Question Box and Mahatma Gandhi-X

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, 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

 

 

Question Box and Mahatma Gandhi-X 

 

Q. You have rightly said that no one who has not renounced untouchability in every shape and form can take part in Satyagraha. Supposing a Congressman’s wife does not share his conviction in this regard and won’t let him bring Harijans into his house, what should he do—coerce his wife into conformity with his views, renounce her, or renounce the Satyagraha struggle?

A. No occasion for coercing your wife. You should let her go her way and you should go yours. This would mean her having a separate kitchen for herself and, if she likes, also a separate room. Thus there is no question of renouncing the struggle.

 Q. What part should a teacher who has faith in your constructive work play in the coming struggle, that of an active satyagrahi or a passive satyagrahi only?

A. The data given by you are insufficient, but from what you have given I can say that you should play the passive part.

Q. What is the duty, in the event of civil disobedience, of members of Praja Mandals in the States and the rest of the people of the States?

A. If civil disobedience is started by the Congress, it will be as against the British Government. The people of the States cannot and ought not to offer any civil disobedience in the States. Hence it follows that the Praja Mandals will remain unaffected by the Congress civil disobedience. But individuals of the States can, if they wish, join the civil disobedience campaign in British India. They can, therefore, send in their names to the nearest Congress Committee outside their State.

Q. Which is the more essential requirement in your mind for starting civil disobedience your inner urge which may make you fight even single handed or the fulfillment of your conditions by Congressmen? What will be the position if they are prepared and you have not felt the call?

A. There can be no inner urge if my conditions are not fulfilled. It is possible that there may be apparent fulfillment of conditions but there may be no inner response in me. In such a case, I cannot declare civil disobedience; but it will be open to the Congress to repudiate me and declare civil disobedience independently of me.

Q. Will those who are not now either Congress members or active satyagrahis be asked to join the movement, If so, how?

 A. They should become Congress members and have their names registered as satyagrahis.

Q. Why should not all satyagrahis ask to be included in ‘C’ class only?

A. There is a great deal to be said in favour of your suggestion.

Q. You should give your opinion clearly about secrecy. During the last struggle there was a great deal of secrecy to outwit the authorities.

 A. I am quite clear that secrecy does no good to our cause. It certainly gave joy to those who were able successfully to outwit the police. Their cleverness was undoubted. But Satyagraha is more than cleverness. Secrecy takes away from its dignity. Satyagrahis have no reason to have secret books or secret funds. I am aware that my opinion has not found favour among many co-workers. But I have seen no reason to change it. I admit I was lukewarm before. Experience has taught me that I should have been firm.

Q. You know that many Congressmen openly preached that there was no violence in damaging property, i.e., destroying rails, burning thanas when they are not occupied, cutting telegraph poles, burning post-boxes, etc.

 A. I have never been able to understand this reasoning. It is pure violence. Satyagraha is self-suffering and not inflicting suffering on others. There is surely often more violence in burning a man’s property than doing him physical injury. Have not so-called satyagrahis preferred imprisonment to fines or confiscation of their property? Well has one of my critics said that I have succeeded in teaching disruptive disobedience till at last it has come home to roost, but that I have signally failed in teaching people the very difficult art of non-violence. He has also said that in my haste I have put the cart before the horse and therefore all my talk of civil disobedience is folly if not worse. I am not able to give a satisfactory reply to this criticism. I am but a poor mortal. I believe in my experiment and in my uttermost sincerity. But it may be that the only fitting epitaph after my death will be: ‘He tried but signally failed.’   

Reference:

Harijan, 13-4-1940