Gandhi’s letter to India, as told through TOI

I
a
Dec
19,
1901
lette ,
Ga dhi
desc ibed
the
est ictio s
i
the
T a svaal,
whe e
I dia s
could
ot
hold
la d,
we e
equi ed
to
live
a d
t ade
o ly
i
desig ated
a eas,
a d
we e
ba ed
f om
footpaths.

A
fast
u to
death
a ou ced
by

Mahatma
Ga dhi
i
Pu e’s
Ye awada
jail
i
1932
was
to
cha ge
the
cou se
of
I dia’s
political
histo y.
Imp iso ed
fo
the
Civil
Disobedie ce
Moveme t,
Ga dhi
a ou ced
the
fast
i
a
Sept
13
lette
to
B itish
PM
Ramsay
MacDo ald
that
was
sha ed
with
the
p ess.
His
aim
was
to
oppose
a
sepa ate
electo ate
fo
Dalits,
p oposed
u de
the
Commu al
Awa d
of
August
1932.“I
have
to
esist
you
decisio
with
my
life,”
Ga dhi
w ote,
sayi g
his
fast
would
begi
o
Sept
20.
“As
a
ma
of
eligio
that
I
hold
myself
to
be,
I
have
o
othe
cou se
left
ope
to
me.”The
awa d
classified
Dalits
as
a
mi o ity
whose
ep ese tatives
would
be
elected
o ly
by
Dalit
vote s,
just
as
Muslims,
Ch istia s
a d
Sikhs
would
elect
thei
ow
ep ese tatives.
Ga dhi
believed
this
would
divide
Hi du
society;
BR
Ambedka
suppo ted
it
as
a
safegua d
fo
Dalit
political
ep ese tatio Ga dhi
ack owledged
that
he
might
be
w o g.
If
his
judgeme t
was
“wa ped”,
he
w ote,
his
death
would
be
“a
pe a ce
fo
my
e o ”
a d
would
lift
the
bu de
f om
those
who
had
“child-like
faith”
i
his
wisdom.His
week-lo g
fast
led
to
the
Poo a
Pact,
egotiated
by
Mada
Moha
Malaviya
a d
Ambedka
a d
accepted
by
Ga dhi.
It
aba do ed
a
sepa ate
electo ate
but
ese ved
seats
fo
Dalits
withi
the
ge e al
electo ate,
becomi g
a
milesto e
i
Dalit
ep ese tatio
a d
a
p ecu so
to
ese vatio s
fo
SCs
a d
STs
i
i depe de t
I dia.

Suspe di g
Satyag aha

Ga dhi
also
used
a
lette
to
the
p ess
to
a ou ce
the
suspe sio
of
Satyag aha
agai st
the
Rowlatt
Act.

W iti g
o
July
21,
1919,
he
asked
satyag ahis
to
“swallow
the
bitte
pill”
a d
halt
thei
campaig
afte
p otests
had
tu ed
viole t.The
act
allowed
the
colo ial
gove me t
to
detai
political
p iso e s
fo
two
yea s
without
t ial.
Ga dhi’s
campaig
agai st
it,
lau ched
i
Ma ch
1919,
was
his
fi st
atio wide
political
mobilisatio
afte
etu i g
f om
South
Af ica.
Despite
his
appeals
fo
peaceful
ha tals,
fasts
a d
p aye s,
viole ce
e upted
i
seve al
places.
Ga dhi
was
p eve ted
f om
e te i g
Pu jab
a d
a ested;
the
Jallia wala
Bagh
massac e
o
Ap il
13
made
the
situatio
explosive.
Attacks
o
police
statio s
a d
ailway
p ope ty,
a d
deadly
clashes
betwee
p oteste s
a d
autho ities,
led
him
to
pause
civil
disobedie ce.

Fo
Ga dhi,
o -viole ce
was
ot
me ely
tactical.
Amid
divisio s
withi
Co g ess
a d
Subhas
Cha d a
Bose’s
diffe e t
cou se,
he
w ote
f om
Sevag am
o
July
21,
1941

I
the
July
lette ,
published
u de
the
headli e
“SATYAGRAHA.
Civil
Resista ce
Suspe ded”,
Ga dhi
disclosed
that
the
gove o
of
Bombay
had
co veyed
“a
g ave
wa i g”
f om
the
Gove me t
of
I dia
that
e ewed
civil
disobedie ce
could
th eate
public
secu ity.W iti g
f om
Ma i
Bhava
i
Bombay,
Ga dhi
co ceded
that
the
suspe sio
was
pai ful.
Yet
he
emai ed
u yieldi g
o
the
law:
“Satyag ahi
will
pay
fo
its
emoval
with
thei
lives
if
it
ca ot
be
emoved
by
lesse
mea s.”
He
also
wa ed
the
Raj:
“If
my
occasio al
Civil
Resista ce
be
a
lighted
match,
Rowlatt
legislatio …is
a
thousa d
matches
scatte ed
th oughout
I dia.”Fo
Ga dhi,
o -viole ce
was
ot
me ely
tactical.
Amid
divisio s
withi
Co g ess
a d
Subhas
Cha d a
Bose’s
diffe e t
cou se,
he
w ote
f om
Sevag am
o
July
21,
1941:
“With
me,
o
doubt
o -viole ce
is
a
e d
i
itself,
though
it
is
also
a
mea s
fo
the
attai me t
of
the
f eedom
of
the
cou t y.”
A
yea
ea lie ,
he
had
u de li ed
its
volu ta y
atu e:
“No -viole ce
ca ot
be
imposed
upo
a yo e.
It
has
to
come
f om
withi .”

The
South
Af ica
Yea s

Ga dhi’s
lette s
to
the
edito
p edated
his
eme ge ce
as
a
leade
of
I dia’s
f eedom
st uggle.
Du i g
his
21
yea s
i
South
Af ica,
whe e
he
fi st
used
Satyag aha
as
a
method
of
esista ce,
he
epeatedly
d ew
atte tio
to
disc imi ato y
laws
agai st
I dia sI
a
Dec
19,
1901
lette ,
he
desc ibed
the
est ictio s
i
the
T a svaal,
whe e
I dia s
could
ot
hold
la d,
we e
equi ed
to
live
a d
t ade
o ly
i
desig ated
a eas,
a d
we e
ba ed
f om
footpaths.
I
the
O a ge
Rive
Colo y,
he
w ote,
a
I dia
could
ot
eve
e te
without
special
pe missio ,
except
as
a
domestic
se va t
o
labou e .Afte
etu i g
to
I dia,
he
co ti ued
to
w ite
about
the
poo
co ditio s
of
I dia s
legally
settled
i
South
Af ica.
I
a
Aug
29,
1919
lette ,
he
blamed
the
“g eedy
Eu opea s
of
Natal”
fo
impo ti g
I dia
i de tu ed
labou
at
mise ably
low
wages
while
ig o i g
local
Zulu
wo ke s,
all
i
pu suit
of
“e o mous
p ofits”.

Cow
Slaughte
A d
Eid

Ga dhi’s
co espo de ce
also
add essed
social
f actu es,
pa ticula ly
Hi du-Muslim
elatio s.
I
a
1919
lette
w itte
a ou d
Bak id,
he
ecou ted
a
co ve satio
with
Maula a
Abdul
Ba i
of
Luck ow’s
Fi a gi
Mahal,
a
p omi e t
suppo te
of
the
Khilafat
Moveme t.

Ga dhi
quoted
the
Maula a
as
sayi g:
“Islam
will
fall
to
pieces
if
it
eve
takes
a d
eve
gives….
If
we
take
f om
you,
we
must
give
to
you.”
Abdul
Ba i
had
u ged
his
followe s
to
abstai
f om
cow
slaughte .
O
Bak id,
he
se t
Ga dhi
a
teleg am:
“I
celeb atio
of
Hi du-Muslim
u ity,
o
cow
sac ifices
i
Fi a gi-Mahal
this
Bak i-Id.”Mo e
tha
a
ce tu y
late ,
these
lette s
a e
mo e
tha
histo ical
eco ds.
They
eveal
Ga dhi
ot
o ly
as
a
politicia
co f o ti g
colo ial
powe
but
as
a
public
figu e
w estli g
with
ep ese tatio ,
viole ce,
commu al
divisio
a d
mo al
espo sibility.
Th ough
TOI’s
pages,
his
wo ds
t avelled
beyo d
the
immediate
battles
of
the
f eedom
st uggle,
leavi g
a
i timate
eco d
of
how
he
t ied
to
shape
public
opi io
—
a d
I dia
itself.

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