witnessing the rise of yet another Mahatma- Khan Abdul
Ghaffar Khan.
Strongly inspired by Gandhi's strategy of nonviolence, Ghaffar
Khan, or Badshah Khan as he was popularly known, amassed the
world's first major nonviolent army in his region. He persuaded
100,000 of his countrymen to lay down guns and vow to fight
nonviolently against the British regime. He termed this army the Khudai
Khidmatgar, the servants of Allah. It was no mean achievement, considering the
bloody and barbaric history of the Pashtun community- a history that was full of
invasions, massacres, conquests and occupations. The Khudai Khidmatgar
movement espoused nonviolent, nationalist agitation in support of Indian
independence and sought to awaken the Pashtuns' political consensus.
A devout Muslim and committed ally of Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan worked in close
collaboration with his inspirer for independence. For almost 80 long years, the
Pashtun leader struggled incessantly for the rights of his people without ever
raising arms. Like Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan honestly believed that the upliftment of
 his people was essential preparation for independence. Khan opened schools in
the province, brought women into the mainstream of society, and encouraged his
nonviolent soldiers to vow to do at least two hours of social work a day.
Aware of the pervasive violence in his society, Ghaffar Khan decided to invoke
people on religious and humanistic grounds. To this purpose, he initiated a
pledge that was to become the motto of the Afghan peopl e in their fight for
freedom. The pledge went: š I promise to refrain from violence and from taking
revenge. I will sacrifice my wealth, life and comfort for my nation and people.š It
called people to serve God by serving other people, which helped the gro wth of
self-respect and human dignity.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan 's amazing success story will go down in the annals of
nonviolent resistance not merely for its popularity but also for its innately simple
and spiritual outlook. As Badshah Khan used to say: š Nonviolence is love and it
stirs courage in people... No peace or tranquility can descend upon the people of
the world until nonviolence is practised.š

Sushila Nayyar 

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