Volume Fourty-One : (Dec 2, 1927
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1. SPEECH AT PUBLIC MEETING, CHICACOLE December 3, 1927 You seem to be dividing all the good things with poor Utkal1. I flattered myself with the assumption that my arrival here is one of the good things, for I was going to devote all the twenty days to seeing the skeletons of Orissa; but as you, the Andhras, are the gatekeepers of Orissa on this side, you have intercepted my march. But I am glad you have anticipated me also. After entering Andhra Desh, I have been doing my business with you and I know God will reward all those unknown people who have been co-operating with me who am a self- appointed representative of Daridranarayana. And here, too, you have been doing the same thing. Last night, several sister came and presented me with a purse. But let me tell you this is not after all my tour in Andhra. I am not going to let you alone so easily as this, nor will Deshabhakta Konda Venkatappayya let me alone, because I have toured in some parts of Ganjam. I am under promise to tour Andhra during the early part of next year, and let me hope what you are doing is only a foretaste of what you are going to do next year. You have faith in true non-co-operation. There is the great drink evil, eating into the vitals of the labouring population. I would like you to non-co-operate with that evil without a single thought and I make a sporting proposal, viz., that those who give up drink habit should divide their savings with me on behalf of Daridranarayan. Then I see that many of you are making chimneys of your mouths by the vicious smoke habit. You, who smoke, do not know what a filthy habit it is. I saw that many of the people, when I made the appeal, threw away their cigars and cigarettes. The elderly people by indulging in this vicious habit do not know what a legacy they are leaving to their children. You know, as I know, that many children steal money in order to satisfy their curiosity to somke. I ask you therefore to non-co-operate with the smoke habit, and again divide you savings with me. So also must Hindus non-co-operate with the devil of un- touchability. I give you my assurance that devil is keeping us from God, and it is a barrier created for our own destruction. 1 Another name for Orissa VOL. 41 : 3 DECEMBER, 1927 - 1 MAY, 1928 1 Mahatmaji then proceeded to answer some questions handed to him by someone in the audience. The first question was: “What are the means now to be adopted by young men for the uplift of the Mother country?” Mahatmaji said: There are many things that I can suggest, but there is one thing which is the easiest for them to do and that is khadi work. They can set apart a certain sum every month or every year to be devoted for khadi work. If they have the time, they can devote it to organizing khadi work in their own district. If they cannot do so or if they have given what is best in them. If they cannot do so or if they have not confidence enough to be able to do organizing work, they can give half an hour a day to spinning and their yarn to the All-India Spinners’ Association and become a member. The second question dealt with the educational and other qualifications required for a public worker. Mahatmaji said: So far as educational qualifications are concerned, besides knowing the provincial vernacular, they must know also the Rashtrabhasha1—Hindi. But the other qualifications are even far more important. They must be strictly honest and their private character must be pure. Men whose eyes are not straight and whose heart is full of animal passion are not fit for doing political work. And in my opinion, unless he believes in truth and non-violence at any cost, he has no business to be a politician. Answering the third question, Mahatmaji said : Whilst all our leaders are conceiving and cooking all kinds of schemes, we, the rank and file, cannot do better than achieving the message of khadi to its fullest extent. It is not a small thing for you and me to take part in an effort to save sixty crores of rupees. You and I cannot pack the Councils, Assembly and Municipalities. Even if we would, we could not have all the qualifications. But every one of us is born with the qualification for khadi. It requires not much training except the training of the heart. By doing khadi work you will find that the power is descending upon you. The Hindu, 9-12-1927 1 National language 2 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI 2. ESSAY ON KHADI Readers will recall that essays in English were invited on the subject of khadi, in view of the prize announced by Shri Revashanker Jagjivan1. Accordingly, the essay written jointly by Professor Puntambekar and Shri Varadachari was awarded the prize. As this is well worth study, it has been translated [into Gujarati] for the Jamnadas Bhagwandas Memorial Series. Shri Chhaganlal Joshi of the Satyagraha Ashram has done the translation and it has now been published. It is priced at Re. 1. The total number of pages is 260. The translation runs into 215 pages, the rest being appendices. All the apppendices are useful. The last appendix gives a short history of khadi in Gujarat; in other words, it shows where khadi was formerly produced in Gujarat and how that priceless industry came to be ruined. The language used in the translation is simple. Gujarati readers will have no difficulty in understanding it. Those who wish to understand well the secret underlying the activity of spinning must positively go through this book. [From Gujarati] Navajivan, 4-12-1927 3. SPEECH AT WOMEN’S MEETING, BERHAMPUR2 Decembr 4, 1927 SISTERS, You have presented two purses for the khadi work. I acknowledge your present with gratitude. You must not think that I consider some of you as Oriyas and some as Telugus. You should feel that all are Indians. Some say that they belong to Andhra and some say that they belong to Orissa. Let all of you belong to India. Let all of you share each other’s misery and happiness. Only thus can you become like Sita. Sita did not consider herself a citizen of Ayodhya. She always considered hereself as belonging to the whole of India. I am really glad that you have written this welcome address in the national language, that is, Hindi. Let all of you give up foreign saris. Let all of you use only khadi. There is no necessity for a woman to wear beautiful saris and ornaments. The only thing a woman needs is purity. Let all of you wear khadi. Let all of you be pure and truthful. 1 Revashanker Jagjivan Zaveri of Bombay 2 In Orissa VOL. 41 : 3 DECEMBER, 1927 - 1 MAY, 1928 3 You should not consider anyone as untouchable. In India, that is, Bharatvarsha, it is a great sin to consider anyone as an untouchable. For heaven’s sake do not commit that sin. Love those who are poor, diseased and hungry. Let all of you prove that you love them by spinning yarn on the charkha for at least half an hour every day. I appeal to those who have not contributed anything towards this Khadi Fund to contribute money or ornaments. [From Oriya] The Samaj, 10-12-1927 4. SPEECH AT STUDENTS’ MEETING, BERHAMPUR December 4, 1927 PROFESSORS, STUDENTS AND BROTHERS, Our programme in this meeting will be unlike the programmes followed in other meetings. In our Satyagraha Ashram, for many years now, at 4.15 a.m. in the morning and at 7 p.m. in the evening, we hold congregational prayers. When the Ashramites go to other places this schedule is observed even there. Knowing that it is difficult to hold prayers at 7 p.m. in the evening regularly [during tours], we have ruled that prayer must be held at night before going to bed. On Friday, December 2, it was very late in the night when we entered into Ganjam district. I forgot to pray before going to bed due to heavy work. When I woke up in the dawn, I trembled in fear. I could see that I had committed a great mistake before the Lord. So we decided that anyone forgetting to offer prayers must do some kind of penance. We also decided that wherever we were, we must remember the name of Rama at least once in the evening. I was scheduled to come to this meeting at 7 p.m. and we were supposed to pray together; but while coming the motor car from Chhatrapur I found that it was already 7 p.m. So I prayed by myself in the motor-car; but when we have decided on collective prayer, I beg you to pray here and now. Those students and others who have faith in prayer, let them pray with closed eyes. After the prayer, I will try to explain its utility. Those who are unwilling to pray, I request them to sit quietly.1 1 The first two paragraphs are translated from The Samaj, an Oriya paper. What follows is from Mahadev Desai’s “Weekly Letter”, published in Young India, 15-12-1927.