Management of Mahatma Gandhi, Part- III

[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-3

 

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 said on management in these words; “To assist the Pratap Trust. Ganesh Shankar formed this Trust to which he entrusted the management of his famous Hindi paper Pratap. The chief services of his lifetime were rendered through this paper. The Trust is to be helped so that the foundations of Pratap may be strengthened.”135 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “When I am there, I should certainly like to discuss with people the general management of the Ashram, but I do not wish to interfere with it just now. I am not living in the Ashram, either physically or mentally, and therefore, think very little about it. Whenever I happen to think about it, I feel that I have done wrong. All of you should feel in the same manner.”136

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Don’t worry if there is no agreement about the use of the Ashram money. A solution will come by and by. It will come at any rate when one day you take the management of the Ashram in your own hands.”137 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I cannot pretend that I have examined the question in all its details. I have entirely depended upon Mr. Kelappan having done so though, generally speaking, I have been undoubtedly satisfying myself as to the correctness of the claim for opening the temple to the untouchables. But if anyone were to ask me whether I have seen the trust-deed, if there is any, of the Guruvayur temple or whether I have critically examined the customs or conditions governing the management of that celebrated temple, I must confess my ignorance.”138

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “If this is not acceptable to them, the diamonds and the farms also should be divided into two shares and the whole management should be in the hands of Trustees or Manager, and, as in the case of the mother, a monthly allowance should be fixed for them and the brothers should not exceed it. For the present, they should not interfere with the work of the Trustees or the Manager. When both have acquired sufficient reputation in business circles, they may take over the management if they wish but they should not interfere with it as long as the business has not been started again and put in order.”139 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I propose to bring out, to start with, 10,000 copies. Then if there is not that demand, we might slow down. My policy, as you know, is that I shall not handle the paper except to make it self-supporting. If it does not become self-supporting, I should conclude that there is inefficient management or editing, or that there is no public demand for such a paper. In any one of these cases, if the defect cannot be mended, the paper must be ended. I should give the paper a trial for three months, within which time it must become self-supporting.”140

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have handed the management the names of the 12 subscribers. Probably the money will have been received there. I have also given instructions that Satcowribaboo should have 100 copies sent to him every week at the address given by you. Payments are all expected in advance.”141 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “There is no custom in connection with the private temples which can be pleaded by the third party in order to prevent the entry of Harijans to them. They should be thrown open to them and those who have none may even build new temples for the Hindus in general and these would be the model temples with model management and model priests so that they would be a true expression of Hinduism.”142 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have been thinking a great deal about this matter. I think Ratilal has consented only to a division of the property. Chhaganlal need not be blamed. He has no control over his mind at all, and so Maganlal is naturally afraid. If the property is divided, something at least may be saved. If it is kept undivided, there is a danger of all of it being lost. If my first suggestion is accepted and implemented, the property may remain undivided, but nobody seems inclined to accept it. It was that all the three brothers should keep away for five years and leave the management of the property to trustees, accepting for themselves fixed allowances. More when we meet.”143

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “One who is responsible for the management of over twenty five Harijan schools writes a long letter stating the difficulties experienced in the management of the school and asks how I would conduct them if I had the direct management thereof. I need not recount his difficulties which he has described carefully. What I am about to say is an attempt to answer them. While we are bound to give scholarships and other help to those Harijan boys and girls who attend the established schools, there is no reason whatever slavishly to reproduce the mode and methods of those schools in the ones under our own management.”144 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “You have many times promised to Chhaganlal that you will go to Vijapur, but you have never kept the promise. I wouldn’t have felt it if the land at Vijapur were mine. But it belongs to the poor and your failure to do your duty1 of ensuring its proper management hurts me.”145

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Of course, an accurate system of account-keeping has been devised at Delhi and every pice received or spent is to be found in the account books. Accounts are audited and produced before the Board meetings from time to time. All the transactions of the Board are public and duly recorded. In other words, the Board follows the accurate methods of banks and regards itself as a public institution responsible to the public regarding its financial and other management. The Board shall run to control the elections of members to the legislatures on behalf of the Congress, and shall have the power to raise, possess and administer funds for carrying out its duties. The Board shall be subject to the control of the All-India Congress Committee, and shall have the power to frame its constitution, make rules and regulations from time to time for the management of its affairs.”146

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I get frightened when I think of your responsibilities on the one hand and your ear-trouble on the other. Now that Vallabhbhai has been released, I expect that the burden on you will become lighter in a month or so. It will be enough if you do the best you can without worrying about anything. Do what you can about Bihar. There are things which we cannot improve, do what we will. I will explain this when we meet. Only you can bring about some improvement, if at all, in Mahendrababu’s management. I cannot understand the problems. I shall be able to understand the account relating to Bihar.”147 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Many changes are taking place in my mind just now. The corruption in the Congress is preying on me as it has never before done. I am conferring with friends as to the advisability of leaving the Congress and pursuing its ideals outside it.1 It is good that the corruption agitates me. I shall take no hasty step but there it is. And I feel that the girls’ institution here should be closed unless I am prepared to sit down in Wardha or Vinoba takes the sole responsibility of its management. He will think over it during the fast. These are the two things that are uppermost in my mind.”148

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Another decision which they have arrived at on my advice and subject to your approval is that Narahari should take over management of the Harijan Ashram and that as many teachers from the Vidyapith as he may need should be made available to him.”149 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Such a rule cannot be applied to a caste Hindu or to a responsible Harijan living in the Ashram. And I am firmly of the view that nothing can be forgiven those who are responsible for the management of the Ashram. If moral laxity enters their lives, institutions of Harijan service will perish.”150 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Ranisaheba must have received my telegram. Birth and death are a part of our destiny. Why should we rejoice or grieve? You have to carry on the banner of Dada’s good work and comfort Ranisaheba. I hope that the Management will remain as before. Do keep writing to me.”151

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Shankerlal has come here. You should pay a visit to Ahmadabad and see things for yourself. I do hope that the loss was not due to carelessness or dishonesty on anybody’s part. Though we do not know yet whether the dairy will be run independently or be handed over to the Ashram, its management must be put on a proper basis.”152 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I do not envisage the wife, as a rule, following an avocation independently of her husband. The care of the children and the upkeep of the household are quite enough to fully engage all her energy. In a well-ordered society the additional burden of maintaining the family ought not to fall on her. The man should look to the maintenance of the family, the woman to household management; the two thus supplementing and complementing each other’s labours.”153 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Rajasaheb Kalakanker, whose untimely death was announced week before last, was a great Harijan sevak. He was ailing for nearly a year. I could hardly recognize him when I saw him last in Calcutta, where he was undergoing treatment. He was a most liberal-minded zamindar of U. P. It can be truly said of him that he lived for his ryots to the best of his ability. His tastes were simple. He mixed freely with people. His love for Harijans was no less than for others. He endeavoured by his open example to have caste Hindus of his zamindari abolish untouchability and let Harijans enjoy the same rights as they themselves enjoyed. All schools, wells, temples under his own direct management were freely thrown open to Harijans. Let us hope that the bereaved Ranisaheba and other members of Kalakanker’s family will carry out the noble traditions bequeathed by him and thus perpetuate the Rajasaheb’s memory.”154

 

 

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “This khadi constitutes roughly 50 per cent of the stock. Therefore, on that quantity, the management gets only one anna two pies (0-1-2) in the rupee worth of khadi and workers up to the weaver Rs. 0-13-6 in the rupee. It is satisfactory to note that the farmer, the spinner and the weaver get the largest portion among themselves. In the higher counts, the farmer gets much less and the spinner tops the list. But the incidental charges increase. They go as high as 25 per cent. Then, again, on fancy articles there may be cent per cent increase on khadi. Indeed, in the cost of khadi in a fancy kerchief costing one rupee, the portion going to Daridranarayana may be only half an anna or less. For socks or stockings made of hand-spun yarn on tiny hand machines, the cost of yarn would be trifling. The cost of an Andhra sari, as it may come from Andhra, may be Rs. 25, and it may be sold after fancy work done on it at Rs. 150. The moral is obvious: the simpler the khadi, the larger the amount that goes into the pockets of the poorest workers. The fancy work no doubt makes khadi popular in homes which could not otherwise look at it. I may add also that there are some popular varieties of saris and dhotis manufactured for poor people. On these no management charges are at all added. And there is no such thing as net profit in any of the numerous stores managed by the A. I. S. A. The management charges are added in order to make khadi self-supporting. This has not yet happened. The Committee of the A. I. S. A. is constantly taxing itself

so as to reduce prices and to make the management so efficient as to bring down the expenses to a minimum.”155

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have your long letter. I am glad you have written at length. I am in correspondence with Narandas and others regarding the dairy. I would like to study the figures showing how the loss was incurred. Your asking me to make arrangements for you in anticipation of your severing the connection with the dairy is altogether premature. The dairy is not to be given up light-heartedly, and if it has got to be given up, surely there must be something wrong with the management.”156 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The proportion of expenditure on management in khadi production pains me. We can reduce this expenditure a lot if all the time we keep in view the main purpose of khadi. As I have stated earlier, the methods of reducing the cost of production of manufactured goods adopted by the industries that are run for profit cannot be applied in the case of khadi. In the case of khadi the use of machinery can be increased only within certain limits. But there is no limit to increasing art, skill, efficiency and honesty. If we have no faith in these we must wash our hands off khadi. If we want to bring down the cost of khadi production, we must retain only the minimum personnel to manage the organization, and these too should be altruistic, and we should dispense with all the intermediaries and brokers. As a matter of fact, when the khadi activity has fully developed it would have no need of an outer organization. Selfsufficiency and self-propaganda are the natural characteristics of khadi.”157

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Now for khadi. All Punjab shops are not run at a loss. The Simla one has always been. Management is no doubt defective. But the people in Simla look down upon khadi and there is a class that is afraid to wear it. The wearers become marked men. Your idea of having a swadeshi mart on the Mall is attractive but its execution is risky. However good swadeshi articles may be, they must suffer in comparison. And I doubt the utility of aiming at gaudiness. I differentiate between art and gaudiness. What one sees in fashionable shop windows is by no means all art. To produce things of real beauty and hope to put them side by side with the showy things of the Mall in Simla is an expensive ambition which we had better suppress at least for this season. Do what you can with the shop as it is. Convert it into something better. Let there be swadeshi articles in it. Arrange it after your taste and gain experience before you take expensive quarters. We must have this as one of the topics of discussion when you come down in July or August the earlier the better.”158

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Write to me as soon as possible what you have to say regarding the management of the bhandar. I shall take up the matter immediately. The bhandar does not belong to anybody. It is for us only a means of service. I have as much right as you to give suggestions regarding its management.”159 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I understand from Shri Kavde who was here for two days that the Buva was expected to be somewhere near Wardha during the first week of October. If that does happen I would like you to urge him to pass a few days with me at Maganwadi so that I can make his personal acquaintance and understand his desire about the management of the Dharmashala in Pandharpur. In view of the conversation I had with Swami and Shri Kavde I would advise that in drawing up the trust-deed you give the trustees full powers of mortgage, alienation, etc., so long as the corpus is used for the exclusive benefit of Harijans. I have explained to Swami why I consider the possession of this power by the trustees as a vital part of the deed.”160

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Please remember that a servant of the people must display all the four qualities in proper balance, namely, the Brahmin’s wisdom, the Kshatriya’s fearlessness, the Vaishya’s purity of management and the Shudra’s capacity for untiring labour. The greatest shortcoming in us all is the lack of the Kshatriya spirit. We lose heart much too soon. We tremble to stand alone. At sight of the tiger of difficulties, whether we are one or many we start running away. Please do not think that any of these charges is directed against you alone. I am explaining to you what I see all around me and even in myself. As for myself, where can I run away to? My condition, therefore, is like that of a Bania who had got himself tied on the back of a horse. If you have not heard this story, please ask me some time. I will enjoy telling it to you or, if you cannot come in the near future, will write to you.”161 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Lilavati has been entrusted just now with the management of the kitchen. I have of course been encouraging her to go to you. At the moment, however, she does not think of leaving this place till December. After I leave in January, she is bound to feel unhappy. Let us see what happens. Mirabehn recovered long ago.”162

 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “If half the skill that is today devoted to the management of commercial concerns meant for private gain were devoted to the conduct of dairies for the public benefit and shops for food-stuffs, they could be run as self-supporting institutions. There is nothing to prevent them from becoming so, except the public disinclination to give the requisite skill and capital to such philanthropic concerns. The benevolence of the wealthy is exhausted in the effort to run sadavrats, to misfeed the ever-increasing army of beggars who are a burden on society. For they eat without labouring. It is benevolence misplaced, if it may not be described as mischievous. The difficulty amounting to impossibility of getting wholesome articles of diet at reasonable rates in every town and village is a great stumbling-block in the way of the village worker. Time is not wasted when village workers attempt to find out by experiments what in spite of this handicap the indigenous sources of procuring an adequate diet are.”163

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I find it intolerable that teachers in your school cannot speak with their pupils in any language other than English. You should report this matter to the management politely. Why do they behave in this manner? Your letter is fairly good. You do not take much time to get used to such things. Learn whatever good you find there, but try to keep away from whatever is undesirable.”164 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have understood your question. But it is not possible to set the same limit for all workers. In fact, each one of them should put in as much labour as he can. Let him earn whatever wages him can, and supplement the deficit from the funds of the Sangh. If his needs are not so great that it would be disturbing to others when they know about them, he should not hesitate to meet them from the Sangh. I cannot set any limit. I would not set any limit if the management were in my hands. I do not also wish to determine which type of work should be regarded as body-labour. I can only say that writing a book is not body-labour.”165 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “These words are true. Never was the need for temple reform more urgent than today. Fortunately in Travancore the vast majority of temples belongs to the State and is under special management. They are kept clean and often undergo improvement and addition. They are never empty. They supply a felt want. If the priests had better education and would be custodians of the spirituality of the people, the temples would be houses both of worship and spiritual instruction as they were before.”166

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The State may resolve to do all these things, but its resolution will not mean the coming in of manpower in order to carry out all these things. And if, from the few words I have addressed to Their Highnesses and their advisers, you think that after all it is Their Highnesses who have to do everything and you have to do nothing, then I am afraid that my labours will have gone in vain. The resquisite manpower has got to be supplied by you, and as a man of experience I will tell you that manpower cannot come by offers of money. Thus, for instance, men who are capable of taking the management of temples cannot be had by offering scholarships of hundreds of rupees. For such people have got to be fired by a religious spirit, by love of their own work, and should therefore be ready to work for a bare maintenance. It should be their proud privilege to take this training and to fit themselves for this highest task in life. Similarly, unless the State gets men required for giving Harijans educational training, the State can do nothing.”167 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “This school has gone through several vicissitudes because of the inexperience of the management. The A. I. V. I. A. has to cut its way as it proceeds through an unbeaten track. A year’s experience and experimenting have made the management less ambitious. The teachers themselves are training themselves through experimenting. And when the next terms commences, there will be greater preparedness than hitherto. Here is the unambitious but more realistic prospectus of the school.”168

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The Marwari High School, recently renamed Navabharat Vidyalaya, is celebrating its Silver Jubilee. The management conceived the idea of calling on the occasion a small conference of nationally minded educationists to discuss the plan of education I have been endeavouring to propound in these columns. The Secretary, Shri Shrimannarayan Agrawal, consulted me as to the desirability of converting such a conference, and asked me to preside if I approved of the idea. I liked both the suggestions. So the conference will be held at Wardha on October 22nd and 23rd. Only those will attend who are invited thereto. If there are any educationists who would like to attend and who have not received invitations, they may apply to the Secretary, giving their names and addresses, and such particulars as would enable the management to decide whether they can afford to issue the invitation.”169 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “As regards the definition of a swadeshi company I would say that only those concerns can be regarded as swadeshi whose control, direction and management either by a Managing Director or by Managing Agents are in Indian hands. I should have no objection to the use of foreign capital, or to the employment of foreign talent, when such are not available in India, or when we need them, but only on condition that such capital and such talents are exclusively under the control, direction and management of Indians and are used in the interests of India.”170

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “But the use of foreign capital or talent is one thing, and the dumping of foreign industrial concerns is totally another thing. The concerns you have named cannot in the remotest sense of the term be called swadeshi. Rather than countenance these ventures, I would prefer the development of the industries in question to be delayed by a few years in order to permit national capital and enterprise to grow up and build such industries in future under the actual control, direction and management of Indians themselves.”171 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The Congress management has to go out of its way to show the villagers that before it there is no prince and no pauper and that all are equal. If these artificial differences disappear next year, much expense will be saved.”172 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The nights are superb here just now. I hope you are keeping perfect health. If you have any remarks to offer about management there, you will do so.”173

“I would advise the management to keep a register of all outgoing students, to keep a living contact with them, and carry on with them a kind of post-graduate correspondence class. So far as it is humanly possible not one of the students should lapse into the old rut or feel despondent because he can make no headway.”174 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Where the Directors are Indians having an effective voice in the management of the concern and the concern itself is wholly in the interests of India I would call it swadeshi even though the whole of the capital may be foreign. Thus if I had full control of, say, a hand-spinning concern but I employed skilled white men under me and employed also European capital with or without interest I would claim that concern to be wholly swadeshi.”175

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “My advice is that the advisers whom you may appoint in terms of Clause 4 should form the Executive Council and that Council should be responsible for the management of the State in the spirit of the Notification of the 26th December so as not to do anything likely to be injurious to its main purpose. One of them should be the President of the Council. You will unhesitatingly endorse the actions of the Council. If you deem it fit to appoint other persons than the advisers of the Committee as Councillors, the appointment should be made in consultation with me.”176 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have your letter. I see no need for girls to go begging on the Balev Day or on any other occasion. Their services should not be used in this manner. Collecting money is the work of the management.”177

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words;  “The management of pinjrapoles should be put on a sound basis and they should become efficient famine insurance agencies for cattle. They should become castration depots.”178 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The Working Committee’s resolution, if it is evidence of Congress earnestness in vindicating India’s freedom, is also a test of Congressmen’s discipline and non-violence. Though nothing is said in the resolution, the control and management of civil disobedience has been left in my hands at the will of the Committee. Needless to say I have no sanction, never had any, save the willing and knowing obedience of the vast mass of Congressmen, registered and unregistered, to the instruction issued to them through the Committee, or through Young India and Navajivan, whilst they were published, and now through Harijan. When, therefore, I find that my instructions have no running power, Congressmen will find me retiring from the field without ado. But if I am to retain the general control of the struggle, I shall want the strictest adherence to discipline. So far as I can see there is no possibility of civil resistance on a large scale unless Congressmen show perfect discipline and greater appreciation than hitherto of non-violence and truth. There need be none unless we are goaded into it by the authorities.”179

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Whatever we do should be inspired by ahimsa. Whomsoever you speak to, speak with affection. I shall tell you what your duty is. It is for you to act accordingly. Consult me about rules. Ask me to make new rules. But relieve me of the rest. My sadhana will be disturbed if I am saddled with day-do-day management. Having said all this, I am still there if there is any difficulty in the management. I shall try to escape as much as I can. I suppose those who are getting extra milk get it only on doctor’s advice.”180 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Everyone joining an institution owes it to obey the rules framed by the management from time to time. When any new rule is found irksome, it is open to the objector to leave the institution in accordance with the provisions made for resignation. But he may not disobey them whilst he is in it.”181

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The third difficulty is also easily disposed of. It had occurred even to me, but I felt that it would not be right to create a new trust for the memorial funds. The names of the present trustees are given in the appeal. If they are good enough to be made responsible for the management of the vast international estate, called Santiniketan and Sriniketan, they might well be entrusted with the additional responsibility of dealing with the funds that may be collected for the memorial.”182 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I do not mind the British not responding to the Delhi resolution. They may say, ‘At the present moment you cannot interfere with the management of affairs as they stand. Deliverance will come to you in its own time. At this critical juncture do not worry us.’ I will understand that argument. I will sympathize with it. I will hold my hand so long as there is no fraud or falsity in what they say. It is impossible for them to give us freedom. If freedom has got to come, it must be obtained by our own internal strength, by our closing our ranks, by unity between all sections of the community. It cannot descend from heaven, nor can it be given as a gift from one nation to another. I do not know whether I am representing the feelings of the members of the Working Committee, because I have not discussed these things with them. But you have to take me with all my limitations, with the workings of my mind.”183

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “From amongst the permanent residents, someone of Gandhiji’s choice will act as manager of the Ashram. After Gandhiji’s death, when the post of manager falls vacant for some reason, the new incumbent will be elected by the permanent residents of the Ashram. He will be responsible for the internal management of the Ashram and assign work to individuals. As far as possible the manager will try to secure the approval of all the permanent residents for what he does.”184 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Yes, I shall help you fully. You will have to look after the management. It is not possible to manage things otherwise. You shall do physical work, no doubt, as also whatever else has to be done. Ask me if need be about the management. There can be no harm in pointing out the mistakes committed by others. Of course it is only proper that you should try to explain things to them. But do ask me if my speaking to them will expedite the work.”185

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “B.B. & C.I. Railway management are discountenancing travelling as far as possible. It is a timely warning. People should travel as little as possible. Only urgent necessity can warrant railway travelling. One fine morning we may find that all civil booking is stopped. Movement of troops may render this precaution absolutely necessary. It is a good thing to accustom ourselves to the practice well in advance of the necessity.”186 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Day before yesterday, that is, on the night of the 6th, Shri Deshpandeji told me that Jajuji is not fit for the post of Secretary as he does not have administrative, that is, management talent although he is a saintly man.”187 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Whatever your decision let the bounds of propriety be not transgressed and let the decision be taken after due consultation with your teachers and school management. Do not forget that yours is not a Government school.”188

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have your letter. If you want to hand over everything to Gadodiaji, you may do so. But in that case do not involve me in the matter. I can write to him only on the lines I have indicated. But I shall not write anything now. Do what pleases you. I shall certainly write if you permit me. And then he will give up the management.”189 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words;  “The success or otherwise of a public institution ought not to depend on the brilliance of an individual or individuals but on the purity of its management and the soundness of its business policy. If you cultivate these money will come to you of itself.”190 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The enclosed is from your paper. I feel that an advertisement which is immoral or is against the recognized or declared policy of the management should never be accepted.”191

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have fixed periods of one month for the management of the Ashram. Make it two or three months in the light of experience or even right away. Balvantsinha’s name has been kept out because he will have to go to Mirabehn for the next two or three months. We will have to take more trouble if we regard servants as brothers.”192 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “You may do what you like regarding Kanchan. I have done all I could, and have written and explained everything. You seem to have given up your ‘charge’1. Do what you can now. I hope the management of the ashram will not completely break up.”193 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The said Manilal Gandhi shall be the Managing Trustee and, while he is manager of the Trust and editor of Indian Opinion, shall draw not more than one hundred pounds per month with free lodging on the Settlement for himself, his wife and children. The said Manilal Gandhi shall maintain proper books of account for the management of the Trust property and the newspaper, Indian Opinion. Separate accounts shall be maintained in respect of Indian Opinion and the management of the Trust property. The said accounts shall be audited every six months.”194

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “You are going to be the manager from the 1st. It is good. Remember that whether the manager lives or dies changes or continues, the management remains the same.”195 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “While looking after the management, it will be good if you can take classes in the spare time. But I too have looked after the management, haven’t I? For me management itself had become a [training] class. I was a teacher as well as a pupil. The manager keeps an eye on everyone and sees how he sits, how he eats and what he reads. If within this framework, you can have a class, it will be all right. For instance, at Kocharab, all education was given in the Ashram. I had made a list of all those who were qualified to teach. Probably only one or two hours were reserved for teaching. I had assigned some work to myself too and I used to do my share.”196

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Though I shall not be there on January 1, from that day the institution1 will be run only for the poor and on behalf of the poor. From that day the management of all departments except the medical will be considered to have become my responsibility. I trust you will take up the responsibility on my behalf. But you must assume the responsibility for only as much work as you can easily attend to. Let me know what jobs you are not able to take up.”197 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “There was considerable discussion in the Working Committee about you. Now Priyamvadabehn is in charge of the whole work. It is, therefore, your duty to co-operate with her loyally and sincerely. It is possible that you are more capable than her. But if we think along this line, women will never rise. Whatever it is, while under a single management it is not right for anyone to hold such an opinion about oneself.”198 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “The second question is how long should a khadi worker work as a paid worker. In my view he should be self-supporting from the beginning. If that is not possible, he should fix a time limit for himself. Five years is the utmost limit in my opinion. A worker, who is to become self-supporting at the end of five years, should reduce his allowance progressively from year to year. He cannot expect to become self-supporting all of a sudden at the end of five years. It is an art which requires careful thought and management. He who really teaches others should certainly become self-supporting himself.”199

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Moreover, students have been very much exploited by various political parties too. It seems to me to be a great blunder. This mistake ought to be corrected now. We must think afresh about the type of education that should be made available to the children of a free nation. The students too must start thinking independently. But that does not mean that they should resort to strikes and throw stones at their teachers to have their demands accepted. Rather, they must deal with the management in a persuasive manner.”200 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “I have received your resignation. It is all right if you have sent it after due thought. But I sense anger in your language. The Charkha Sangh shall think about management when you have gone bankrupt. I too have not thought about removing you from the Sangh. I have thought about freeing you from Kashmir though. But the Sangh has given no thought to it. Hence, I am once again drawing your attention to your duty. Let me know what needs to be done.”201 Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “Maganlal was no musician but he had a good voice. That bhajan as he sang it, still rings in my ears. He was the pillar of the Ashram. He was like a rock in the management of the Ashram. He was very sturdy. He would be always ahead of everyone else in digging with the pickaxe.”202

Mahatma Gandhi said on management in these words; “That is why, throughout India, goshalas, instead of being the institutions where one could learn the art of rearing the cattle, where there would be ideal dairies providing the best quality of milk and the best breed of cows and oxen are places where the cattle are herded together in a pitiable condition. The result is that India, instead of being a prominent country where the best breed of cattle and the best quality of milk should be available at the cheapest rate, is the lowest in the world in this regard. The people managing the goshalas do not even know that the dung and urine of the cattle can be used most profitably. Nor do they know how best to utilize the dead cattle. The result is that because of their ignorance crores of rupees are being lost. An expert has stated that our cattle wealth is only a burden on the country and deserves to be destroyed. I do not agree with this view. But, if the general ignorance in this matter persists for some time more, I will not be surprised if our cattle become a burden on the country. That is why I hope that the management of this goshala would do its best to make it an ideal institution from every point of view.”203 So we can say that Mahatma Gandhi was a good manager. So he did all activities very well.

 

References:

 

 

135.Young India, 23-7-1931

136.LETTER TO CHHAGANLAL JOSHI; July 25, 1931

137.LETTER TO PREMABEHN KANTAK; October 30, 1932

138.The Hindu, 14-11-1932

139.VOL. 58: 16 NOVEMBER, 1932 - 12 JANUARY, 1933; Page- 257

140.VOL. 59: 13 JANUARY, 1933 - 9 MARCH, 1933; Page-  107

141.LETTER TO DR. B. C. ROY; March 13, 1933

142.The Hindustan Times, 28-3-1933

143.LETTER TO NANALAL K. JASANI; April 13, 1933

144.Harijan, 10-11-1933

145.LETTER TO GANGABEHN MAJMUDAR; March 12, 1934

146.VOL. 63: 18 JANUARY, 1934 - 19 MAY, 1934; Page-  289

147.LETTER TO JAMNALAL BAJAJ; July 17, 1934

148.LETTER TO MIRABEHN; August 7, 1934

149.LETTER TO VALLABHBHAI PATEL; August 24, 1934

150.LETTER TO PARIKSHITLAL L. MAJMUDAR; September 20, 1934

151.LETTER TO SURESH SINGH; September 29, 1934

152.LETTER TO NARANDAS GANDHI; October 4, 1934

153.Harijan, 12-10-1934

154.Harijan, 12-10-1934

155.Harijan, 12-10-1934

156.LETTER TO TITUS; October 12, 1934

157.Harijanbandhu, 21-10-1934

158.VOL. 67: 25 APRIL, 1935- 22 SEPTEMBER, 1935; Page-  143

159.LETTER TO RATUBHAI DESAI; June 18, 1935

160.VOL. 68: 23 SEPTEMBER, 1935 - 15 MAY, 1936; Page-  5

161.LETTER TO NARAHARI D. PARIKH; September 26, 1935

162.LETTER TO NARANDAS GANDHI; October 20, 1935

163.Harijan, 2-11-1935

164.LETTER TO UMADEVI BAJAJ; November 27, 1935

165.SPEECH AT GANDHI SEVA SANGH MEETINGII; SAVLI, March 1, 1936

166.Harijan, 23-1-1937

167.The Epic of Travancore, pp. 240

168.Harijan, 17-4-1937

169.VOL. 72: 6 JULY, 1937 - 20 FEBRUARY, 1938; Page-  287

170.Harijan, 26-3-1938

171.Harijan, 26-3-1938

172.Harijan, 19-3-1938

173.LETTER TO MIRABEHN; September 29, 1938

174.Harijan, 10-12-1938

175.LETTER TO L. M. PATIL; February 11, 1939

176.VOL. 75: 30 JANUARY, 1939 - 30 MAY, 1939; Page-  131

177.LETTER TO LILAVATI ASAR; August 9, 1939

178.VOL. 76: 31 MAY, 1939 - 15 OCTOBER, 1939; Page-  305

179.Harijan, 28-10-1939

180.LETTER TO KRISHNACHANDRA; May 31, 1940

181.Harijan, 13-7-1940

182.Harijan, 1-9-1940

183.Harijan, 29-9-1940

184.VOL. 80: 28 DECEMBER, 1940 - 17 AUGUST, 1941; Page-  539

185.LETTER TO KRISHNACHANDRA; March 7, 1942

186.Harijan, 19-4-1942

187.A CIRCULAR LETTER; September 8, 1944

188.LETTER TO SURYAKANT PARIKH; November 19, 1944

189.LETTER TO H. L. SHARMA; January 28, 194

190.VOL. 86: 4 MARCH, 1945 - 28 MAY, 1945; Page-  98

191.LETTER TO SHAMALDAS GANDHI; May 13, 1945

192.LETTER TO KRISHNACHANDRA; May 21, 1945

193.LETTER TO MUNNALAL G. SHAH; May 28, 1945

194.DRAFT OF REVISED PHOENIX TRUST-DEED; July 2, 1945

195.LETTER TO KRISHNACHANDRA; August 29, 1945

196.LETTER TO KRISHNACHANDRA; November 27, 1945

197.LETTER TO MUNNALAL G. SHAH; December 16, 1945

198.LETTER TO DEVDOOT VIDYARTHI; April 1, 1946

199.Harijan, 4-8-1946

200.Biharni Komi Agman, pp. 356

201.LETTER TO HARJIVAN KOTAK; August, 1947

202.Prarthana Pravachan—I, pp. 437

203.Prarthana Pravachan—II, pp. 101