Rama Rama

On January 18 a peace committee, representing all communities met and signed a pact pledging unity and the protection of life, property and faith to the Muslim minority.

Gandhi was informed of the pledge and he broke his fast.

Gandhi was staying at Birla House. Every evening he held a prayer meeting in the grounds.

During his prayer meeting on January 20, a bomb was thrown at him, but it missed its target. Gandhi constituted his prayer meeting as if nothing had happened.

“Bapuji, a bomb exploded near you, said a voice.

“Really?” Gandhi said.” Perhaps some poor fanatic threw it. Let no one look down on him”.

On January 30, after a midday nap, Gandhi woke up at 3.30 p.m. The whole day he had had a stream of visitors. Sardar Patel went to see him at 4 o’clock. Nehru and Azad were to come after the evening prayers. 

Spiritual Tragedy

On June 3, 1947, Attlee, the British Prime Minister, announced the plan for partition. The Congress and the Muslim League accepted it.

For Gandhi it was a spiritual tragedy. With infinite sadness he said, “All India must accept Pakistan in loving resignation. We have no choice. Hindus must lead the way to a friendly settlement.”

Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy, was anxious not to delay the ushering in of Independent India and Independent Pakistan. He shortened the time limit for the British to quit India. The date for the declaration of Indian Independence was fixed for August 15, 1947.

On that day, India’s long struggle and suffering for freedom was over. A new nation, although non- violence.’

Gandhi had never given his approval to partition, but when it was done he accepted it and did everything possible for the attainment of Hindu-Muslim friendship. Yet the tension between Hindus and Muslims was on the rise.

As a result of partition over 7, 00,000 Hindus, Sikhs, and other non-Muslims in Pakistan, fearing the Muslims, left their homes and set out towards India. From India about the same number of Muslims, fearing the Hindus left their homes for Pakistan. The miseries attendant on this mass migration, one of the greatest in history, were manifold. Over 1, 50,000 people on the move were exposed to starvation, disease and massacre on the way.

Gandhi was on his way o the Punjab when he stopped in Delhi hoping to quell the riots that had broken out there. He was very distressed at the inhuman way the Delhi Hindus were treating the Muslims.

Gandhi’s gospel of forbearance and forgiveness towards Muslims marked him as a traitor in the eyes of many Hindu extremists. In the face of fanatical opposition, Gandhi redoubled his efforts and the major disturbances in Delhi subsided, but there were still troubles here and there.

Gandhi decided to do penance by fasting which he thought would bring about a change in the attitude of the Hindu fanatics. The fast began on January 13, 1948 there was gloom all over India at the news of Gandhi’s fast.

People though that he would not be able to survive another fast. The whole world watched as 78- year- old Gandhi fasted to save his country from destruction.

Gandhi was conducted and grief-stricken.

On August 24, the Viceroy announced the formation of an Interim national Government to replace the viceroy’s Executive Council.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the Vice- president of the Interim Government.

The Muslim League declined to join it on the ground that it had not been given the right to nominate all the Muslim members.

After the installation of the Interim Government, Gandhi was anxious to return to Sevagram, his ashram near wardha, but the Congress leaders prevailed on him to stay longer in Delhi because they wanted his advice. So Gandhi stayed on in Delhi.

Then the Muslim League decided to join the Interim Government and an announcement was made to this effect on October 15, 1946. Gandhi once again felt free to return to Sevagram. He was about to leave Delhi when news came of the disturbances in Bengal. There was widespread communal rioting by the muslins in Calcutta and in the Muslim majority district of Noakhali in East Bengal, with murder, arson, looting, forced conversions, forced marriages and abduction.

Gandhi was conducted and grief-stricken. Instead of returning to Sevagram, he set out for Noakhali to try to bring peace there.

The communal riots spread. There were similar riots in Bihar and the Punjab. Thousands were killed and thousands more were injured. Gandhi was greatly disheartened by these events. He tried clam and reassure the people.

He walked from village to village and from house to house carrying his message of peace. Wherever he was there was peace, at least outwardly. But the general situation in India was worsening. Rioting spread from the towns to the village. In Bihar the Muslims were suffering and Gandhi went there to instill courage into the Muslim minority and to help them in their distress.

The situation in India was so dreadful that the congress leaders realized that the best way open to them was to accept Jinnah’s demand for a division of the country and they reluctantly approved the formation of Pakistan.

Nehru met Gandhi to inform him of this decision.

Gandhi asked him. “Is there no way out? No hope of a united India?”

“Bapuji,” he replied,” unity is impossible. Dreadful as is the idea of a separate country within our borders, we have to accept it. Otherwise this deadly turmoil will never cease”.

 Gandhi bowed his head to hide his despair.

Cut me in two

Two months after Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the Labour Party came into power in Britain and clement Attlee became the prime Minister. After the defeat of Japan a few months later, the British Government announced that they expected to grant self-government to India as soon as her internal problems could be solved.

This was a victory for India. It was a victory for non-violence. Britain, defeated by the peaceful revolution, could not hold on to India any longer. Britain agreed to a planned withdrawal from India, without bitterness and in friendship.

All through his life Gandhi had worked for unity between the Hindus and the Muslims. But he had not had much success. There was a large section of nationalist Muslims in the Congress, but the heads of the Muslim League were drifting further and further away.

Gandhi was not the man to give up hope, however, and he pursued his efforts to bring about a settlement. On the other hand, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim league, was hostile to the idea of unity. HE demanded a separate Muslim State before freedom was given to India.

The Viceroy invited all the leaders to Simla (now shimla) and tried to find a solution and bring about Hindu-Muslim unity. However, Jinnah insisted on having a separate State, to be called Pakistan.

Britain announced an election in India which was held. The Congress won most of the non-Muslim seats and the Muslim League won most of the Muslim seats. The deadlock continued.

“We can settle the problem in ten minutes if Mr. Gandhi agrees to the creation of Pakistan,” said Jinnah.

“Cut me in two.” Cried Gandhi, but do not cut India in two.”

He spoke to deaf ears. In February 1946 the British government sent a Cabinet Mission to India. It consisted of Lord Patrick Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander. The task of the Cabinet Mission was to study the situation and suggest what should be done. After careful consideration the Cabinet Mission issued a statement proposing the withdrawal of British authority from India. They had the idea of a united India.

An appeal to the Highest Tribunal

In august 1942 the all-India Congress Committee met in Bombay and was presided over by maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Again the demand to set up a provisional government was made.

“We can no longer back our people from exercising their will”, Gandhi said, “Nor can we go on eternally submitting to the imperialist policy. The time has come for the English to go. Civil servants, army officers. Government officers all of them should quit India”.

The ‘Quit India ‘resolution was drawn up and passed by the meeting for presentation to the government. Jawaharlal moved the resolution and Sardar Patel seconded it.

The resolution also announced the starting of a mass struggle on the widest possible scale.

Winding up the meeting Gandhi said, “I have pledged the Congress, and the congress has pledged herself that she will do or die.”

The government did not wait for the mass movement to begin. Overnight Gandhi was arrested, and also many other leaders in various parts of India. Gandhi was interned in the Aga Khan palace in Poona. Mahadev Desai, Kasturbai, sarojini Naidu and Mirabehn were also taken there.

But with the leaders in jail. India did not remain idle.” Do or die’ was taken up by the people. There were mass movements everywhere. And there was a great outburst of violence throughout the country. People started destroying government buildings and whatever else they considered to be symbols of British imperialism.

Shortly after his detention in the Aga Khan Palace, Gandhi suffered a grievous bereavement. Mahadev Desai, his faithful and able secretary, died of a heart attack.

“Mahadev has lived up to the ‘do or die’ mantra,” Gandhi said. “His sacrifice cannot but hasten the day of India’s deliverance.”

All over India there were strikes and disorder. Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy, attributed all this to Gandhi. Gandhi had invited violence, he claimed. In a long series of letters to Lord Linlithgow, Gandhi tried to persuade him to retract this charge against him.

Failing in this, Gandhi decided to undertake a fast as “an appeal to the Highest Tribunal” against the unjust charges. Gandhi fasted for 21 days in February 1943. It was a great ordeal, but he survived the fast.

Kastuyrbai nursed him back to health, but her own health was failing. She suffered two heart attacks. Gandhi tried his best to save her, but Kasturbai’s condition grew worse. One day she died quietly in Gandhi’s arms.

A few weeks later Gandhi was taken seriously ill with malaria. The Indian people demanded his immediate release and the authorities, believing that he was nearing death, released him. Gandhi was slowly restored to health.

The demand for Indian Independence had now grown into a world –wide question. Apart from India’s own attitude, America and other countries pressed Britain to grant freedom to India. Churchill did not yield to any of these approaches. India had always been of help to British prosperity and Churchill was the last man to think of giving up India and thus make Britain the poorer.

All- India Congress Committee in Bombay

In 1939 the Second World War broke out. England and France declared war on Nazi Germany. Without consulting Indian leaders, Britain declared to be at was on the allies’ side.

Gandhi’s sympathies were with the British but he believed that all violence was evil and he would, therefore, have nothing to do with the war effort, although he gave England his moral support.

The Indian National Congress wanted to help Britain and fight on the allies’ side, but only as a free nation. But to grant India independence seemed ridiculous to Churchill and his government. They had no intention of letting India go by default. Britain refused to accept the cooperation offered by the Congress.

As a protest, all the Congress ministries in the provinces resigned. The government took over the administration and they acted in such a way as to help their was effort. Acting on the goodwill and restraint taught by Gandhi, the Indian leaders showed no reaction.

Gandhi's fast for India's unity

Gandhi started his fast on September 20, 1932. The first day of the fast was observed all over India as day of prayer and fasting. Many temples were opened to untouchables and meetings were held all over India urging the removal of untouchability.

Outside the jail political activity boiled. Leaders of caste Hindus and untouchables met and discussed various measures to arrive at a compromise that would satisfy Gandhi. Proposals and counter-proposals were made and rejected. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the most powerful leader of the untouchables, met Gandhi and assured him that he would try his best to find a solution.

On the third day of his fast, Gandhi’s condition became bad. He grew very weak and he had to be carried to the bathroom on a stretcher. His blood pressure started rising. The authorities panicked and sent for his wife. They also allowed all his friends and followers to be with him.

The Indian people felt desperate. Gandhi might die and leave them leaderless. The other political leaders had failed, for they were unable to find a solution which would enable Gandhi to break his fast.

Untouchability

At home Gandhi found that the government had returned to the policy of repression. There were widespread arrests and the government seized the properties and bank balances of people and organizations that were hostile to their interests.

Early in 1932 Gandhi wanted to meet the new Viceroy Lord Willingdon, but the Viceroty made it clear that the days of negotiation were over.

Gandhi informed the authorities that he was again starting a civil disobedience campaign. The Viceroy thought it was a threat. He had Gandhi arrested imprisoned in yerawada Central Jail. Several other leaders and many of Gandhi’s followers were also arrested and sent to jail.

In March the struggle entered a new phase. Gandhi had always insisted that the untouchables were a part of the Hindus and must be treated as Hindus. Now, however, it was announced that the British proposed to set up separate voting for the untouchables. That meant that untouchables could vote only for members of their own caste.

Gandhi’s arrest

Gandhi then informed the Viceroy that he was going to raid the government –run Dharasana Salt Works in Gujarat. Lord Irwin decided to act. Two English officers with pistols, accompanied by many Indian policemen armed with rifles, arrived at Gandhi’s camp in the middle of the night.

They woke up Gandhi and said, “You are under arrest.” Gandhi was taken to Yerawada Central Jail.

So Gandhi was not there at the time of raid on the Dharasana Salt Works.

The salt deposits were surrounded by barbed-wire fencing and protected by about 400 Indian policemen armed with steel-short lathis. A few British officers were in command of them.

 Gandhi’s volunteers halted some distance away from the fencing. Then a selected group of them advanced towards the barbed-wire fence. Police officials ordered the volunteers to disperse but they ignored the warning.

Suddenly the police rushed at them and rained blow after blow on the defenseless men. Not one of the volunteers even raised an arm to stop the blows. They fell down, some with broken skulls, some with broken shoulders, arms, or legs. The waiting crowd groaned.

Salt Satyagraha

A new determination to force the government of act filled the minds of the people.

Jawaharlal Nehru was elected President of the Congress at the behest of Gandhi. A Congress session was held in Lahore on December 31, 1929. A resolution announcing that full independence was India’s goal was passed at this session of the Congress. Disappointed at her failure to get dominion status, India now demanded full independence.

The whole country was excited. Everybody was waiting for the lead from Gandhi. After two months of suspense, a Salt Satyagraha was announced by Gandhi.

This would be the beginning of a civil disobedience campaign in which laws made by the State would be broken. Civil disobedience would begin by breaking the salt law.

“Salt suddenly became a mysterious word, a word of power,” Nehru said.

Gandhi in Prison

In prison Gandhi settled down to a régime of spinning, writing and meditation. The people were disappointed and the government tightened it s hold everywhere. Almost all the leaders were put in jail.

Then, in 1924m, Gandhi feels ill. He was suffering from appendicitis and was great pain. The government was alarmed. What would happen if Gandhi died in Prison? An urgent operation was arranged which Gandhi agreed to. The operation was successful but his recovery was very slow. The government thought it best to release him, so he was set free. He went to Juhu, near Bombay, for his convalescence.

The non-cooperation movement was at low ebb. Many Congress leaders were thinking of participating in the Municipal and Provincial Councils which Gandhi had advised them to boycott. Gandhi was not dismayed or discouraged. He decided to leave politics alone for a while and spends his time in bringing about Hindu-Muslim unity and the removal of untouchability.

Congress session in Nagpur

On December 26, the Congress session was held in Nagpur. Though there were signs of opposition to Gandhi’s policies, his resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority.

The adoption of the new programme at Nagpur was the signal to start the mass movement. Gandhi felt that the complete boycott of all government organizations would give a chance to the Congress to set up a parallel organization, a State within State, which would lead India to Swaraj.

The Duke of Connaught was sent to India in 1921 to try to pacify the Indians. He came to open the four legislatures in the country which had been introduced as a result of the reforms announced by the King. His coming and going passed off without any material change in the attitude of Indians towards Britain.

Gandhi travelled far and wide, propagating the ideals of non-violence and non-cooperation. Day by day the Indians were getting more and more excited over carrying out Gandhi’s programme. Many students left their institutions, many officers resigned from their poets.

Gandhi was much impressed by Jawharlal

Gandhi thus had the opportunity to know the Punjab and its people. The flocked to him. They loved him and respected him.

Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also there in the Punjab, realized that Gandhi was the leader of the masses. People were drawn to him because of his thoughts and deeds. Nehru saw the scientific accuracy with which Gandhi was conducting the enquiry.

Gandhi’s report of the atrocities showed that efforts were being made by the government to shield certain persons.

Gandhi was never interested in taking revenge on anybody but he was shocked at the way the government sat silent when its own report was published. Gandhi was very much moved by the sufferings of the people in the Punjab. He knew the extent of the atrocities committed on defenseless people.

Gandhi in Punjab

In the Punjab the situation was very critical, it was true that there were disturbances on the part of the people, but the measures adopted by the government to check the disturbances were too severe. The leaders were trying to keep the people peaceful, but the stern measures of repression taken by the authorities had few parallels in history.

In Amritsar the people were not allowed to move about freely. A proclamation was issued forbidding all gathering and meetings. Only a few had the chance to know about the proclamation, however, because it was not announced widely besides, it was made only in English. It was announced that a meeting was to be held in a garden called Jallianwala Bagh, to make a protest against the Government’s actions. General Dyer took no measures to prevent the meeting. However, he reached the place soon after the meeting began with armoured cars and troops.  Without giving any warning he ordered, “Fire till the ammunition is exhausted.”

Gandhi Starts Satyagraha Movement

Gandhi was still in a weak physical condition when he received an invitation to go to Madras (now Chennai).

He took the risk and went to Madras with Mahaev Desai.

It was there that he first met chakravarthi

Rajagopalachari, who impressed him very much.

A small conference of leaders was held and Gandhi explained to them the implications of the Rowlatt Bill. While these discussions were being held, news was received that the Rowlatt Bill had been published as an act.

It was also in Madras that Gandhi first conceived the idea of an All India hartal as the beginning of the Satyagraha movement. The leaders at once took up the suggestion and gave much publicity to the forthcoming hartal. The date was first fixed for March 30, 1919, but was subsequently changed to April 6. While the people had received only a short notice for the hartal, it turned out to be most successful. 

Satyagraha Sabha

Gandhi returned to Ahmedabad. He was recouping his health there when he read in the papers the Rowlett Committer’s report which had just been published.

This report recommended the introduction of amendments to the criminal law. These recommendations startled Gandhi. He described them as” Unjust, subversive of the principles of liberty and justice, and destructive of the elementary rights of individuals.”

Friends approached Gandhi for guidance.

“Something must be done,” he said to them,” If the proposed measures are passed into law, we ought to do a Satyagraha.”

Gandhi was sorry he was in poor health, else he would have put up resistance against the amendments alone. From his sickbed he wrote articles for the Indian papers explaining that the proposed bill was an act tyranny. No self-respecting people could submit to it.

Gandhi's Health Condition

The response to recruitment was not any way encouraging, but Gandhi was determined to carry out his mission. He held meetings. He issued leaflets asking people to enlist in the forces. His steady work began to bear fruit. Many men were recruited and he hoped to get a bigger response as soon as the first batch had been sent.

Gandhi nearly ruined his health during the recruitment campaign. He worked very hard. He could not take his food at regular times, nor could he take enough nourishment to keep up his energy.

He had an attack of dysentery. He refused to take medicines and his condition became worse. Friends tried their best to advise him but he was beyond all advice. He passed restless days and nights and he himself felt at times that he was near death’s door.

Gandhi beg to support the resolution

During this time the war had entered a critical phase. Britain and France were in a difficult position. In the spring of 1917 Germany had inflicted crushing defeats on both the British and French troops in France. Russia’s war efforts had broken down and the revolution was threatening its government. Though America had entered the war, no American troops had yet reached the battle-front.

The Viceroy of India, Lord Chelmsford, invited various Indian leaders to attend a War Conference. Gandhi was also invited. He accepted the invitation and went to Delhi. Gandhi was not happy that leaders like Tilak or the Alibrothers had not been invited to the conference, so he felt unwilling to attend. After meeting the Viceroy, however, he attended the conference.

The Viceroy was very keen that Gandhi should support the resolution on recruiting.

Gandhi spoke only one sentence: “With a full sense of my responsibility I beg to support the resolution”

Sabarmati Ashram

Gandhi hurried back to Ahmadabad.

Before taking up the labour dispute Gandhi wanted to move his ashram. The Satyagraha Ashram was in a village near Ahmadabad, but the surroundings were not clean leading to an outbreak of plague that had spread there from Ahmadabad.

A rich merchant of Ahmedabad who was closely associated with the ashram, volunteered to procure a suitable piece of land. Gandhi moved about with him looking for land and at last they chose a place on the banks of the Sabarmati River, near the Sabarmati Central Jail. The land was purchased and there the famous Sabarmati Ashram was started.

obnoxious system of agricultural labour

Now Gandhi heard about an obnoxious system of agricultural labour prevailing in Bihar.

In the Champaran District of Biher, the cultivators were forced by Europeans to grow indigo, a blue dye, and this imposed on them untold sufferings. They neither could nor grow the food they needed nor did they receive adequate payment for the indigo.

Gandhi was unaware of this until an agriculturist from Bihar, rajkumar Shukla, met him and told him of the owes of the people of Champaran. He requested Gandhi to go to the place and see for himself the state of affairs there. Gandhi was then attending the Congress meeting at Lucknow and he did not have time to go there. Rajkumar Shukla followed him about, begging him to come and help the suffering villagers in Champaran. Gandhi at last promised to visit the place after he had visited Calcutta.