For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

Messages of Mahatma Gandhi; Part-4

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338

E-mail- dr.yadav.yogendra@gandhifoundation.net

Messages of Mahatma Gandhi; Part-4

Mahatma Gandhi a different man. He met a lot of persons daily. He had a lot of work and their concerning people. He gave a message everybody time to time. Those messages had a lot of meaning. The person who had gotten it, change his life according to it. Those messages may be useful today. Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Desh; “The work which I am doing at present is better than satyagraha. It is difficult to make people realize that, but it is true. Satyagraha means general civil disobedience but we must develop the capacity of disobey laws. At present, I am trying to acquire that fitness. Spinning and wearing khaddar is a vital part of this effort. Without them, it is impossible for us to launch civil disobedience. My request to all leaders in the country is to spin at least for half an hour a day and to become habitual wearers of khaddar.”87 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to the people, “There is no use of glorifying me. If you really wish to please me, follow my advice. I beg all people, ladies and gentlemen, to buy khaddar as much as your purse can permit. A few coppers may not mean much to you, but they mean everything to those poor villagers.”88

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Forward with the spinning-wheel. For “I know that through it we can give strength to the Swarajists. Let the readers of Forward every house with the wheel and we shall have Subhas Chandra Bose in our midst in no time.”89 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Forward, “Lokamanya lived and died for swaraj. He taught us to believe that swaraj was our birthright. I know that we cannot regain this birthright of ours without reinstating the charkha in our villages in its ancient dignity. This we cannot do unless we, the educated class, learn the beautiful life-giving art of spinning and wear khadi, whether it is coarse or fine, whether it is dear or cheap. No price is too great to pay for swaraj. If, then, we would honour the memory of Lokamanya, let us solemnly resolve to spin at least half an hour every day and habitually wear khadi and induce others to do likewise.”90

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Dadabhai Naoroji, “Dadabhai justly earned the affectionate title of the G.O.M. of India. Was it not he who first introduced us to the problem of the deep poverty of the masses? In discovering the growing poverty of the masses Dadabhai put his finger upon the root evil of the present system of Government. In my opinion, therefore, the best way we can celebrate the forthcoming Centenary is to do something tangible for dealing with the problem of poverty. It cannot be dealt with satisfactorily save through the universal adoption of spinning-wheel and khaddar. Hence it is that I have unhesitatingly recommended the celebration of the Centenary by making collections for khaddar and charkha, by holding khaddar exhibitions, by hawking khaddar and in every becoming manner pushing forward the cause of khaddar and the spinning-wheel, in other words the cause of the millions.”91

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Forward, “I wish Forward many happy returns. The longer young men like Subhas Bose are denied the right of a fair trial and yet kept under lock and key, the quicker is our pace towards our goal. Fight for freedom is no mock affair. It is so real and so terrible that it will require the best of thousands of us. Let us not grudge the price.”92 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Congress Workers Of Kankur; “I am confident that all the workers there, women as well as men, will help in every way to make the session of the Congress a success.”93 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Kutch People, “ It is difficult to sum up the results of the extraordinary experiences of my Cutch tour. So far as I am personally concerned, I had nothing but kindness and attention from the State and the people. The thing that taxed me most was the ‘untouchable’ question. Curious devices were resorted to by the orthodox to satisfy their consciences, but there is a great awakening among the untouchables themselves. They are alive to their rights. They understand their responsibilities. Many have undertaken to give up carrion and drink. The common people have no prejudice against them. It is only the socalled higher castes, a microscopic minority, who make a parade of their belief in untouchability which, in private, they would confess is unreasonable and contrary to real religion. But even amongst them, there are a few noble spirits who, in defiance of the caste tyranny, are serving the untouchables with their money, as well as personal labour. These poor people are disqualified from entering into contracts with any person they like so long as they have not discharged their obligations to the creditors with whom they have first dealt. This makes them eternal slaves of their original creditors who dictate what terms they choose.

I have brought these things to the notice of His Highness who, I feel sure, will remove these very serious hardships. Khadi has the greatest possibilities and awaits development at the hands of khadi lovers. Insanitary habits of the townsmen breed plague and cholera, which should be impossible in a dry climate, like that of Cutch, and among people who are well-fed and strong in body. There is also immediate need for a society to protect trees. By proper attention to tree culture, Cutch, which is in danger of being denuded of its population for want of water, can increase its rainfall. These are the things on which patriotic Cutchis can well concentrate their attention. Of Cutch politics, for the present, I prefer to say nothing. Everything I was told I have brought to the notice of His Highness, who gave me a patient and long hearing.”94

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Kamna, “Whether you are Liberal, Moderate, or Nationalist, Hindu or Mussalman, from east or west, if you desire to own fellowship with the people of India, with whom you have thrown in your lot, among whom you are born, use nothing but hand-spun and hand-woven khadi for your dress material.”95

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to States People’s Conference, “Every individual can get rid of his bonds. If we understand this general rule and act on it, we can root out all misery. No tyrant can oppress a victim without his co-operation. How nice it would be if we could understand this.”96 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Graduates Association, “I could deal with your letter only today. I wish the Association a success. My only advice is that the rules framed by the Association should be strictly observed. Many associations are formed but very few succeed. I wish yours would be one of the latter.”97 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to The Bombay Chronicle, “My hearty greetings to Mr. Horniman. The Government deserves congratulations on redressing the grave wrong1 done to this brave Englishman and us. May his work prosper! India needs at the present moment all the assistance that her friends can give.”98

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Kumar, “What else can I talk about to the boys and girls except the charkha? The readers of Kumar should sympathize with the children who cannot get or read Kumar by prayerfully plying the charkha and doing sacrificial spinning for their sake. They would thus gain a glimpse of divine grace.”99 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Liberator, “The Liberator has an ambitious programme. If it succeeds in any single one of the items enumerated in the notice before me it will have earned the name Swami Shraddhanandji has chosen to give his latest creation. The notice before me rightly places emphasis upon the work of liberating the suppressed classes but there are still more numerous classes held under suppression by our insane desire to clothe ourselves in foreign cloth. And they are not a fifth of the population of India but they are four-fifths and if the Liberator will liberate villages from the temptation of cities, I venture to suggest that the task is an impossibility without the spinning-wheel.”100

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Hindustani, “ Whoever asks me for a message for his paper makes a serious mistake if he is not a lover of the spinning-wheel and khadi for I can think of nothing else much less can I write of anything else. All around me I see distress, dissensions, and defeats and consequent dejection. The one solace I find and therefore recommend is the spinning. It gives me peace and it gives me joy in the thought that through it I establish an indissoluble bond between the lowliest in the land and myself. Through the wheel and by my personal labour I add something to the desirable wealth of the country. I contribute my quota however humble towards clothing the naked through it and I invite the poorest in the land to labour for their living rather than beg for it.

The wheel stands above all discord and differences. It is or should be the common property of every Indian. If then the Hindustani stands for the political uplift of the country and its readers appreciate its object, they cannot do better than give to the spinningwheel at least half an hour per day and reject foreign or mill-made cloth and use only hand-spun and hand-woven khaddar and thus distribute whatever they pay for khaddar amongst the poorest in the land.”101

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Meeting at Trivandrum; “Reformers in Travancore have done good work for the eradication of untouchability. The more I think about this evil from the point of view of religion, the more I become convinced that untouchability is a blot on the fair face of Hinduism. I, therefore, hope that reformers will not rest in peace till the untouchables are permitted to enter every temple and join any school in exercise of the rights they have in common with other.”102

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Maysore Lawyers; “I hope the lawyers in conference will appreciate the message of the spinning wheel and adopt khaddar and make some return to the poor by devoting some time time religiously to spinning and pay a portion of their income to the Deshbandhu Memorial Fund whose object is universalization of khaddar”103 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message on Jallianwala Bagh; “The wanton massacre in Jallianwala Bagh that took place on the 13th day of April, 1919, is a perpetual reminder to us that it will recur as often as we attempt to lift up our heads and desire no longer to live in bondage. British rule is imposed on India not for India’s service but for her exploitation. It is indeed to protect the commerce that is imposed upon India. The central item of that commerce is Manchester piece-goods. If we will avenge the humiliation of Jallianwala and the crawling2 lane we must at least cease to wear foreign cloth and pledge ourselves to wear hand-spun khaddar. The former sterilizes British commerce, the latter binds us to the poor whom we have neglected all these long years. Though [we have] not been exploiters of the outside world, we have exploited the peasantry in order to have ease and comfort. If we refuse to discard foreign cloth, if we find khaddar too 1 Read out by Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, who was presiding over a public meeting in Marwadi Vidyalaya compound on 13th April under the auspices of the Bombay Provincial Congress Committee uncomfortable, so far as I can see we must accommodate ourselves to perpetual slavery. All the reform that we may get will be turned to dust if we are afraid to sacrifice ease, comfort, and much more for the sake of the country.”104

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message for Freedom, “Freedom is an attractive name to give to a newspaper. But it is a much abused term. When a slave-holder talks of freedom, we know that it means freedom to use his slave as he chooses without let or hindrance. A drunkard’s freedom means ability to drink on till he is bereft of his sense and a long time after. Whose and what freedom will this paper stand for is a relevant question. The fact that it is Pandit Motilalji’s creation itself is one assurance that freedom means the freedom of the masses. And freedom of the masses means their ability to cope and do away with the condition of semi-starvation in which millions of them are living. This aspect of freedom appeals to me the most at the present moment; because freedom of the masses automatically involves freedom of the untouchables and freedom of people belonging to different religions to follow out their religious convictions without let or hindrance from anybody. And, freedom of the masses in the manner I have explained is an utter impossibility without the revival of hand-spinning and therefore intensive khaddar propaganda as a central fact. Let me hope that Freedom will in season and out of season impress upon its readers the national importance of this central fact of the life of the masses with whom, if we want swaraj, we must identify ourselves.105

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message on Andrews’s Return From South Africa; “The best welcome that we can give to Mr. Andrews and the one he will appreciate most is to make a fixed determination to vindicate India’s honour by insisting on and securing the just rights of the settlers. This can only be done if we emulate Mr. Andrews’s immense energy, studiousness, indomitable courage, unfaltering hope and living faith in God and his humanity.”106 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Bhavnagar State People; “The Conference has honoured itself in getting Mr. Amritlal Thakkar, the champion of the Bhils and the Antyajas, as its president. I hope that khaddar will have its proper place in such a conference, khaddar whereby thousands of untouchables earn their honest livelihood and by which innumerable hungry sisters earn an honest anna protecting their womanhood. I also hope that the curse of untouchability which has crept into Hindu soceity would be removed.”107

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Non-Brahmins; “If non-Brahmins will only think more of the poorest people of the land and therefore of the charkha and khadi rather than of political progress through the instrumentaily of the existing Government, they will better their condition and that of the whole of India to that extent.”108 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Students; “1921 and 1926 What a difference? Please do not think that I am striking a melancholy note. We are not going back, our country is not going back. We have gone five years nearer swaraj and there can be no doubt about it. If someone says that it was very nearly achieved in 1921 and today it is far away—no one knows how far—do not believe it. Prayerful, wellmeaning effort never goes in vain, and man’s success lies only in such an effort. The result is in His hands.

Strength of numbers is the delight of the timid. The valiant of spirit glory in fighting alone. And you are all here to cultivate that valour of the spirit. Be you one or many, this valour is the only true valour, all else is false. And the valour of the spirit cannot be achieved without Sacrifice, Determination, Faith and Humility. We have built our Vidyalaya on the foundation of selfpurification.

Non-violent non-co-operation is one aspect of it. The ‘non’ means renunciation of violence and all that stands for it, i.e., all Government control. But so long as we do not co-operate with our ‘untouchable’ brethren, so long as there is no heart-unity between men of different faiths, so long as we do not co-operate with the millions of our countrymen by according to the spinning-wheel and khaddar the sacred place they deserve, the negative prefix is entirely nugatory. That non-co-operation will not be based on ahimsa, but himsa, i.e., hatred. A negative injunction without a positive obligation is like body without soul, worthy to be consigned to the flames. There are 7,000 railway station for the 7,00,000 villages of India. We do not even claim to know these 7,000 villages. We know only through history the condition of villages not within easy reach of railway stations. The only loving tie of service that can bind the villagers to us is the spinning-wheel. Those who have not yet understood this basic truth are in this institution to no purpose. The education is not ‘national’ that takes no count of the starving millions of India and that devises no means for their relief. Government contact with the villages ends with the collection of revenue. Our contact with them begins with their service through the spinning-wheel, but it does not end there. The spinning-wheel is the centre of that service. If you spend your next vacation in some far-off village in the interior you will see the truth of my remark. You will find the people cheerless and fear-stricken. You will find houses in ruins. You will look in vain for any sanitary or hygienic conditions. You will find the cattle in a miserable way, and yet you will see idleness stalking there. The people will tell you of the spinning-wheel having been in their homes long ago, but today they will entertain no talk of it or of any other cottage industry. They have no hope left in them. They live, for they cannot die at will. They will spin only if you spin. Even if a hundred out of a population of 300 in a village spin, you assure them of an additional income of Rs. 1,800 a year. You can lay the foundation of solid reform on this income in every village. It is easy I know to say this, but difficult to do. Faith can make it easy. ‘I am alone, how can I reach seven hundred thousand villages?’ This is the argument that pride whispers to us. Start with the faith that if you fix yourself up in one single village and succeed, the rest will follow. Progress is then assured. The Vidyalaya wants to make you workers of that type. If it is a cheerless job, the Vidyalaya is indeed cheerless and fit to be deserted.

You will see that we open this term with a few changes in our staff. Acharya Gidwani whose sacrifice rendered the opening of this College possible, and who won the affection of students, has at my instance accepted the office of Principalship of Prem Maha Vidyalaya, Brindaban. I know that students were agitated over this. I congratulate them on their devotion to their Principal. I give you today the consolation that I gave the students that saw me the other day. We have to put up with these partings. We can but treasure the good things of our loved ones and follow them. Rest assured that we have done everything in the interests of the College. Fortunately we have Sjt. Nrisinhaprasad to serve us as Vice-Chancellor. He has lived with students for years and he often comes in contact with you. Trust yourselves to him. My doors are always open for every one of you. It has been a constant source of sorrow to me that I have not been able to come as closely in contact with you as I have wished.

Professors Athavale, Dalal, Mazumdar and Shah have left the College. Their resignations were unavoidable. It is to be regretted that we shall no more have the benefit of their scholarship. But in their stead we have as Professors Sjts. Kikubhai, Jinabhai Desai, Nagindas, Gopaldas and Gandhi.They are all ex-students of the Vidyalaya and well may we take a pardonable pride in the fact. Let their industrious scholarship be a source of honour to us. May God bless you with long life for the selfless service of the country.”109

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Nellore Adi-Andhra Conference; “This is my message for the conference. I wish the conference every success. The fact of its being held on the Pallipad Satyagraha Ashram grounds is a tribute to the memory of the late D. Hanumantharao Row who devoted his life selflessly to the national cause.

I hope that the various conferences being held there will emphasize the necessity of hand-spinning and khaddar and that the black paint of untouchability that I discovered when I was in that district will be removed as a result of the efforts of the conference.”110 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Hindu; “I must not be tired of repeating what I found to be a fundamental truth for India’s freedom. I can therefore commend to the readers of Hindu the spinning-wheel and khaddar. I know how severely Sind has proved disappointing, but I know that the time is coming when Sind will also respond.”111 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Nanak; “Those wishing to revere Deshbandhu’s memory cannot do better than popularize charkha and khadi, and thus secure the boycott of foreign cloth.”112

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to The Searchlight; “If I direct the searchlight on to the present discontent and want to find a remedy for it, I discover the spinning-wheel. Those who take it up seriously will find that their passions cool down and that they are adding something substantial to the swaraj edifice that is being built up.”113 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Maharashtra; “I can never give up the hopes I cherish of Maharashtra and Maharashtrians. The Maharashtra which has always taught the motherland the lessons of self-sacrifice and learning will never be indifferent to the poor man’s charkha and khadi. I have said that in the mantra “swaraj is my birth-right”, which the Lokamanya taught the country, he supplied the first half of the shloka, and that I supplied the second half by saying that the charkha and khadi are the means of winning swaraj. When will Maharashtra take the first place among those who accept this means?”114

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Jain Volunteers Conference; “I do hold certain views about the Shatrunjaya award, but I have purposely remained silent on the subject in the interest of both the parties and do not mean to break my silence.”115 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Bhavanidayal; “The aim in running the Pravasi Bhavan is to start a library for immigrants. I hope that it will have books which meet their needs. Nowadays people keep all kinds of books, good and bad, in libraries. I trust that this library will have no bad books.”116

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to South African Deputation; “I join the chorus of welcome that will be extended to the South African Deputation that is coming on behalf of the Union Government. Let us show to them all the goodwill that we are capable of showing. But let us not also build castles in the air. The deputation is but a part of the Conference that is to be held in December. They are coming with no authority for action. They are coming merely to gain impressions. The solution of the difficult problem that faces the statesman of South Africa and India depends upon a multiplicity of circumstances. The coming of the deputation is one such circumstance which we must use in the best manner possible. Let us put the deputation in the position of seeing all the sides of the picture. In other words, they should be enabled to see the truth, the real truth, and nothing but the truth. The case for the Indian settlers in South Africa rests upon purest justice. An impartial study of the question therefore on the part of the South African statesmen that are

coming can only do the cause good.117 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Forward; “I wish Forward many happy returns. The longer young men like Subhash Bose are denied the right of a fair trial and yet kept under lock and key, the quicker is our pace towards our goal. Fight for freedom is no mock affair. It is so real and so terrible that it will require the best of thousands of us. Let us not grudge the price.”118

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Forward; “As heirs to the great legacy left by him1, he must deserve it by our action.”119 Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Public Meeting Wardha; “I am glad you are having a prayer meeting in response to the appeal of that good soul Andrews. The problem in South Africa is the problem of the removal of untouchability. The work of the conference now [being] held in South Africa will have a far-reaching effect not only on Indians but on all Asiatics, Negroes and others. Let us pray to God that He may inspire the members of the conference with wisdom and that justice may be done.”120

Mahatma Gandhi gave a message to Jamuna; “We have more Gangas and Jumnas than the two. It is true they bear other names. They are, however, watering our vast plains from the North to the South and the East to the West. The message that the Ganga and the Jumna gave to this friend is not the only message that the mighty rivers of India are giving to her inhabitants. They remind us of the sacrifice we must make for the sake of the land we are living in. They remind us of the process of purification that we must continuously go through as the rivers themselves are going through from moment to moment. I wrote nearly 10 years ago that the gayatri, the common prayer of Hinduism, was one of the precious gifts of the Ganga. Her shining waters must have given the rishis of old the inspiration. In the modern rush, the chief use we have for our rivers is to empty our gutters in them and to navigate our cargo vessels, and in the process make them dirtier still. We have no time, as the friend had, to stroll down to these rivers, and in silent meditation listen to the message they murmur to us.121

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