Years later Jawaharlal described
what the coming of Gandhi meant to the Indian people.
He said, “We seemed to ne helpless
in the grip of some all- powerful monster; out limbs were paralyzed our minds
deadened….. What could we do? How could we pull India out of this quagmire of
poverty and defeatism which sucked her in?
And then Gandhi came. He was like a
powerful current of fresh airs that made us started ourselves and take deep
breaths, like a beam of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales
from but most of all working of people’s minds.”
Several conferences demanding Home
Rule were held in India during the latter half of 1916. They marked a new wave
of political life under the leadership of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant and
Jinnah.