For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

Purushottamdas Tandon 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

Purushottamdas Tandon and Mahatma Gandhi

Purushottamdas Tandon was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He worked with Congress and had done a lot of work in field of Hindustani and Rashtrabhasha. Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon has given up the lucrative post of manager of a premier bank in order to join the Servants of the People Society founded by Lala Lajpat Rai of revered memory. Lalaji had made rigid rules. No life member could engage in any lucrative work. Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon was a dear comrade of the deceased patriot, and this sacrifice is in obedience to the call of duty towards a deceased leader. What is however a great step for us is nothing in the estimation of Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon? He has been used to making sacrifices. For many years past he has ceased to believe in making money for its own sake. He has been progressively simplifying his life. But there were family obligations he could not shirk unless he could carry with him in his own evolution towards the higher life the members for whom he was responsible. He has now evidently got over the difficulties and the way has been clear for him to take the final plunge. By such only are nations made. I congratulate Lalaji’s Society on the event. Do the public deserve such sacrifice? The amount that was asked for in the Lalaji Memorial has not yet been subscribed in respect of a memorial to one of the noblest of Indians is a sad reflection. Let me hope Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon’s sacrifice will spur the lethargic to action and evoke a response adequate to the occasion. 1

Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon could not rest after having formally taken up the burden of guiding Lalaji’s Society. He therefore came over to Sabarmati to confer with me as to how best to collect the balance of the Memorial Fund. He being a U.P. man and having passed a lifetime (practically) of service there, his eyes were turned to his own province. Would his tour interfere with my khadi collection was the question that worried him. I told him that he was not to mind the effect of his collection on my tour. Indeed I would love to combine the two collections myself. But experience has taught me that only one thing could be done at a time. Whilst therefore I could not combine the two, as in Andhra and Burma, I would love to receive subscriptions for the Memorial from whosoever would give them to me. I therefore welcome Purushottamdasji’s touring for the Memorial Fund, and I should be glad if those who revere the memory of the deceased tribune of the people (and who does not?) will subscribe to the Memorial, and if they will, hand them to me. At any rate my tour ought in no way to interfere with the Memorial Fund to be collected by Purushottamdasji. Indeed it is a matter for sorrow and shame that this collection has been hanging fire for such a long time. 2

Writing from memory on the collection for Lalaji Memorial in the Uttar Pradesh, I said over Rs. 30,000 was collected. Sjt. Purushottamdas Tandon sends me a reminder and I have now the figures before me that the total collected during the tour was Rs. 42,138-8-9. This is apart from the sums collected before the tour and the sums promised during the tour but not yet realized. But whilst the actual total is more satisfactory than I had thought, my complaint that the U.P. has not done enough justice to the memory of a great patriot stands. I hope that Sjt. Tandon will undertake another collection tour and not rest till the U.P. has paid at least Rs. 1, 00,000. Harijan, 1-8-1936 I have before me a number of cuttings from various Urdu papers severely and even bitterly criticizing the proceedings of the recently formed Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad and there anent Babu Rajendra Prasad, Babu Purushottamdas Tandon, Pandit Jawaharlal and me. They attribute motives and designs to which, I know, we are all strangers. The writers have not taken the trouble of even understanding what was said or done by us or at the Parishad. Thus they think that the design at the bottom of the Association is to push Hindi at the expense of Urdu, and so to Sanskritized Hindi as to make it almost impossible for Mussalmans to understand it. They also infer from a speech of Babu Purushottamdas Tandon delivered at Allahabad at the time of the opening of the Literary Museum of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan that he distorted facts when he claimed that there were nearly 23 crores of Indians who spoke or at least understood Hindi. There are in these writings other innuendoes which I need not notice, my purpose being simply to remove if possible the misunderstandings that have led to the innuendoes. 3

All I had heard was that you had taken a liberal decision with regard to language. I had read nothing at all. I had also seen the brief Press report of your statement at the time you took your seat as Speaker. These days I am able to give hardly five to seven minutes to the newspapers. At times I cannot manage even that much. The burden of work has greatly increased since I placed before you my new ideas about education, and the need for rest is always there. None the less, when Kaka Saheb left with me the treasure sent by you, it became my duty to read it. I liked all of it immensely: your speech as the Speaker, your decision about language and your speech on that subject. Both struck me as being original. It is all to the good that you accepted the position of Speaker. I also received the telegram concerning me. I had not seen anything else. It was good that you sent the report about it. I deliberately did not answer the telegram. This year there were so many telegrams from all parts of the world that I was astonished and I considered it grace of God. I sent a brief message of thanks through the Press. I decided not to reply to anyone personally. And what reply could I have given in words? Such abundance of love can only be acknowledged through action. Let us see in what way God uses me as His instrument. 4

I can never agree to a meeting of the Standing Committee being called. The better thing would be for those who wish to withdraw from the Prachar Samiti to do so. But I am agreeable to a meeting of the Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti being called, and I shall work in that direction. I am entirely with you when you say that the Sammelan cannot swallow the pill of Hindi or Hindustani. It will be a bitter pill. In any case, the controversy should not be carried on in newspapers. 5 At the instance of Sardar Prithvi Singh I had requested Vaishampayanji to come to Sevagram. He had come here. He mentioned the matter of money to me also. I do not know what Shri Deo may have thought about it, but I personally do not like the idea of the Samiti having to bear the expense of the Reception [Committee]. There is a difference of opinion between Vaishampayanji and Deo. In such a situation it is difficult to get money for them from the Samiti. I think the expense of the reception should be borne by the Reception Committees. I told the same thing to Vaishampayanji. We talked about other things too. I hope everything will work out well. Rajendra Babu, being ill, will not be able to attend. Jamnalalji’s date has been fixed. It should not be changed. What applies to you cannot be applied to others. You are the founder and the life of the Sammelan, and I have full faith that it will be sufficient if you are present there. Kakaji and Shriman will be going, of course. Rajendra Babu should also go if his health permits. I shall write to him. 6

I am writing this letter early in the morning before four o’clock prayer. Yesterday I had a talk with Shriman, Nanavati, Perinbehn, Dikshit and Kakasaheb. Now Maulana is not coming. I feel that now I should get out of the Sammelan. A policy which I got accepted has been practically destroyed in Poona. The Sammelan had full powers to change it. The only question that remains is that of my duty. I am in a dilemma. Please come and help me in arriving at a decision. I do not want to run away from the Sammelan. But how do I stay in? I am for a composite language. The name does not matter. To me work is everything. If I stay in the Sammelan, I become a partner in retrogression. If I leave I may probably become the root cause of dissension. Come over soon, if you can. Come, but take care of your health. 7 Please read the accompanying wire from Malaviyaji Maharaj and do what you think right. There was a wire from Prayag saying that they wish to oppose Radhakant. I have already given my opinion, but all of you there should decide among yourselves. I am totally ignorant of the situation there. 8

The group of friends whom I had invited after Jamnalalji’s death included Rajendra Babu, Rajaji, Kaka-saheb, Bhai Satyanarayan and Bhai Shriman. I had discussed with them the formation of the Hindustani Prachar Sabha. Rajaji advised me, and others agreed with him, that I should write to you in detail. The said Sabha will propagate both the forms simultaneously, prepare the text books and sell them, conduct the examinations and so on. Could the members of such a Sabha also work for the Rashtrabhasha Samiti which is functioning at Wardha? How could they call Hindi alone the national language? If national language means Hindi + Urdu, Hindi or Urdu should only be regarded as a part of the national language and not the national language. Does not your Abohar resolution imply that Hindi alone should be considered the national language, not Urdu? If this interpretation is correct, would it not be better for the members of the Hindustani Prachar Sabha to sever their connection with the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan? Whatever it be, all of us desire that the Standing Committee should discuss the point dispassionately and come to a decision. 9

Today I have some leisure, so I am going through the file of old letters. Your letter is there. You must have tried a truss for your hernia. How could a man like you get hernia? Or does anyone develop hernia without provocation? I did not mean what you interpret from my telegram. I had written only about the matter of health. However, the opinion you have sent will prove helpful to me. Our talks are going on. I cannot say what the outcome will be. 10 I am a little unhappy over yesterday’s discussion. I wonder if I have wasted your time. Then again I could not explain to you a very simple thing. I had made it clear at Indore that Hindi did not mean exclusion of Urdu. You yourself do not want to give up Urdu. Then it becomes your duty and mine and of other patriots also—to know both the scripts and their styles. We include Urdu-knowing people in taking account of the supporters of the national language. Therefore the national language is Hindi + Urdu. Hindi will be an incomplete national language if we take it in its narrow sense. Those imbued with nationalism will easily learn two more languages. Those who do not will lag behind. Such being my views, I will popularize Hindustani whether others support me or not. I am very keen to have your whole-hearted support because you are you and I have a great respect for you. The poison cannot spread if supporters of Hindi put up with and take kindly to the popularization of Hindustani. 11

I have read the papers you have sent me about the Jaunpur prisoners. I feel that they should be saved from the gallows. What I have written about the Ashti and Chimur prisoners applies very well to this case. You must have seen that I have tried to sate all such prisoners. My hope is that such prisoners will not be hanged. 12 I keep receiving letters in Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati all asking me how I can be both in the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and the Hindustani Prachar Sabha at the same time. They say that according to the Sammelan Hindi alone can be our national language and the Nagari script alone can be given national status, whereas I concede national status both to the Nagari and Urdu scripts and to a language that is neither too persianized nor too Sanskritized. When I do not accord exclusive national status to the language propagated by the Sammelan and the Nagari script, I ought to get out of the Sammelan. It seems to me a valid argument. Does it not then become my duty to leave the Sammelan? By my doing so people will not be in a dilemma and I shall know where I stand. Kindly reply early. It being my silence day I myself have written this letter. But since people find it difficult to read my hand I have had it copied to be sent to you. I trust you are well. 13

Please see the enclosed. Do what you think proper. I have written to the lady advising her to see you. I am awaiting your reply to my letter about Hindustani. 14 If I understand correctly what you write, you and other lovers of Hindi should welcome my new viewpoint and help me. But this is not happening. People in Gujarat are in a dilemma and are asking me what they should do. A son of my own nephew and many others like him are doing both Hindi Prachar work and Hindustani Prachar work. This creates difficulties. You know Perinbehn. She wants to work for both. But the time has now come for one of the two to be given up. If what you say is right, then the need for this should never arise. In my view, it should be possible for a person to be the President or Secretary of both the Hindustani Prachar Sabha and the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. That he may not be able to do so because the work would be too heavy is a different matter. And if your letter means, as it should mean what I also say, then there can be no reason for any difference of opinion and I shall be greatly delighted. I have gone through your statement that you sent me. In my view the Hindustani Prachar Sabha is doing only your work and therefore deserves your thanks. And you at least should become a member of it. I had requested you to be its member but you refused saying that you would keep out so long as Dr. Abdul Haq did not come in. Now my request is that if what I write is correct and if we both are of the same view, then this should be clarified by the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. If this is not necessary I shall not insist on it. But at least it should be made clear that there is no difference of opinion about it between you and me. It is no light matter for me to get out of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. But just as I withdrew from the Congress in order to serve it the better, in the same way if I leave the Sammelan it will be to serve the Sammelan, that is, Hindi, the better. What you call my new ideas are not really new. It would be more correct to say that I am now only putting into practice what I had said when I first became the President of the Sammelan and what I clarified further when I became its President for the second time. I shall decide finally after receiving your reply. 15

I read your letter twice. I then gave it to Kishorelalbhai. You probably know that he is an independent thinker. I also send you what he has written. I would only say that I have always been as far as possible a slave of your love. The time has now come when the same love will separate me from you. I have not been able to explain myself. Kindly place this letter before the Standing Committee of the Sammelan. I feel that the Sammelan has not accepted my definition of Hindi. And now my ideas are moving further still in that direction. My definition of Rashtrabhasha includes knowledge of Hindi and Urdu and both the Nagari and Persian scripts. Only thus can a fusion of Hindi and Urdu come about, if it will. I am afraid this suggestion of mine may not be welcome to the Sammelan. I therefore request that my resignation be accepted. By pursuing the difficult task of propagating Hindustani I shall be serving both Hindi and Urdu. 16 I am sorry that I could not send anything for your book earlier. For one thing I was too busy, for another I just did not feel like writing anything. But how could I refuse to write anything on Jawaharlal? Now I only hope that my foreword will not reach you too late. 17

How can I ride two horses? Who will understand me when I say rashtrabhasha=Hindi and rashtrabhasha=Hindi+Urdu=Hindustani? I shall certainly serve the cause of Hindi, but by remaining out. The Standing Committee should excuse me. 18 It is all to the good that I rarely read any newspapers. How can I find the time? If I happened to read them I wouldn’t believe you could have said so. Now, I shall be more careful. I understand what you say about the Assembly under swaraj. 19

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