For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

N. S. Varadachariar and Mahatma Gandhi

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

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

dr.yogendragandhi@gmail.com

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

N. S. Varadachariar and Mahatma Gandhi

N. S. Varadachariar, a Congress worker of Tamilnad. N S Varadachariar is one of the joint authors of the essay Hand-spinning and Hand-weaving. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Your joint production is now being revised and I am sorry to observe that there are too many defects in it. You have expected the proof-reader to find out books and the references you want quoted. How can the books be found? Where you have not given pages, how is one to find the quotations? Do you not think that the quotations should have been neatly copied out by yourself and references given? Nor have you supported all your statements with references in footnotes. Proper names have been written as if they were ordinary words. It is very difficult to trace all the names so written. The collection too seems to have been hastily done. The printing is almost held up on account of these defects. I do not know how I can cope with the difficulty that stares in the face. Where can I find the references? Can you suggest a way out of the difficulty? If one of you come here and fill in the gaps, it would expedite matters. Or if you wish, I could send a copy to one of you. The letter is posted to both of you at your respective addresses. 1

You may apply your mind separately to the proposal. Of course the proposal is useless if you cannot be in Madras. I have made the proposal so as to enable you to be nearest to your centre of activity. I do not want to drag you all the way here if it is at all possible. 2 Unless you have lost faith in the virtue of khadi how can you possibly want to leave khadi work? I had hoped that you were the last person in the world to think of deserting khadi. I can understand your difficulties. But does not success in any enterprise mean capacity for overcoming difficulties no matter however great they may be? If you cannot possibly do with the salary you are getting, you must let me know what you need. If the salary cannot be paid out of the Charkha Fund, some extra work might be found for you. “Where there is a will there is a way”. The only thing needful is that there should be a determination not to desert khadi no matter what it costs. But, if your faith in khadi has slackened, you should tell me so. I have warned friends repeatedly that if in their experience they find khadi to be an impracticable proposition, they must not hesitate to say so first to me if they will and then to the public. I have no desire to bolster up a wrong cause no matter what grief it may give to me personally. As a matter of fact it will be no grief to me but unmixed joy to discover my error. No friend therefore need spare me when he finds that my faith in khadi is like building castles in the air. But, if your faith is as green as when you wrote your essay then you dare not desert khadi. If necessary, you can come and discuss things personally with me. 3

I know that your resolution will remove all your difficulties. The question of increment is a mere detail. You will not be alarmed at the manner in which I have discussed the problem arising from letters like yours. There has been a crop of such letters recently from several parts of India. I thought, therefore, that I would gently discuss the problem in the pages of Young India. I have seen C. R.’s letter to you. I saw it only yesterday, Shankerlal being in Bombay. The thought never grasped my mind that Ramanathan’s case and the increase given to him had anything to do with you. On the contrary, Shankerlal told me that your pecuniary difficulty arose, or at least came to his notice, earlier than Ramanathan’s. And in any case, I have too great regard for you even to suspect that you would want to take an improper advantage of any situation. 4

Here is the preface. It should be quite in time. If you have to suggest any improvement, do not hesitate to make the suggestion. You may write your own preface and call it forward or call this foreword and call yours a preface if you like writing one. You will see that the essay is free from error. 5 Whoever is responsible for the so-called blessings, I am not. Yours is the first intimation that I have of any swadeshi exhibition in Kumbakonam. I do not and cannot under the limitations of jail life send messages on anything except untouchability. You may therefore make whatever use you like of this letter. 6

I am looking forward with interest to the proceedings of tomorrow. If you can get me a brief statement such as the opinion published in this week’s Harijan, do get it for publication in the next issue. Even an endorsement of the opinion from a well-known pandit or pandits I would like. 7 There is no doubt about Rajaji’s intense earnestness. But I cannot help thinking that he is wholly wrong even if the Congress adopted violence. You are right but I go much further than you go. You will see what I mean from the current number of Harijan. If you have doubts even then, you will write to me. 8

References: