Central Board of the Servants of Untouchables Society 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];

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

 

 

 

Central Board of the Servants of Untouchables Society and Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

 

The idea was to publish the Hindi edition first and the English and the other editions after. But, as there was delay in publishing the Hindi edition, the Chairman of the Central Board of the Servants of Untouchables Society authorized the publication of the English edition without waiting for the former. 1 I am transferring it to Sjt. Amritlal Thakkar, the General Secretary of the Central Board of the Servants of Untouchables’ Society. I do not think that there will be any difficulty about granting the scholarships for the pupils you have referred to. It will be necessary; however, to forward to Sjt. Thakkar the details of the boys or girls for whom the scholarships may be required. 2

The fallacy of the argument lies in misunderstanding the purpose of the proposed tannery. It is that tanning should be a great national industry. The leather constitutes an immense business, and instead of exporting raw hide, we should keep it in India and manufacture the various things we need. It must mean a great addition to the wealth of the country. Now tens of thousands of Harijans are engaged in tanning. It is an honourable profession and a lucrative business, and can be much more lucrative if it is well organized. But the tanning done in the villages is of the crudest type. Moreover, all the processes are not performed in a hygienic or scientific manner. If they were performed in a scientific manner, there would be no prejudices against cattle skinning and tanning as they exist today. The idea, therefore, behind having a technological department at the new institution is to give dignity to the occupation, purging it of all crudeness and uncleanness. Then, again, it is not as if only Harijans will be doing the work. They will be doing it side by side with non- Harijans. No one will be forced to learn it and no one can dare suggest that no Harijan tanner would want to learn the scientific or the cleaner method. Lastly, the reference to the technological department is merely by way of illustration. If all goes well, there will be many other departments opened including even one for exploring the best method of rendering sanitary service in which all can take part. Our indifference towards it has resulted in the increase of diseases and in insanitary habits becoming confirmed. I am hoping that there will be no trade or profession neglected which can be of benefit to the Harijans, whether it has been hitherto followed by them or not. 3

The report is entirely misleading. What I said was: “If the Harijan sufferers in Bihar needed special help, apart from others, the Central Board of the Servants of Untouchables Society would have to consider how it could be rendered.” But that would mean that the Bihar Central Relief Committee had neglected the Harijan sufferers in the affected areas. I am quite sure that such an occasion would never arise, because the Central Relief Committee, as at present reconstituted, is well able to take care of the Harijan sufferers in Bihar. 4

 

References:

 

1. Harijan, 25-2-1933
2. Letter to Hilda Wood, June 30, 1933
3. Harijan, 3-11-1933  
4. The Bombay Chronicle, 16-3-1934