Management of Mahatma Gandhi, Part- II

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No- 09404955338

E-mail- [e-mail]

 

Management of Mahatma Gandhi; Part-2

 

Management in all organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing. Mahatma Gandhi knew the important of management very well. He applied it in his every Ashram and constructive work. He taught his every associate about management. Mahatma Gandhi wrote about management in this word; “I am sorry to say that the management of these houses is far from satisfactory and consequently they are not doing a swinging business. I should like educated traders who have a good knowledge of English to go there, mix with the people, see the secret of their success and then return to India, open up branches in England and India in an improved style. I have been told that we stand a fair chance of doing a good business in selling carved wood and stones and feathers in England. Everyone knows how many feathers are daily wasted away in almost every part of India. Since they are a saleable commodity in Europe, we are wasting away real wealth simply through sheer ignorance or indifference. These are mere instances. There must be various other things which would sell in England.”1 Mahatma Gandhi wrote about management in this word;  “What an incalculable good it must be to a nation whose members know an occupation which can stand them in good stead in distress. The refugees’ life would have taken a nobler turn if they had all been spinners or carders or weavers. The refugees’ camp would then have presented the appearance of a busy hive and could have been kept up indefinitely. If the men do not decide to return at once, it is not yet too late to mend. It is a mistake to issue dry rations. It is no doubt less trouble to the committee of management but it means more waste and utter indiscipline among the refugees. They should place themselves under soldiers, discipline keeping regular hours for rising, washing, praying, feeding, working and retiring. There is no reason why there should not be Ramayana readings or such other readings for them. All this requires thought, care, attention and diligence. Given these the calamity could be turned into a blessing in disguise.”61

“I regard you as soldiers in this campaign. It is not possible for you to reason out things for yourselves. You have come to the Ashram because you have faith in the management. That does not mean faith in me. I am not manager. I am directing the movement so far as ideals and general direction are concerned. Your faith therefore must be in those who are managers for the time being. The choice before coming to the Ashram was yours. But having made your choice and come to the Ashram it is not for you to reason why. If we are to become a powerful nation you must obey all directions that may be given to you from time to time. That is the only way in which either political or religious life can be built up. You must have determined for yourselves certain principles and you must have joined the struggle in obedience to those principles. Those who remain in the Ashram are taking as much part in the struggle as those who go and offer Satyagraha at the barricades.”62

 “If the Indian Princes entrust the education department to us we should certainly take it over, but we must lay down out conditions in doing so. Our rules regarding khadi, spinning, etc., must be accepted there. We should regard as untouchable a department which shuns Antyajas. If we take over the management of such departments hoping to introduce our reforms gradually, we shall be swallowed up by them. If becomes very difficult to renounce something that has been accepted. Not for a moment can we afford to be indifferent to the rules which we regard as essential.”63

“I constantly hear complaints to the effect that spinning-wheels do not ply in Bombay, no one buys khadi, the people are not found wearing it, black caps are again as common as in 1920, national schools are closing down, etc., etc. Bombay is being served by two khadi bhandars2 and the All-India Khadi Board. Together, their sales do not exceed Rs. 30,000. Shri Jerajani3 has published the figures for four years, which throw some useful light. It is now the fifth year since the bhandar started working under his management.”64 “I wonder whether it is a real sign of civilization when the number of hospitals in a particular place is larger than in another place. I wonder whether it is really a test of growth to find in the catalogues and in the directories of medical men that every year their sales are increasing by leaps and bounds and that the inmates in the hospitals and dispensaries are increasing. I really wonder whether it is a sign of real progress. However, I know that there is the other side of it. I don't want to labour only on one side of this question. But, in all humility I have placed [these] for consideration of those who are put in charge of the management of this great institution.”65

“A Gujarati correspondent writes to say that he observed some khaddar on the persons of Gujaratis in Karachi and that a spinning class for ladies was being conducted under Mr. Ranchhoddas’s management, but that there was little or no khaddar among the Sindhis themselves.”66 “The great flood overwhelmed parts of Rajshahi and Bogra districts in the September of 1922, devastating nearly 4,000 square miles of Northern Bangal. The loss was estimated at one crore rupees. The first difficulty felt was that of organizing the Relief organization and co-ordinating the activities of Relief parties that sprang up like mushrooms. Everyone who knows anything of relief works knows that the mere will to serve for money are of no avail if the requisite knowledge and ability are wanting. By judicious handling overlapping and ignorant management were checked.”67 “Now the management has undertaken to do away with half-khaddar and confine their attention only to pure khaddar. It was a perfect pleasure to watch about a hundred boys spinning all at the same time. Upon inquiry, I found that the attendance had not suffered by reason of compulsory spinning. The head master told me that he could not have continued it if the parents had disapproved of it or the boys resented it.”68

“The object of satyagraha was to get rid of abuses in connection with the temple and to secure public entry to the Lakshmi Narain Temple. There is no question under the Court’s order of any reversion to the old abuses or prohibition to temple entry. It is a matter of no moment to satyagrahis who has possession so long as the Temple management is pure and it is not the Mohunt who has the management.”69 “The spinning-wheel movement does not need the prestige of the Congress name as much as the Swarajists need it. The former depends for its success entirely on constructive work, whereas the success of the latter’s activities depends on cultivation of public opinion. I, therefore, intend to propose at the forthcoming meeting of the All- India Congress Committee that it should accord the Swaraj Party the dominant place and set up a separate body to promote spinning, make this body a part of the Congress and entrust it with the responsibility of carrying on the movement. If this is done, it will also make the propagation of khadi easier in a way, and the body set up to promote spinning, not being dependent on votes, will also be free from the uncertainty resulting from changes in public opinion. Once a public opinion in favour of spinning has come into existence, the spread of the movement depends wholly on money and management, that is, on business ability. Hence the body to be set up should be the business wing of the Congress. The leaders assembled in Calcutta seemed to be in favour of this too.”70

“I do not know what we in India can do to help China in her distress. We ourselves are in need of help. If we had any voice in the management of our own affairs, we should not tolerate the humiliating and degrading spectacle of Indian soldiers shooting innocent Chinese students and others like rabbits, i.e., if the story recited in the cablegram is to be believed. We can, therefore, only pray for their deliverance from all their troubles. But the situation in China reminds us that our slavery is not merely injurious to ourselves, but it is also injurious to our neighbours.”71 “Every rupee voted for its management must be devoted to the development of cottage industries, and, therefore, all the activities of  he Institute should be devoted to the exploration of possibilities of hand-spinning, and the antecedent processes and instruction therein.”72

“I have doubts whether the goshala at Liluah is properly located. That the buildings are not of the right kind can be judged even by a layman like me who knows nothing about the scientific method of running goshalas. There are no instruments there for examining the quality of the milk and other products. There is no one there who can say whether it is possible to increase the yield of milk. The institution seems to be the responsibility of no one. I would advice those who are in charge of it to consult experts in the management of goshalas and employ paid workers who know their job and leave it to them to run it. Institutions of this kind should train people in rearing cattle and bullocks, provide instruction in regared to improved techniques of castration, cattle feed and the methods of growing them, hygienic processes of obtaining milk and of removing skin and processing it. So long as there is indifference in those matters, we should feel that goshalas are not being put to the best use. We should feel ashamed even if a single cow or bullock dies an untimely death or is exported. I am convinced that this can be easily prevented through goshalas.”73

“The boys and girls learn all the subjects taught in the ordinary primary schools. In addition they have hand-spinning. The management at first tried the wheels. Among so many boys and girls, the wheels were found to be too expensive and inconvenient because of the space required. They have, therefore taken up the takli which every scholar can possess. It was a fine sight to see several hundred boys and girls spinning all at the same time. Their average speed is 30 to 40 yards per hour each. They have already spun 2 mds. and 8 seers of good yarn.”74 “I would like you to take over the tannery provided it is available on these terms; I would also like you to undertake its management. If that is not practicable, I shall find someone else who can manage it. The tannery has a few acres of land which I have seen myself. Shri Madhusudan Das has spent a considerable amount on it out of his own pocket.”75

 

 

 

“Leniency in the management of a public trust is a misplaced virtue and may often amount to an unpardonable breach. I know that a false notion of non-co-operation has often come in the way of proceedings being taken against defaulters. But as I have so often pointed out, laws are made by institutions for self-preservation, not for suicide. When, therefore, they hamper their growth they are worse than useless, and must be set aside. Boycott of law-courts was undertaken in order to invigorate the nation, to wean people from running on the slightest pretext to law-courts, to popularize private arbitration, never to bolster up fraud or cover defaulters. It proceeded upon the assumption that Congressmen would at least carry out their obligations to one another and to the Congress without the necessity of resort even to arbitration, much less to law-courts. I hope, therefore, that those gentlemen who owe anything to the Khadi Board will hasten to discharge their debts and will not put the Board to the painful necessity of taking proceedings against them.”76

“What can others do with an immoral family? The reason why something can be done in regard to Shivajibhai is that we have a hand in the management of his affairs. But we do not have the right to interfere in the affairs of others who run such institutions. We have comparatively less right to interfere in Charitravijayji’s case.”77 “From non-co-operation, we are hurrying down to cooperation. Presently we shall perform an operation in amputation so that we have nothing but the useless trunk left! Here are some of the conditions imposed upon what was at one time a well-managed national school, if it is to receive Government recognition: The present head master should not only resign, but should not be a member of the School Committee and should have nothing to do with the management in any shape or form. He must not live on the school premises. The boys and teachers must not take part in political meetings or in any anti-Government demonstrations. The rules governing the management should be so changed as to render non-co-operation in future impossible.”78

 

 

 

“The indentured labourers, who joined this Corps, were under the charge of English overseers from their respective factories. But the work for them was the same as for ourselves and as we were all to live together, they were highly pleased at the prospect, and the management of the entire Corps naturally passed into our hands. Thus the whole Corps was described as the Indian Corps, and the community received the credit for its work. As a matter of fact the Indians were not entitled to the credit for the inclusion of indentured labourers in the Corps, which should rightly have gone to the planters. But there is no doubt that the free Indians, that is to say, the Indian community, deserved credit for the excellent management of the Corps when once it was formed and this was acknowledged by General Buller in his despatches.”79 “Shri Madanjit had come to Johannesburg to canvass subscribers for the paper as well as to confer with me as regards the management of the press. Every month I had to meet a small or large deficit, and I was therefore desirous of having a more definite idea of my possible liabilities. Madanjit had no experience of printing press business and I had been thinking since the beginning that it would be well to associate a trained hand with him. The plague broke out in the meantime, and as Madanjit was just the man for such a crisis, I put him on to nursing. And I closed with West’s unexpected offer and told him that he was to go not temporarily while the epidemic lasted but for good. Hence his report on the prospects of the paper just referred to.”80

“You have put me a most difficult question: Whether asking for Government recognition or financial assistance from the government for your institution is a moral sin or not is a question solely for you or the management to decide. For one whom there is no consciousness of sin in a matter of this character there is no sin. A stranger’s opinion therefore is of no value in determining the nature of the act proposed.”81 “I have your letter. I saw your telegram about Utkal. After going through the figures, I advised Shankerlal to authorize to give you Rs. 2,000-0-0. As you know, personally I am intensely dissatisfied with the Utkal management.”82

“The selling prices of khaddar shall be not more than the cost price up to weaving plus 61 2 % for the expenses of management.”83 “A friend has written to me making some complaints against the Rashtriya Vinay Mandir1, at Surat, the reason for writing to me being that he has heard a rumour to the effect that the control and management of the Mandir are to be handed over to me. Instead of discussing the complaints, let me state the existing position.”84 “The suggestion about testing the strength of yarn deserves the same attention as that about carding. This is necessary to ensure the strength of the yarn. If the quality of yarn is carefully maintained, khadi will become cheaper. That is, with the same rates of payment as at present, there will be improvement in regard to quality and price. In big factories, they are able to increase the profits, without raising the prices of the products, merely by skilful management.”85

“The interest is intended to be purely nominal. And, where the following sentence occurs the selling price of khadi up to weaving plus 61 4 % for the expenses of management please say the sale price of khaddar shall not be above the rates fixed by the Association from time to time.”86 “Expenses on management have not been counted in working out this figure. The payment for carding is not always Rs. 3. It varies between Rs. 21 2 and Rs. 3. Payment is at the rate of Rs. 3 only if the carding is of the highest quality. The rate of payment for spinning is 2 paise per count, and the Rs. 71 2 counted here is for yarn of seven counts. These rates, therefore, should be considered as approximate. The price at which the khadi is sold includes half an anna per yard added to the cost as worked out above, but that is not sufficient to defray the expenses on management. Shri Jivanlal’s grant will be utilized to meet this loss and any other loss which may occur will be met from the general collections made. But the aim is to see that management expenses do not exceed one anna per rupee. This ideal, however, has not been realized any- where in the country. But, as we gain experience, the workers become more efficient and the quality of spinning improves, the expenses on management will come down. The position today is not what it was four years ago. The point which anyone who buys khadi should note is this, that deducting the half anna per yard for management expenses, the rest of the price they pay for khadi, i.e., 2 annas per yard, goes into the pockets of the cultivators and the persons engaged in carding, spinning and weaving. If, even from this, we deduct the cost of cotton, the wages paid for carding, spinning and weaving come to one and a quarter times the cost of cotton. The reason for calling attention to all this is to tell the consumer who buys khadi that, if indigenous cotton is used in manufacturing all the cloth we require, not only will the cost of cotton be paid to our cultivators but the balance of the price paid by him will also go into the pockets of our workers.”86

“I am immersed in my own work. At the present moment it is all in the Ashram and about the Ashram. I take three classes daily on Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana. The work pleases me. Spinning, of course, is done with religious punctuality and the balance of the time is used to editing the two papers and attending to correspondents. We have now established a council for the management of the Ashram. This takes up a vast amount of time.”87 “Of late many young men have been coming to the Satyagraha Ashram, without warning, and without permission, either to stay for a short time or to be admitted as candidates for membership. Much as the management would like to find room for all who choose to come, whether as visitors or candidate members, it is physically impossible even to make the attempt.”88

“Of late many young men have been coming to the Satyagraha Ashram, without warning, and without permission, either to stay for a short time or to be admitted as candidates for membership. Much as the management would like to find room for all who choose to come, whether as visitors or candidate members, it is physically impossible even to make the attempt. The Ashram is at present taxed to its utmost capacity and the management has been obliged to put off even friends who had sought previous permission and intended to find their own expenses. It is improper for young men to come without notice and permission.”89 “I have your usual balance-sheet for which I thank you. Our accountant here tells me that if in your next balance-sheet you will send the amount of capital investment in the khadi work and the management expenses, he will be able to appreciate the figures better.”90

“There are no differences of opinion between Bhai Shivji and myself. But I have formed a certain opinion regarding his character and his management of affairs on the basis of Shivji’s own confessions. This opinion I conveyed to the executive committee of the Kathiawar Political Conference, and I proposed, as I felt bound, to publish it in the Navajivan. But before I did so, I wrote to Bhai Shivji, so as to avoid any injustice being done to him. The question before me was whether I should or should not publish my opinion about Bhai Shivji. This cannot be described as a difference of opinion.”91 “I must, however, say that Bhai Shivji’s behaviour in every respect, after my inquiry about him, has confirmed my opinion against him. First, I was the judge and others were the complainants. They had given money to Bhai Shivji. When my viewpoint became unacceptable to Bhai Shivji, even I was declared to be a complainant. Now Bhai Shivji, in his statement, seems to consider me at fault. But he and all those who are interested in the social workers obeying more or less the rules and regulations of morality, and who desire faultless management of public funds should know that the proposal to appoint the Panch was for the benefit of Bhai Shivji. He is still guilty in my opinion. His lapses are grave and he has confessed most of them. The panchnama, which I could never have signed, was drawn up as far as I know, by Bhai Shivji himself. By issuing this statement Bhai Shivji has added salt to the wound and made his guilt worse.”92

“Since an expert in the art of dairy management is available, the President has been authorized to spend up to Rs. 50,000 in order to implement the experiment of a dairy.”93 “And as this is to be a purely business tour, the meetings should be so arranged and the audiences should be so seated as to leave passages for collectors to pass to and fro. All shoutings and noises should be avoided. I have observed that where management is efficient, collections mount up. The audiences have invariably been found by me to be responsive. Though the thousands of the rich are welcome, I know that it is the coppers and the single rupees of the poor people that bless the movement. It is theirs and let them freely contribute to it their mite.”94 “I have just been to the Rashtriya Pathshala. I have inspected for nearly an hour like a strict inspector all the management and working of the institution and found it to my satisfaction. I have thoroughly examined the boys in a lively heart-to-heart talk and found them sharp in intellect and prompt in answers.”95

“Every such institution should be situated out in the open where it is possible to have plenty, i.e., thousands of acres, of open ground capable of growing fodder and giving exercise to the cattle. If I had the management of all the goshalas, I should sell the majority of the present ones at handsome profits and buy suitable plots in the vicinity except where the existing places may be needed for mere receiving depots.”96 “This consummation is impossible if the goshalas take in buffaloes, goats, etc. So far as I can see, much as I would like it to be otherwise. not until the whole of India becomes vegetarian, can goats and sheep be saved from the butcher’s knife. Buffaloes can be saved if we will not insist upon buffalo’s milk and religiously avoid it in preference to cow’s milk. In Bombay on the other hand, the practice is to take buffalo’s milk instead of cow’s milk. Physicians unanimously declare that cow’s milk is medically superior to buffalo’s milk and it is the opinion of dairy experts that cow’s milk can by judicious management be made much richer than it is at present found to be.”97

“You have taken on yourselves the management of the store. I regard it as a great step forward. Now stick diligently to the work. God will help you to succeed. There are plenty of other such duties that you can undertake by which you can bring credit to the Ashram. But I am in no hurry about it. Since your minds are pure, you will gradually take up many new duties of your own accord. Concentrate for the present upon making the management of the store a complete success. Do not neglect even the smallest detail connected with it. You must of course learn how to keep accounts. Do not imagine that it is difficult. It is very easy to keep and understand accounts. Addition may be difficult. If one does not know the multiplication tables or addition, one would certainly experience some difficulty. But addition comes with practice. Learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and simple division, whichever it is that you do not know. All this does involve a little trouble, but once you have mastered these processes the rest is all very easy. If one has the will, one may even find it interesting.”98

“We are so far behind, indeed, that we have not even enough trained workers to conduct dairies and tanneries along the lines suggested by Sjt. Vaidya. There are at least 1,500 pinjrapoles and goshalas according to the figures in my possession, which can, without much further donation, but by efficient management, test the usefulness of the methods. Their adoption will simply revolutionize the management of these institutions and put life into these, today for the most part, lifeless bodies. These pinjrapoles and goshalas, as they are at present being conducted, are more a salve to our conscience than a protection to the cow.”99 “The work can be accomplished by the existing pinjrapoles. They have capital, buildings, and above all, public sympathy. What is needed is good management and enterprise. When a pinjrapole maintains about 100 or 200 retired cattle, it can add a few good cows that will support themselves and leave a margin for the other heads. If the cows are well kept, regularly bred to good bulls, and the calves well cared for, during a short period these should become places where the dairyman can purchase his foundation stock, the agriculturist may get his draft cattle, the fancy cattle-keeper the use of a good bull, the needy man his sick animals well treated, the ignorant cow-owner guidance in the best way of maintaining his live-stock, and what is more important, all from the child in the cradle to the old man on the deathbed may get pure milk and its nourishing products at moderate rate.”100

“Sjt. Rajagopalachari has shown me your letter. I thank you for the warning about the management of Khadi Funds. I do not know what happened to the Khilafat Funds, except that the banker with whom the funds were placed failed. But I may state that I never had anything to do with the management of the Khilafat Fund. For the Khadi Funds, I am certainly responsible. There is a Council of the All- India Spinners’ Association which is entrusted with these Funds and their management. Seth Jamnalal Bajaj who is a very well-known merchant of long standing and a director of several important concerns is the treasurer of the Association. Sjt. Shankerlal Banker who is the son of late Ghelabhai Banker of the Bank of Bombay is the Secretary. The moneys are kept in well-known banks. Proper books of account are kept and they are audited by chartered accountants from time to time. The are inspectors appointed to inspect the accounts of subordinate organizations. Everything that is humanly possible to safeguard the Funds and their proper distribution is being done.”101

“And whilst I believed then, as I believe even now, that for many things the railway management is criminally guilty in connection with the comfort of third-class passengers, I also came to the conclusion which I retain even now that for equally important matters railway passengers were themselves liable. I am fully aware of the fact that third-class passengers are the most paying customers of the railway and that the first-class passengers are practically a loss to the railways. I know that the Railway Board does not provide enough accommodation for third-class passengers; nor does it ensure primary sanitation on railway stations or in railway carriages for third-class passengers. All these things and many more I could mention if I had the time. They undoubtedly demand attention on the part of a reformer in connection with this matter. But let us turn the searchlight towards ourselves for a few moments. Our own neglect of sanitation in the railway carriages as also on the stations is no less than the negligence of the Railway Board. And I know that when I was organizing relief parties in connection with third-class railway passengers how difficult it was for me to enlist volunteers for doing the special work of carrying on education amongst the third-class railway passengers about the primary needs of sanitation. Every railway passenger traffic reformer has therefore to extend the activities of municipal boards. On this analogy that charity begins at home, the reformer must first commence with the passengers themselves and patiently and gently inculcate in them habits of personal sanitation and habits of consideration for their fellow-passengers. I suggest to this useful Association that this is a privileged work of which every reformer may be proud.”102

“Let me redeclare my own faith. For boycott to be swiftly brought about a combination between khadi and truly indigenous mills is desirable, but not absolutely necessary. I use the words truly indigenous, because we have bogus mills in India which are Indian only in the sense that they are located in the country but whose shareholders, whose management, whose spirit are mainly, when not wholly, foreign. But if the indigenous mills cannot or will not lead or join national movement, I am convinced that khadi alone can achieve the boycott if the politically-minded India has the will, the faith and the energy required for the purpose. We have not enough horsepower expressed through steam engines, oil engines or electricity, but we have an inexhaustible reservoir of manpower lying idle and pleading to be used, and essentially qualified for the purpose. Oh, for a faith that would see and use this supply of living power!”103

“High and low prices are no necessary indication of the prosperity or depression of a country. It is infinitely better that I grow my vegetable even if the cost is a trifle higher than that I should depend for them on someone else. Then I shall try to reduce the cost by judicious and skilful management. The gain in skill, comfort and the knowledge that we grow our vegetables is much greater than the little gain we might have in getting vegetables cheap in Ahmadabad. Even in the matter of producing cloth we could do it in no time and quite cheap if we were left to our own resources.”104

“The Ashram has a branch at Wardha, which observes nearly the same rules, but which is independent of the Ashram in respect of management and finance. Sjt. Vinoba Bhave is the Manager of the branch.”105 “But either he or you will please inform the Secretary of the Ashram beforehand when he may be expected. With reference to your questions, you can answer them for yourself if you are a constant reader of Young India or Navajivan. If you are not, I should suggest your searching the files of these papers. I think it is possible for you to receive training at the Young India office if you can begin work as a common labourer. But this depends more upon the manager than upon me as I do not interfere with the management of the press.”106 “In as much as the All-India Cow-protection Association has not been able to command public attention and sympathy commensurate with the all-India character it has claimed, and inasmuch as its activities have been confined to the slow spread of the objects of the Association and especially to helping to conduct a dairy and tannery at the Satyagraha Ashram in terms of the objects of the Association, and inasmuch as the subscriptions and donations are mainly confined to those who are interested in the experiment, and inasmuch as the numerous goshalas and pinjrapoles which were expected to respond to and be affiliated to the Association have failed to do so, the existing members of the Association hereby resolve to disband it and to adopt the less pretentious title of Cow-protection and Preservation Society and to entrust the affairs, management and control of the funds and stock of the Association to the following Committee of Management of the Society with full powers to disburse the funds, conduct the said experiments, to add to their number and otherwise carry out the objects of the Association and to frame a constitution and rules for the management of the Society and to make such amendment thereof as may from time to time be required.”107

“I am sorry that it is not possible for me to send you Young India or Young India literature free. The management does not encourage such applications if only because of the number received daily.”108 “I remind you that the very first exhibition of this type was undertaken at the Ahmadabad Congress in 1921.1 It drew huge audiences. The entrance fee, a paltry sum, left a good surplus. Wherever there is good and efficient management of exhibitions of an educative character, they are not only useful and instructive but they are remunerative. Such was the case in Bihar. One indispensable condition of Congress Exhibitions should be that we should never undertake them for finding our expenses and leaving besides a handsome sum. Unfortunately this very undesirable thing was done in Madras exposing us to an evil temptation. I wish that Bengal which has abundant patriotism, self-sacrifice and fine sentiment will rise superior to such temptations.”109

“You will forgive me for delaying to reply to your letter of 21^st September for such a long time. The fact is that every admission to the Ashram is regulated by a Committee of Management to which I have referred your letter, and I have just learnt the decision of the Committee that in the present state of the Ashram, it is not possible to keep disabled men, the scope of the Ashram being entirely different. I am sorry indeed that the Ashram is not able to provide shelter for the young man,1 but I am sure you will appreciate the difficulty of the Committee of Management.”110 “The subscriptions that an institution annually receives are a test of its popularity and the honesty of its management; and I am of opinion that every institution should submit to that test. But let no one misunderstand me. My remarks do not apply to the bodies which cannot, by their very nature, be conducted without permanent buildings. What I mean to say is that the current expenditure shoud be found from subscriptions voluntarily received from year to year.”111

“Before very long she became more a daughter or a sister to me than a mere steno typist. I had scarcely any reasonT3 to find fault with her work. She was often entrustedT4 with the management of funds amounting to thousands of pounds, and she was in charge of account books. She won my complete confidence, but what was perhaps more, she confided to me her innermost thoughts and feelings. She sought my advice in the final choice of her husband, and I had the privilege to give her away in marriage. As soon as Miss Dick became Mrs. Macdonald, she had to leave me, but even after her marriage she did not fail to respond, whenever under pressure I made a call upon her.”112 “She knew neither night nor day in toiling for the cause. She ventured out on errands in the darkness of the night all by herself, and angrily scouted any suggestion of an escort. Thousands of stalwart Indians looked up to her for guidance. When during the Satyagraha days almost every one of the leaders was in jail, she led the movement single-handed. She had the management of thousands, a tremendous amount of correspondence and Indian Opinion in her hands, but she never wearied.”113 “An ideal hostel would be almost more important to the student than school. In fact, the hostel is the real school. In schools or colleges the students get only verbal knowledge, while in the hostels they get all kinds of knowledge. An ideal hostel should not be a separate institution from the school; hence, both should be under the same management, and teachers and students should live together. Thus, we should make the hostels like home, and create in them ideal conditions for growth and development such as do not obtain even in real homes. Therefore, the thing to do would be to turn the hostels into gurukuls.”114

“I should like it if the entire management of the goshala is independent of the Udyoga Mandir or the Ashram. We may set apart for it the necessary land and give it on nominal rent. Let Parnerkar then run it on his own responsibility. “On his own responsibility” means that he himself will have to think about the rules for its running. As for money, he may enjoy all the facilities which are available today. He will, however, be free to employ men of his own choice. He may, if he wishes, appoint a committee to help him. In other words, he may take up the work if he is ready to dedicate himself to the dairy. He should supply milk, etc., to the Ashram, and to other if he can manage. If any of the persons who belong to the Ashram wish to work with him, they may. Some should join even in order to help him. It should be left to Parnerkar’s choice whether or not he should continue to live as an inmate of the Ashram. If you wish, you can make this change before I return there. You will require for that purpose the consent of the Cow-Service Society. But there will be no difficulty in getting it.”115 “Personally, I would see no harm in handing over the management to Raojibhai. But you can say more about this; I can say nothing.”116

“Lastly, the reader should know that all mills because they are built on the Indian soil may not be called indigenous. They are mills that are indigenous only in name. They are owned and managed by foreigners, their shareholders are foreigners, they exclude Indians from management or shares, and the major part of their earnings is drained away from India. The only thing that India gets out of their earnings is the paltry labourers’ wages. These mills are no more indigenous than the existing Government. These can never help the movement.”117 “I thank you for your prompt reply. Evidently I confounded customs with octroi duty but I did mean the latter. All over India khadi is being exempted from octroi duty, for it means tax on the labour of the poorest and the most deserving. I wish you could exert yourself to have this tax removed. The best way to promote this village industry is to have a department as Mysore has for the supply of cheap and efficient wheels with accessories. Under capable management there is ample scope for improvement.”118

“Sjt. Jamnalalji, the Secretary of the Congress Antiuntouchability Committee, has succeded in having the famous Dattatreya temple of Elichpur, the former capital of Berar, thrown open to the so-called untouchables. He performed the opening ceremony before a distinguished gathering on 31st July last. The temple is one of the biggest in Elichpur which has a population of 38,000. It was built 15 years ago at a cost of Rs. 83,000 by the efforts of Swami Vimalanand. The Committee of Management consists of 24 of whom 18 voted for the opening. There is a board of 5 trustees who were unanimous in their decision in favour of the opening.”119 “I should be happy if the Ashram passes under the management of Thakkar Bapa. If Mama places himself under his discipline, it will be to his good. But if, having done that, he is asked by Thakkar Bapa to leave, he should be ready quietly to submit. Such a contingency is not impossible. Mama has many other fields of service. Amalgamating the Ashram with Antyaja Seva Mandal should not be taken to mean that the ownership of the land or the buildings should be passed to to the latter. If the Ashram is handed over, the Antyaja Seva Mandal can only be given a lease of the buildings at nominal rent.”120

“I got your letter. I have no doubt at all in my mind about the need of running the kitchen and succeeding in it. The problem of its management will be solved through actual experience. Our duty is to see that though the burden and the responsibility rest on the women, we act in such a manner that the women do not feel the burden and the responsibility and yet are aware that they are theirs. There is the well-known illustration of Queen Victoria and her ministers. Though the responsibility was the Queen’s, the ministers let no burden fall on her. However, this after all is wisdom from a distance. The main thing is to ensure that the experiment succeeds whatever the method we follow in running the kitchen.”121 “A true priest always feels happy when the employer does something good or looks well or fares well. Thakkar Bapa is a true priest of the Antyajas, Bhils and others and so, if the latter, i.e., his employers, do something good or gains something, he becomes crazy with joy and in his ecstasy he forgets his old age and, if he is ill, even his illness. He experienced this joy in Navasari. The readers of Navajivan know that a fine Antyaja ashram is functioning there. It is under Thakkar Bapa’s management. But he is likely to forget himself when he finds there something good. If someone were to accuse him of self-praise, he has enough self-confidence to swallow the charge. Describing the gathering held under the chairmanship of Bhai Dayalji, Thakkar Bapa writes: Let us also share his happiness.”122

 

 

“The management of the said Navajivan Institution and the use and administration of its property was carried on by Swami Anand for the past several years and is now being carried on for the past two years by one of us Mohanlal Maganlal Bhatt on its behalf in pursuance of the aims and objects of the Institution as mentioned in paras 3 and 4 of this Deed. Having declared these aims and objects, we declare by this Deed that the said printing press, weeklies, the publishing house, its rights of publication and goodwill and all other property belong to the said Navajivan Institution; that its management and administration was carried on behalf of the Institution in the name of Swami Anand in the beginning and is now being carried on in the name of one of us Mohanlal Maganlal Bhatt as Trustee of the Institution; that we, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Mohanlal Maganlal Bhatt or guardians and heirs of both of us never did have or have any personal share, interest or right in it, and that we have not drawn for our personal profit or benefit or in any other manner any amount of money from it.”123 “The Trustees have the right to manage and administer affairs of the Institution in such manner as is not in any way detrimental to the aims and objects of the Institution; to form a body of workers who pledge themselves to their work for life and will perform their work in the spirit of pure service and to give the charge of the internal management or the whole conduct of the affairs of the Institution to such a body of workers if they deem it proper; to lay down rules, bye-laws, etc., and to execute them for such a body of workers and for other purposes regarding management and administration.”124

“The exhibition too should not be a side-show to defray the expenses of the Reception Committee which should easily pay its expenses if it did its work in a businesslike manner. The contractors I have in mind need to, through the licence fees they would pay, defray all the expenses of the central office which under the plan suggested by me would only have to do the work of inspection of the several departments and general management.”125 “The W. C. notes with sorrow that Dr. Syed Mahmud has recently had three deaths in his family including the loss of his elder brother who was the manager of his large joint household and its mainstay. The difficulty is intensified by the fact that Dr. Mahmud’s wife is suffering from a serious illness. In the circumstances the W. C. is of opinion that Dr. Mahmud should not be allowed to run the imminent risk of being arrested and therefore relieves him of the office of Secretary of the Congress and membership of the Committee till such time as may be necessary for making satisfactory arrangements for the management of his domestic affairs.”126

“The Majoor Mahajan used to be paid the interest on the National School funds. That pleased me and I believe you too were pleased. But now that money has stopped coming in. I had asked M. Sheth not to stop it. Nevertheless it was stopped. The objection was that the mill-owners should have a say in its management this was of course a difference of principle. It is for the Mahajan to decide how the Majoor School should be run. Moreover, it is they themselves who run it. Even the inspectors have been satisfied. I too have inspected it. I have noticed progress every time. Be that as it may, we cannot have a hand in managing the affairs of an institution to which we make a donation. For then it ceases to be a donation. I had explained this even at the time I asked for donations from you. You had remarked that my work was of a political and social nature. After this was made clear, you gave me this money for social work. Likewise you accepted my views generously. It is not proper that you should now demand a hand in the management. I ask you to have a committee of inspection. If you feel that the work is not being carried on properly, you may stop your donations. Even the Government does not participate in the management though it does supervise. You too can do what you like as inspectors. Even then if you do not like to donate funds, I shall make another suggestion. The people are filled with admiration for the school that is being run there, the Montessori school. Donate money to him to Prof. Miller. The labourers need that money. You talk of the increase in the wages of labourers. I must tell you that even sons of big men study there and do not pay full fees. You seem to desire that this school should be run on the small sum that the labourers save. Do the labourers collect money for the purpose of fighting?” 127

 

 

“I believe you have joined the common kitchen now. Will you also stay in the Hostel? Nanibehn should live only on milk and fruit. If she does that, she will be all right. This is a rare opportunity for women. I think it will be a great achievement on their part if they assume the entire burden of the internal management of the Ashram.”128

“I have asked those three gentlemen from Madras and the two from Bengal to return. They do feel sorry. If you see them repenting when they arrive there and if they are keen on joining the Ashram again, take them back. There is no harm in doing so if they are real workers. But I do not wish to interfere with your management, and that is why I refused to give them any letter.”129  “We feel that there is a vast difference between the two positions. Where Pandit Motilalji visualizes a Free India enjoying a status different in kind from the present as a result of the deliberations of the proposed Round Table Conference, the Viceroy’s letter merely commits him and his Government and the British Cabinet to an earnest desire to assist the people of  India to obtain as large a degree of the management of their own affairs as can be shown to be consistent with making provision for those matters in regard to which they are not at present in a position to assume responsibility. In other words, the prospect held out by the Viceroy’s letter is one of getting, at the most, something more along the lines of reforms commencing with those known to us as the Lansdowne Reforms.”130 “I have come to Lucknow on account of Panditji’s illness and I shall stay here for the time being. It will do no harm if Satisbabu fasts once every month. Those who join the Ashram on condition that they will observe its rules must observe them. But old inmates should not be turned out if they do not follow new rules. But the rules formulated for the sake of good management must be followed at all cost. The point is that rules should be such that no one can say that they are something new, that is, they should be in keeping with local conditions.”131

“I congratulate the subscribers to Navajivan on the help given by them and those co-workers who by self-effacement very cleverly ensured that the journal reached about ten thousand subscribers, when it was being published illegally. We had been able to supply it to almost all subscribers at that time. Despite the fact that those who did not want Navajivan during that period were requested to ask for a refund of the balance of their subscription, hardly anyone must have done so. Navajivan will continue to be sent every week to those whose subscriptions are still running. Those who were receiving the issues that were being published illegally are requested to send in their outstanding subscriptions. If they do not send in their subscriptions within about a month, the management will assume that they wish no longer to remain subscribers to Navajivan. Nevertheless, as they used to receive the illegal issues of Navajivan, I hope they will send in their subscription to cover those issues.”132

“I hope that the foregoing appeal1 will receive a quick response from the public. It has been purposely not signed by any except those who are connected with the management of the hospital, because it is not to be in any way considered as a national 1 Of which only extracts are reproduced above memorial. But the appeal is not the less important on that account. Thirty-six thousand rupees to carry out a wish of Pandit Motilal Nehru is a paltry sum. I hope, therefore, that there will be no delay and no hesitation in responding to the appeal made by Shrimati Kamala Nehru and her co-signatories. The reader should know that from the commencement of the hospital she has been its soul. The public may wonder why the appeal treats the hospital as a temporary thing. The idea is to watch how the institution works and by actual experience to know what will be the real need. Moreover, whilst everything is in the melting pot, it was thought that the wisest course would be for the time being to be satisfied with meeting the daily needed.”133 “As the matter involved is one of principle for the Management of the Navajivan Press, I would repeat the suggestion I have made to the Government of Bombay that the Chief Justice of Bombay should be appointed sole arbitrator in the matter. The Managing Board is naturally anxious to end this controversy and also to avoid a continuing loss that the deprivation of the press causes to them. I hope therefore that the matter will be finished one way or the other without delay.”134 On this way we can say that Mahatma Gandhi had a deep knowledge of management.

 

References:

 

1.  Young India, 12-2-1925
2. VOL. 30 : 27 DECEMBER, 1924 - 21 MARCH, 1925; Page- 383
3. Navajivan, 22-3-1925
4. IS BOMBAY ASLEEP ?; March 23, 1925
5. Amrita Bazar Patrika, 8-5-1925VOL.31 : 22 MARCH, 1925 - 15 JUNE, 1925; Page-  436
6. VOL.31 : 22 MARCH, 1925 - 15 JUNE, 1925; Page-  437
7. VOL.32 : 17 JUNE, 1925 - 24 SEPTEMBER, 1925; Page-  41
8. VOL.32 : 17 JUNE, 1925 - 24 SEPTEMBER, 1925; Page-  49
9. Navajivan, 26-7-1925
10. VOL.32 : 17 JUNE, 1925 - 24 SEPTEMBER, 1925; Page-  209
11. Young India. 3-9-1925
12. Navajivan, 6-9-1925
13. VOL.32 : 17 JUNE, 1925 - 24 SEPTEMBER, 1925; Page-  389
14. VOL. 33 : 25 SEPTEMBER, 1925 - 10 FEBRUARY, 1926; Page-  15
15. VOL. 33 : 25 SEPTEMBER, 1925 - 10 FEBRUARY, 1926; Page-  77
16. LETTER TO FULCHAND SHAH; October 25, 1925
17. VOL. 33 : 25 SEPTEMBER, 1925 - 10 FEBRUARY, 1926; Page-  333
18. VOL. 34 : 11 FEBRUARY, 1926 - 1 APRIL, 1926; Page-  66
19. VOL. 34 : 11 FEBRUARY, 1926 - 1 APRIL, 1926; Page-  147
20. LETTER TO C. SRINIVASA ROW; February 25, 1926
21. LETTER TO SATIS CHANDRA DAS GUPTA; March 29, 1926
22. VOL. 35 : 2 APRIL, 1926 - 7 JULY, 1926; Page-  173
23. VOL. 35 : 2 APRIL, 1926 - 7 JULY, 1926; Page-  182
24. VOL. 35 : 2 APRIL, 1926 - 7 JULY, 1926; Page-  185
25. LETTER TO MOTILAL ROY; May 9, 1926
26. Navajivan, 16-5-1926
27. LETTER TO H. KALLENBACH; JULY 29, 1926
28. VOL. 36 : 8 JULY, 1926 - 10 NOVEMBER, 1926; Page-  438
29. VOL. 36 : 8 JULY, 1926 - 10 NOVEMBER, 1926; Page-  438
30. LETTER TO MOTILAL ROY; November 5, 1926
31. Navajivan, 7-11-1926
32. Navajivan, 7-11-1926
33. VOL. 37 : 11 NOVEMBER, 1926 - 1 JANUARY, 1927; Page-  439
34. Young India, 20-1-1927
35. SPEECH AT AHMEDNAGAR; February 18, 1927
36. Young India, 31-3-1927
37. Young India, 31-3-1927
38. LETTER TO ASHRAM WOMEN; May 23, 1927
39. Young India, 2-6-1927
40. Young India, 7-7-1927
41. LETTER TO M. CHENGIAH CHETTY; July 26, 1927
42. The Hindu, 4-10-1927
43. Young India, 15-3-1928
44. VOL. 41: 3 DECEMBER, 1927 - 1 MAY, 1928; Page-  302
45. VOL. 42 : 2 MAY, 1928 - 9 SEPTEMBER, 1928; Page-  119
46. LETTER TO K. R. BHIDE; July 11, 1928
47. Young India, 12-7-1928
48. LETTER TO S. C. BRAHMACHARI; September 8, 1928
49. VOL. 43 : 10 SEPTEMBER, 1928 - 14 JANUARY, 1929; Page-  177
50. LETTER TO A. GORDON; November 14, 1928
51. VOL. 44 : 16 JANUARY, 1929 - 3 FEBRUARY, 1929; Page-  238
52. VOL. 44 : 16 JANUARY, 1929 - 3 FEBRUARY, 1929; Page-  300
53. VOL. 44 : 16 JANUARY, 1929 - 3 FEBRUARY, 1929; Page-  302
54. VOL.45 : 4 FEBRUARY, 1929 - 11 MAY, 1929; Page-  157
55. VOL.45 : 4 FEBRUARY, 1929 - 11 MAY, 1929; Page-  410
56. LETTER TO CHHAGANLAL JOSHI; On or after April 29, 1929
57. Young India, 4-7-1929
58. LETTER TO AKBAR HYDARI; August 2, 1929
59. Young India, 29-8-1929
60. A LETTER; September 23. 1929
61. LETTER TO RAOJIBHAI M. PATEL; October 27, 1929
62. Navajivan, 3-11-1929
63. VOL. 48 : 21 NOVEMBER, 1929 - 2 APRIL, 1930; Page-   23
64. VOL. 48 : 21 NOVEMBER, 1929 - 2 APRIL, 1930; Page-   25
65. VOL. 48 : 21 NOVEMBER, 1929 - 2 APRIL, 1930; Page-   233
66. DRAFT OF RESOLUTION FOR THE WORKING COMMITTEE; Before March 7, 1930
67. TALK TO MILL-OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION MEMBERS; March 8, 1930
68. LETTER TO GANGABEHN ZAVERI; March 13, 1930
69. LETTER TO NARANDAS GANDHI; March 16, 1930
70. VOL.50 : 23 AUGUST, 1930 - 5 JANUARY, 1931; Page-   25
71. LETTER TO HEMPRABHA DAS GUPTA; February 5, 1931
72. Navajivan, 15-3-1931
73. Young India, 14-5-1931
74. Young India, 14-5-1931