Mahatma Gandhi speech Students’ Meeting, Patna

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

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Mahatma Gandhi speech Students’ Meeting, Patna

 

Mahatma Gandhi addressing the boys said that he was told by Maulana Shaukat Ali that the Hindi language was so very poor that he could not impress the audience to the extent he wanted. He enquired whether the students wanted him to address them in English. But they were all for hearing him in Hindustani. He began his speech in Hindi. He explained what he meant by Hindustani. He said that the dialect spoken by the Biharis was the language which could become the national language of India. Much as he would prefer Devanagari to become the national script, he would request every Indian to learn both Persian and Devanagari scripts, so long as their Muslim brethren did not accept the latter. Referring to the duties of the students, he said that every student should empty the Government schools and colleges or those which had any concern with the Government. Proceeding, he explained how the British Government cheated both the Hindus and Mussulmans and had forfeited the right of co-operation. He compared the present system of administration with Ravanarajya and remarked that the latter also had some good points in the sense that there existed sanyam, yajna, etc. But all this was done with a bad motive; so no good could be expected out of that.

While Lokamanya Tilak was alive the speaker thought that in his condemnations of the British Government there was some amount of exaggeration, but after his death, Jallianwala Bagh, the Turkish Peace Treaty and such other incidents had compelled him to agree with the Lokamanya. But all the same he could not see his way to accept Mr. Tilak’s axiom, “Tit for tat”. He did not like to deal with Satan in a satanic way. To him it seemed necessary that Satan should be conquered with the help of God, i.e., by purity of heart and purpose. God defeated Satan by his godly means alone. The present Government could not be of any help to India since it was Satanic. The speaker said without any fear that this Government should be either removed or reformed. And that could not be done either by giving or receiving any help from the Government. Continuing, he said that he would not study the Gita from Ravana, even if he sent a rishi for it, as there was some poison lying hidden in it. To him it seemed that there was something even in the education provided by Pandit Malaviya in his Benares University. The Government of India was trying to cajole him. But the organizer of the Hindu University did not realize that the motive of the Government was not honest. The master of the slaves could never teach liberty. Even in prescribing works of Mill, Macaulay and others who breathe the air of freedom and liberty, there existed some ill motive. It was not their—the Government’s duty.

If the speaker pretended to teach the holy Koran to the Mohammedan boys or Maulana Kalam to teach the Gita to the Hindu boys, there was treachery in that. He could read the Gita from Babu Rajendra Prasad. Mohammedan boys could learn the Koran from the maulanas. For him salvation did not lie in the Koran but in the Gita. The Gita was the best book for him. He could not leave that. His parents attained heaven by that and they taught him to read and revere the Gita. He admitted no religion higher than his and the day he would think so he would change his religion. Continuing, Mahatmaji said that he would not go to the slaves to learn lessons on liberty. The Arabs, Pathans and Egyptians could teach liberty. The Arab boys refused the temptation put before them in the shape of civilization, education or government appointments. He could not ask his lessons from Lord Sinha but from Shaukat Ali who had declared himself free Sir Edward Gait a good man. The speaker knew him well. He admitted that Sir Edward was the best of all the governors. But if he met him, he would tell him that the Government whose servant he was was bad. Liberty could not be received from him. Mr. Andrews was an Englishman, he advised them to attain swaraj without the British Government. To the speaker it seemed that Mr. Andrews was going too far; he was ready to have the Britishers as their servants or countrymen. He had no objection to cooperate with any man of any religion, caste or creed, if he was true to the Indians. His was a movement of non-co-operation. He wanted to see the Union Jack removed from whole of India. As long as that was not possible he would remove it from individual buildings and boycott those houses where the Union Jack was flying. He advised people to boycott Government functions.

The Government institutions were like a house on fire to him. The students should keep away from them. Indians could not boycott everything all of a sudden, as for a very long time they had been in the bondage of slavery. Even the food that they took had some connection with the Government, as that was produced in Government-owned lands. But people should nowhere intentionally co-operate with the Government. Gradually they could free themselves from everything. There was a rush of more people who were standing outside and the speaker at once began to speak on the value of time. He said that he could not understand how the young men who were so earnest and just beginning their lives could be so unpunctual. He told the audience how the late Mr. Gokhale valued time. When Mr. Gokhale started the Servants of India Society he used to have the doors closed before he would speak. Just after two minutes of the announced time when the gate was closed he did not even allow Sir Tata, who was his chief support, to enter the hall. Reverting to his subject he said that somebody had told him that Mr. Hassan Imam was ready to wreck his movement in a week. But when he met him the latter said that it was not so; rather, Mr. Imam was with him as far as non-co-operation was concerned and was ready to render every help required. But Mr. Hassan Imam could not understand what was meant by non-violence. If that word be removed, he would gladly join the movement. He exhorted the audience to sever their connection only if they realized that the Government was Satanic. He would gladly attend on the sick-bed of Lord Chelmsford if the latter accepted that. He would try his best for his recovery rather than to poison him. But if Lord Chelmsford offered crores even for his Ashram he would refuse that. He was informed that the college students had been allowed to volunteer their services to the Nagpur Congress but it was only a concession to pacify them, which might be withdrawn at a most crucial hour.

When the time would come many Col. Johnsons might arise and make young boys of 6 or 7 years to walk 16 miles or more in the hot sun of June in order only to salute the Union Jack. Addressing the guardians he requested them to make the boys independent. They would have to pay the fees even in the National Colleges but would be saved the insult of saluting the Union Jack. The authorities of the Hindu University and the Aligarh College thought that they were giving true education but it was not so. There the professors could not teach that the Government of India was Satanic and the boys should try to do away with it. Could they prevent Sir H. Butler from inspecting their colleges? Could the students dare not to salute him? If they did so that would be counted as insolence and not as liberty. If the Duke of Connaught wanted to visit his Ashram as a member of the Government he would not allow him to set foot in the Ashram. Of course he would have no objection in his visiting it as a private Englishman. If they wanted to be free they should remove the flag of dependence. Whilst asking them to withdraw from the schools and colleges, the speaker said that although he would not give them any promise, yet he would try to provide them with national institutions. But it was sufficient for them to run away from fire. They could shun the present education. The real education consisted in doing one’s duty. Students could become engineers, doctors, agriculturists, if they had a free country. What would they do with the degree of slavery? They should take their lessons from Maulvi Haq and Rajendra Babu and become free, standing on their own legs. It was slavery to think that the degrees afforded food and drink. It was not a degree but God who gave them food. They should not think what would become of their mothers and wives; they should support them by working like a coolie, rather than by serving under the Government.

If they had the courage to do that they should non-co-operate, otherwise not. If everyone non-co-operated the speaker was sure that swaraj would be obtained within one year. They should not wait for the others to do it. When one suffered from cholera one would never think of taking medicine after others had taken it. There was no reason why they should wait to become free till others had obtained liberty. First they should become free themselves and then they should go to villages and teach liberty in small schools started by them. The speaker did not mean that they should disrespect their parents. They could even do that if that was the dictate of their inner soul, but not because he had said so. He himself had much reverence for his parents and he would teach obedience and not insolence. Students should most respectfully convince their guardians after deciding in a cooler moment. He had appealed to the guardians also so many times to withdraw their boys from schools and none objected to that.

They might ask how they were to recognize the voice of their soul. He said that if they were true to God and practiced yama and niyama, they would recognize the voice of God within them. They should patiently hear even those who did not think with them. Proceeding, he explained what the students were to do and how. The students must rely on themselves and not on him. The students of today were the leaders of tomorrow. They should not decide anything in haste. It was better for them not to withdraw if they had to go again to the schools. It was better to be drowned in the Ganges than withdraw when once they had joined it.

Reference:

 The Searchlight, 8-12-1920