Harijan Friend and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

E-mail- [e-mail];

[e-mail]    

Mailing Address- C- 29, Swaraj Nagar, Panki, Kanpur- 208020, Uttar Pradesh, India

 

 

Harijan Friend and Mahatma Gandhi 

 

 

I have suggested the real method of abolishing the distinction between caste Hindus and Harijans, namely, by caste Hindus performing the purification ceremony of ridding themselves of untouchability and becoming Harijans themselves. And if it was open to anyone to be classified as untouchables in the register for untouchables, I should most decidedly advise caste Hindus to declare themselves as such and to live also as such. That will be a substantial and organic method of amalgamating the two into one body. This is the proper place for referring to the same suggestion made by a Harijan friend but from a different standpoint. He says that the best way of getting rid of untouchability is to advise Harijans to adopt names that will never signify an untouchable and to declare themselves also as mere Hindus or as Brahmins, Kshatriyas or Vaishyas. This suggestion was made to me even as early as 1915 when I began the crusade against untouchability. This Harijan had his own experiences and told me that he had travelled from one end of India to the other, that he had freely entered all the principal places of pilgrimage without let or hindrance and that he had taken with him a party. 1

I do not have much faith in Homoeopathy. But for that you should not postpone you’re going to a hill-station. I like your idea of going to Almora. There is a good Homoeopath even there. For your ailment, other than the mountain air, milk, butter, fruit, wheat roti and vegetables, you will hardly need any medicine. Having gone to Almora, you should not get involved with too much work. Take Chhotalal if he can come. I will try for that Harijan friend. 2 A Harijan friend complains bitterly about my article on sweepers’ strike. His first complaint is that I have given up the sweet name ‘Harijan’ and used “Bhangi” instead. The criticism shows the sensitive nature of the correspondent. It was a Gujarati untouchable in the first instance, who suggested the name ‘Harijan’ to me and I willingly adopted it. This does not, however, mean that a current word for any sub-caste may never be used. I count myself a Harijan and it pleases me to call myself a Bhangi among them, because that is the lowest caste of Harijans. When I stayed recently in the sweepers’ quarters in Delhi, the Harijans there too complained against the use of the word ‘Bhangi’. They suggested ‘Mehtar’. I tried to make them understand that it mattered little as to which of the current words was used for the same occupation. In spite of being considered the lowest occupation, it was in fact the highest inasmuch as it protected health and they should be indifferent to the name. Whatever the origin of the word may be, ‘Bhangi’ is, in my opinion, another name for ‘Shivji’. Whether you call a sweeper a Mehtar or a ‘Bhangi’, like ‘Shivji’ he brings health to man. The one brings it by keeping the home clean; the other cleanses the mind of man.

The second criticism is more serious. Prejudice is responsible for misunderstandings. If we take by force even that to which we are entitled, the action is likely to lead to a quarrel. We may not even be able to digest what we get by force. The strikers got what they did by coercion. At least, that is my belief. If my occupation is to keep latrines clean and I refused to do the work, can it be termed anything other than coercion? Of course, I am not bound to take up the job of cleaning latrines and I may be said to have every right to lay down my conditions of service. But according to my way of thinking, the laying down of conditions is not an absolute right. Even if such an absolute right were to be permitted, it might not be proper to use it under certain circumstances. But I do not want to enter into the justification of this reasoning. I tried to show in my article the duties of Bhangis as well as of citizens. I have often said that every kind of injustice is meted out to Bhangis. I have no doubt that citizens do not fulfil their obligations to them. Thus it is their duty to see that Harijan dwellings are built properly, the means employed for cleaning are decent, that they have a special working uniform given to them, that they and their children have facilities for education, etc. These and other problems should be solved without loss of time.

The Bhangis may not go on strike for lack of these amenities but it is up to all citizens to raise their voice on behalf of them. Yet another criticism is directed against my suggestion of the use of the military to do sweepers’ work. I do not see any wrong in what I said. I have reread my article and am not willing to withdraw one single word of it. I do not regret having written as I did. I advise Harijan friends to read it in the proper spirit. If they do so, they will see that my feelings on their behalf have undergone no change. 3 Recently there was a Harijan conference in U. P., at which it is reported, a minister preached to the Harijans that they should give up their unclean habits, unclean living and unclean clothes and abstain from alcohol.

A Harijan countered that the Government could burn up the unclean clothes just as it could have palm trees cut down and wine shops closed. I admire the courage of the Harijan friend. I for one make gur from palm. I shall advise the Harijan brethren that the cure is in their own hands. Even if liquor is sold in shops they should keep away from it as they would from poison. In fact liquor is worse than poison. Labourers drink in order to forget their domestic worries. Poison can only kill the body. Liquor can kill even the soul. One loses the ability to control one’s action. I would advise the Government to close down liquor shops and to replace them by eating-houses where people could get pure and light food. Here they should distribute books from which people could learn something and they should provide to them some harmless entertainment. But there should be no place for cinema. This will help people to give up alcohol. I say this from my experience of many countries. I have seen this in India and I had seen it also in South Africa. I am quite sure that giving up alcohol increases both the physical vigour of man and his capacity to earn. It is for this reason that prohibition has been a part of the Congress programme since 1920. Now that we are free the Government should redeem its pledge and give up the unholy excise revenue. It is not a real loss, for it will bring enormous good to the people. This is the way to our prosperity. We should achieve this through our own effort. 4

 

 

References:

 

1. Harijan, 11-3-1933
2. Letter to Jamnalal Bajaj, April 16, 1933
3. Harijan, 12-5-1946  
4. Prarthana Pravachan—II, pp. 258-9