Gandhi sailed for India

In the middle of 1896 Gandhi sailed for India, and after 24 days landed at Calcutta (now Kolkata). From there he went to Rajkot. It was a happy family reunion when kasturbai welcomed him with their two sons.

But the plight of the Indians in South Africa was so much on his mind that he could not be content to enjoy domestic bliss in peace. He, therefore, launched a campaign to acquaint the people of India with the real condition of the Indians in South Africa.

He met the editors of influential newspapers and important Indian leaders, including Lokamanaya BAL Gangahar Tilak the hero of Maharashtra, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale who, like Gandhi, was already famous at the age of 27.

Wherever Gandhi went, he tried to make the people aware of the lot of their compatriots in South Africa. Many newspapers published his views and strongly supported his case. Summaries of these newspaper reports and comments reached South Africa long before Gandhi returned there.

Meanwhile, plague broke out in Bombay and threatened to spread to neighboring areas. In Rajkot Gandhi volunteered to join a group who tried to educate the people about the need for sanitation and other measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

At the end of November, however, Gandhi received an urgent message from Natal asking him to return immediately. There were some developments which required his presence there. So Gandhi set sail for South Africa once more, taking with him kasturbai and their two sons and also the only son of his widowed sister.