Decoding Gandhi Part 2: The Beginning

Gandhi was also very, very shy. He trembled when he had to speak in public, and often, someone else had to read his speech on his behalf.

Part 1: The Assassination


Part 2: The Beginning

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869 in the coastal town of Porbandar in Gujarat. His father Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi served as Diwan of Porbandar. His mother, Putlibai, was from Krishna bhakti-based Pranami family also from Porbandar. She was the third wife of Karamchand. Putlibai and Karamchand had four children, of whom Mohandas Gandhi was the last. Putlibai had strong influence on Gandhi, who was a restless kid who loved twisting dog’s ears. Gandhi came from a conservative family. He was a little boy of 18 when he dared to go against his people who threatened to outcaste him, by crossing kalapani and sailing to England with a dream of a bright future in law in 1888. His mother permitted him to go abroad only after he promised her three things: no meat, no alcohol, and, most importantly, no sex. Gandhi agreed. He was also inspired by the new vegetarian revolution in England. Not having alcohol also had its own advantage, especially when Gandhi was called to the bar at the end of his course. There were two bottles of wine for a group of four. Since there was scarcity of non-drinkers, he was always in demand. Everyone wanted him so that the rest can have better share. While he kept his first two promises easily, it was the third that seemed most difficult. There were times when he came very close to breaking the most important vow. First time it happened in Portsmouth and second much later while sailing to South Africa. But each time, he managed to stop himself before crossing the limit, even though it meant dirty thoughts and sleepless nights.

Gandhi in England
REF https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/ZBRp4G4izTCiSDzRvdUsCJ/Mahatma-Gandhi--Experiments-with-eating.html

Gandhi was ashamed of the fact that he was married at such a young age and even had a kid. His first child was born when he was just 15 years old, but survived only for few days. Like a coward, he hid the fact that he was married when he was in England. He finally confessed to an old lady who loved him like a son and was looking to engage him with a young British lady. Gandhi was also very, very shy. He trembled when he had to speak in public, and often, someone else had to read his speech on his behalf. It was in his second year when Gandhi read Gita for the first time. He started reading other religious books as well like The Light of Asia and was impressed by Hindu philosophy. He realized that superstition was not part of Hinduism. In later, life he fought hard to abolish all forms of superstition from Hindu religion. He also began to like English customs and dresses. Gandhi survived England and came back to India after three years, only to hear the news of his mother’s demise. It was kept a secret from him so that it did not affect his studies. 

The Indian episode wasn’t a happy one. His shyness prevented him from becoming a successful lawyer. His relation with his wife, Kasturba, was also not amicable. There were times when he made her life miserable. Later, he did realize his mistake and even had the guts to acknowledge it in his writings. It was from his wife that Gandhi learnt nonviolence. In 1893CE he got an offer from Dada Abdulla & Company and went to South Africa, where the third phase of his life began.

Gandhi was surprised to see the poor condition of Indians in Africa. Indians were often insulted by the Englishmen, who addressed them as Coolie or Sami. They were quite oblivious to the fact that Sami, which came from Swami, meant master. Gandhi was thus called the ‘Coolie barrister’. Not all Englishmen were rude to him. There was one gentleman who fought with the guards and allowed Gandhi to travel with him in first-class train compartment, generally reserved for the ‘whites’. He even ate dinner with many Europeans in Johnson’s family hotel. But it was the racism he faced in South Africa that prepared him for the battle in India. He had to fight to keep his turban on while inside the court. He was once thrown off the first-class compartment despite having legal tickets just because he was a ‘brown’. In the same journey, Gandhi was beaten up after he refused to sit on the floor of a coach for which he had tickets. He was also denied to stay in many hotels because of his skin colour. He was once pushed and kicked by a guard for walking on a footpath, barred for nonwhites, at night.

 Gandhi was a well-educated barrister. If he was treated like this, he wondered what would be the condition of the poorer Indians. Once his work in South Africa was finished, he was preparing to leave for India. In his farewell party, he chanced upon an article in the newspaper. It was about a bill before the House of Legislature, which, if passed, would disallow the Indians their right to elect the members of Natal Legislative Assembly. That changed his plans, and he decided to stay back and fight for justice. He started to study the condition of Indians in South Africa in detail. Gandhi put in effort to make Indians aware about cleanliness and educate them. He promoted unity of Indians despite the differences in language, religion, and caste. While Gandhi was worried about his countrymen, he did not care much about the native Africans whose conditions were even worse. Gandhi firmly believed that the Indians, having a richer civilization, were superior to the natives and deserved better treatment. He founded Natal Indian Congress in 1894, which fought for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Gandhi came to India two years later to get support from Indian political leaders. His popularity attracted many enemies, mostly British. He was attacked by mobs when he returned to South Africa but somehow managed to escape.

Gandhi in South Africa
REF https://qz.com/india/1471361/the-indian-diaspora-in-south-africa-is-about-so-much-more-than-gandhi/

‘how completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance’ - Gandhi

Gandhi, who was to become the symbol of non-violence, encouraged recruitment of Indians when the British were fighting Boer war in 1899 and again in 1906 against the Zulu kingdom. It is during this time that Gandhi met Pingali Venkayya, a geologist who would later design India’s flag. 

During the wars, Gandhi came to realize the power of British Army. He knew it would be futile for the weak countries to fight the British with arms. It was there that he got the idea of nonviolent resistance, or satyagrahya. He applied his new weapon of non-violence for the first time in South Africa. He was immediately put behind the bars. It was in the jail where he had interactions with the native Africans, helping him erase his prejudice against them. Experience was helping Gandhi evolve into a better man, preparing him for the Indian adventure. Gandhi met the rich German-born Jewish architect Hermann Kallenbach in 1904 and became very good friends. Kallenbach donated his farm to Gandhi, which became a shelter for the satyagrahis (the nonviolent protesters). It was named Tolstoy Farm. Gandhi admired Tolstoy’s policy of non-resistance, and was influenced by Tolstoy’s ‘A Letter to a Hindu’. He wrote a long letter to Tolstoy inviting his attention to the ongoings in Transvaal , South Africa. 

Gandhi is said to have written to his German friend the following lines, ‘how completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance’.  The lines have widely been misinterpreted and taken as a proof that Gandhi was gay. Being gay is not a crime, it is a personal choice. Even though none of Gandhi’s letters to his German friend had sexual connotations, his critics use it as a tool to defame him. Gandhi had more supporters than critics. Gandhi’s new method of satyagrahya found support back home and funds started to pour in. Amongst the list of doners were Sir Ratan Tata, Nizam of Hyderabad, INC, and the All India Muslim League (AIML), along with many others. Gandhi succeeded in uniting Indians of different class and religion and successfully tested his concept of non-violent protests. He finally returned to India in January 1915CE, beginning the fourth and final episode of his life.

Part 3: The Cult of Chakra

Part 4: The Practical Man

Part 5: The Sex Maniac

Part 6: The Miracle

Part 7: Decoding Gandhi

Also Check Out:  5 Questions of the Inquisitive Apes 

Written by Subhrashis Adhikari

"Engaging and entertaining, this page-turner is remarkable in its narration and will give you a new perspective on various aspects of life. Wellresearched and heartfelt, the encouraging tone throughout the book tries to motivate towards a happier life." - Times of India

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