Indian Style 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

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

 

 

Indian Style and Mahatma Gandhi  

 

I tried last year to do away with the pandal for the Congress and suggested a meeting on the Maidan early in the morning. That is the Indian style and it is the best. I wonder if the amphitheatre is an improvement. My ideal is speaking to the crowd from under a tree. Never mind if the voice does not reach the thousands, nay millions. They come not to hear but to see. And they see far more than we can imagine. Amphitheatres suggest a limitation to the space capacity. The merit lies in an unlimited number being able to come and yet doing their work in an orderly manner. Such were the annual fairs of old. We have but to introduce religion into the new social and political life and you have a perfect organization in working order to fall back upon. 1

I have, today, a very large stock of khadi with me. We are, moreover, facing a situation in which it may be necessary to abandon an activity that gives work to some women and poor people. I have had, therefore to employ what ability I possess and try to prove some self-evident truths. To me, coats, Indian-style shirts and other garments made of khadi seem quite beautiful. If, however, I cannot carry the reader so far with me, I should like to say that khadi has many other uses. It can be used to make school bags and hammocks for children. Chairs, couches and other articles of furniture can be covered with it. Big car- pets can be made from dyed khadi. It can serve for canopies. Handkerchiefs of any required size can be made from it. Straining pieces, bags, pillow-cases, bed-covers and many other useful articles can be made out of it. I appeal for help from every reader for popularizing khadi. A Khatri has come forward to dye khadi red with swadeshi material. With his help, I am getting some khadi dyed red. For bed-covers, etc., red khadi is better. I want every reader to remember that a large number of women are employed at present in spinning. Some of them led immoral lives and some could not afford even milk for their children; these sisters have now been earning something through an honest occupation. I want every reader to play his part in promoting this craft through which we can end starvation in India and help people to lead purer lives. 2

During this journey, our group consists not merely of one of the Ali Brothers and myself, but also includes Maulana Azad Subhani of Kanpur and Mr. Stokes, who lives in Kotgarh near Simla. The latter is member of the Congress. He has dedicated his time to working for the removal of the practice of forced labour which obtains in the hills. Mr. Stokes is married to an Indian Christian lady and has six children. He has not, to this day, taught his children a single word of English. They know only two languages Pahari and Hindi. He, too, threw his clothes into the sacrificial fire on July 31 and now dresses himself in a dhoti, shirt and cap, all made of khadi. As he has some time to spare now, he is accompanying us on this journey in order to get some experience. For many years now Mr. Stokes has been living in purely Indian style. The change in dress, though, is recent.  This time, we shall provide facilities for one style of living only, and that will be the Indian style. It seems to me that we simply cannot accommodate, on the campus, those guests who wish to live in the English style. We should notify at this very stage that the stage that the Congress is unable to undertake the responsibility of providing accommodation for those who live in perfect English style. It should suffice if we provide them with the names and addresses of hotels. But we should provide the very best facilities in Indian style. Today, the distinction is between an Indian style of accommodation which is dirty and the English style of accommodation which is clean. On the contrary, the rule should be, the greater the simplicity the greater the cleanliness and the greater the outer pomp the greater the amount of the filth within. But in modern times we associate simplicity with lack of cleanliness. We shall have to give up this attitude. 3 

The dresses were simple and of Indian style. I have gone into these details, because All-India Congress Committee too many of us is a model for the future parliament under swaraj. It is in keeping with the real state of India. It is somewhat a rejection of the poverty of the country, its simplicity and of its climatic requirements. 4 I do not know her that well. But you should acquaint yourself with her people. They are a cultured family. All of them wear khadi. I agree it is difficult for you to wear khadi. It will not be difficult for Sushila as long as she keeps up her Indian style with sari and other things. A presentable khaddar dress can be had at a reasonable price. People dressed in khadi are to be found now even in distant Edinburgh.  We met daily. There was a considerable amount of similarity between our thoughts and actions. Both of us were vegetarians. We would often have our lunch together. This was the time when I lived on 17s, a week and cooked for myself. Sometimes I would go to his room, and sometimes he would come to mine. I cooked in the English style. Nothing but Indian style would satisfy him. He could not do without dal. I would make soup of carrots, etc., and he would pity me for my taste.

Once he somehow hunted out mung, cooked it and brought it to my place. I ate it with delight. This led on to a regular system of exchange between us. I would take my delicacies to him and he would bring his to me.  Though, therefore, my house was full when the Boer War broke out, I received two Englishmen who had come from Johannesburg. Both were theosophists, one of them being Mr. Kitchin, of whom we shall have occasion to know more lately. These friends often cost my wife bitter tears. Unfortunately she has had many such trials on my account. This was the first time that I had English friends to live with me as intimately as members of my family. I had stayed in English houses during my days in England, but there I conformed to their ways of living, and it was more or less like living in a boarding house. Here it was quite the contrary.

The English friends became members of the family. They adopted the Indian style in many matters. Though the appointments in the house were in the Western fashion, the internal life was mostly Indian. I do remember having had some difficulty in keeping them as members of the family, but I can certainly say that they had no difficulty in making themselves perfectly at home under my roof. In Johannesburg these contacts developed further than in Durban.  Bengali hospitality reached its climax here. In those days I was a strict fruitarian, so all the fruits and nuts available in Calcutta were ordered for me. The ladies of the house kept awake all night skinning various nuts. Every possible care was taken in dressing fresh fruit in the Indian style. Numerous delicacies were prepared for my companions, amongst who was my son Ramdas. Much as I could appreciate this affectionate hospitality, I could not bear the thought of a whole household being occupied in entertaining two or three guests. But as yet I saw no escape from such embarrassing attentions. 5

You’re taking cold baths I do not mind so long as the body reacts immediately. There should be no chill felt. The full benefit of a cold bath according to the Indian style is dependent upon vigorous rubbing as the water is being poured. This is followed by equally vigorous rubbing with a dry towel till all the parts are thoroughly dry. But please do not try unboiled water. My case here is different. I get the same water, which is strained and stored in a separate earthen pot. The whole water supply for the jail is filtered.  6 If dhoti is worn in South Indian style, that is, without being tucked up, that would save half the length of cloth. No one should think, through ignorance or contempt or pride that it does not behoove a Gujarati to imitate a South Indian. Moreover, if any student feels that he is forced to do with shorts of coarse khadi, he has nobody but himself to blame. Why should he not spin fine yarn for his own use? By doing so, he would get a fine dhoti for the cost of the cotton and the labour charges for weaving, and would also have the satisfaction resulting from the knowledge that he had helped himself. He cannot argue, either, that he cannot spare from his studies enough time for spinning His experience will tell him that he wastes many minutes of his time every day in doing nothing or doing useless things. It would be enough if he saved some of them and spent them in spinning. 7 

You will therefore please write to him giving him the exact date of your arrival and the name of the boat. You will not expect Mr. Natesan to do more than finding lodgings for a short time. If your children can live simply and in the Indian style, he won’t find any difficulty. Nor will he find any difficulty in supporting a high style of living if you have ample money at your disposal. 8 She would have become bed-ridden long ago if I had not laid down the law from the very first and I know that she has extraordinarily accommodated herself to the Indian life. But, even she would have failed completely if she had married an Indian and made the futile attempt of bringing up her children after the Indian style. Nobody who has not lived in India like Indians can possibly have a conception of what I am writing. India is the poorest country in the world and if is a tremendous job for a Western girl to come to India and marry an Indian with a fixed determination of living the essentially Indian life. I do not recall a single Indian who has taken a European girl for his wife living the life of the average Indian. He simply cannot do it if he will do justice to his wife. And I myself much less reconciled to us to Manu having lowered his idea for the sake of Elizabeth. It is for reasons such as this I have cried out for celibacy for those who dedicate themselves completely to God, i. e., to the service of God’s creation. There is no difficulty in my treating Mira as my daughter or you, but, imagine me having any European girl as daughter-in-law. I should be frightened. I could not shoulder the burden, because I could not reconcile myself to Devdas, for instance, having to tear himself away from his natural surroundings. I feel it to be premature for Indians to contract marriage relations with Europeans. When India has improved her conditions or when Europeans have boys and girls who have become inured to uttermost simplicity and have become domiciled in India I can look forward with happiness to Indo-European marriages. 9

Munnalal suggests that the English method of book-keeping is more expensive. I believe it is true. How would it matter if we maintained accounts in the Indian style? The Indian method can also ensure accurate account-keeping. Indian firms maintain accounts in the Indian way and carry on business in millions involving dealings with English banks. And since our little affair is going to be and should be worthy of an Indian we ought to infuse into it the swadeshi atmosphere as far as possible right from the beginning. Please show this letter to Jehangirji. It was at his instance that we had agreed to maintain accounts in the English way. But I believe if opting for the English method is likely to cause an expenditure of Rs. 40 to 50 per month, Jehangirji would be in favour of saving the amount. The money that I shall contribute must be regarded as belonging to the poor. I may be getting it from the rich, but once it comes into my hands it becomes the poor man’s pie, to be spent solely for the poor. All my dealings are carried on in the same old way and it pains me that now because of my old age I cannot fully follow that way, and I also put up with the situation because I cannot get on otherwise. But I must not burden others with my foibles. 10 

I am not here looking at the matter from a religious point of view. Instead of tea, you may serve Indian-style decoction. In any case, wheat coffee will do. We cannot supply bidis. Don’t mind if persons addicted to these things do not come for treatment. Try to explain the reasons to the people. Patients suffering from tuberculosis, leprosy and other contagious diseases may be admitted if there is provision for separate accommodation for them. Non-violent honey should be extracted in the village itself. Teach the local Vagharan the improved method of extracting honey. You may even start bee-keeping. Make arrangements to supply cow’s milk and ghee. But in the absence of cow’s milk, you can supply buffalo’s or goat’s milk. 11

 

References:

 

1. Letter to Patrick Geddes, April 12, 1918
2. Navajivan, 25-4-1920
3. Navajivan, 14-8-1921
4. Young India, 10-11-1921
5. Letter to Manilal Gandhi, February 21, 1927
6. Letter to Mirabehn, July 14, 1930
7. Navajivan, 26-7-1931
8. Letter to Samuel Francis, February 25, 1933
9. Letter to Efy Aristarchi, November 16, 1933
10. Letter to Dinshaw K. Mehta, January 11, 1946
11. Note on Gramsudhar Trust, April 13, 1947