• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

1. TELEGRAM TO APPASAHEB PANT RAJKOT, May 31, 1939 APPASAHEB PANT, AUNDH CAN SEE FOR FEW MINUTES ANY DAY FROM SECOND TO SIXTH AT BOMBAY EXCEPTING MONDAY. From a copy: Pyarelal Papers. Courtesy: Pyarelal 2. SPEECH AT KATHIAWAR POLITICAL CONFERENCE, RAJKOT1 May 31, 1939 It is growing upon me every day that we shall have to lower our key, our demand for full responsible government will have to remain in abeyance for some time. Not that we are not entitled to it, but it is clear to me that we have not the will for it, we are not ready to pay the price. There is an awakening, but it is not the awakening of active non-violence of the brave. Not that I have suddenly realized this point. The realization was there, the will to face the conclusion was not there, and I am reaping the fruit of that weakness of the will. I have been weak-willed ever since Bardoli onwards, but my co-workers deluded themselves into the belief that we had attained the requisite non-violence and I shared their delusion. I do not repent of this. It is likely that if we had acted otherwise there would not have been the awakening we see today. But that seems to lead one to a rather dreadful conclusion, viz., that compromise with non-violence was necessary for a widespread awakening ! But that is not the conclusion. The conclusion is that God chooses as his instruments the humblest and weakest of His creatures to fulfil Him- self. Today with [this] great realization I would not lead another Dandi March. The breach of the salt laws was a perfect proposition, but violence of the mind had crept in almost from the beginning. All that we had learnt then was that it was expedient to refrain from the 1 This is extracted from “The Decision and After-III” by Mahadev Desai. Gandhiji was speaking at the Executive Committee meeting. VOL. 76 : 31 MAY, 1939 - 15 OCTOBER, 1939 1 use of physical violence. This was the non-violence of the calculating Bania, not of the brave Kshatriya. This non-violence of the calculating Bania has not, could not have, carried us far. It could not possibly avail to win and retain swaraj, to win over our opponent who believed in the use of arms. Today I sense violence everywhere, smell it inside and outside Congress ranks. In 1921 even goonda element outside the Congress was more or less under our control. Perfect non-violence is difficult. It admits no weakness. It made me take the false step of approaching the Viceroy in order to end my fast. It was unpardonable on the part of a general who claims to derive his whole strength from God. But God gave me that courage to retrieve the blunder, and we are all the stronger and purer for it. I am not tired of repeating again and again that we should be non-violent in thought and word and deed. We had been saying so, but there was no emphasis on the first of these. A dissolute character is more dissolute in thought than in deed. And the same is true of vio- lence. Our violence in word and deed is but a feeble echo of the surging violence of thought in us. Are you prepared to go with me so far? Does all that I say carry conviction? If so, violence should be eschewed from the innermost of our thoughts. But if you cannot go with me, do go your own way. If you can reach your goal in any other way, do so by all means. You will deserve my congratulations. For I cannot in any case stand cowar- dice. Let no one say when I am gone that I taught the people to be cowards. If you think my ahimsa amounts to that, or leads you to that, you should reject it without hesitation. I would far rather that you died bravely dealing a blow and receiving a blow than died in abject terror. If the ahimsa of my dream is impossible, you can reject the creed rather than carry on the pretence of non-violence. Fleeing from battle—palayanam—is cowardice, and unworthy of a warrior. An armed fighter is known to have sought fresh arms as soon as he loses those in his possession or they lose their efficacy. He leaves the battle to get them. A non-violent warrior knows no leaving the battle. He rushes into the mouth of himsa, never even once har- bouring an evil thought. If this ahimsa seems to you to be impossible, let us be honest with ourselves and say so, and give it up. For me there is no laying down arms. I cannot do so. I am trying to be the warrior of my description and, if God wills, I may be that during this life. Such a warrior can fight single-handed. 2 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI Let me give a bit of my own experience in South Africa. When thousands joined the movements, I had not spoken to them, not even seen them. Papers they could not read. My heart was working in unison with them. Living faith is all that is necessary. It is evident that I have not the capacity today to inspire faith in the millions. This needs superior living faith in non-violence and in God. This faith is self-acting, and illumines man’s life more and more every day. In the pursuit of my earnest research I may seem to act strangely. I should not grumble if everyone left me in the honesty of his conviction. Let no one stick to me in the blind faith that something will happen. Such [faith] will hinder rather than help the cause. Harijan, 17-6-1939 3. TALK WITH A MUSLIM FRIEND1 [May 31, 1939]2 I have been talking of non-violence these 20 years but I have made unlawful compromises with myself. My mind goes back to the days of Khilafat agitation. I had the friendship of thousands of Mus- lims then. When at a meeting of the Muslim League before 1920 I asked for the supreme sacrifice, two or three names were given by Khwaja Saheb Abdul Majid, but I believed that many would come forward at the right time. And they did. But looking back upon those times I see that I compromised non-violence. I was satisfied with mere abstention from physical violence.3 The fact is I have never placed unadulterated ahimsa before the country. If I had done so, there would have been complete Hindu- Muslim unity. No doubt I kept on saying there would be no swaraj without Hindu-Muslim unity, but I should have seen that there was no Hindu-Muslim unity because there was not that insistence on unadul- terated ahimsa on the part of all, whether Hindu or Muslim. No wonder my new technique puzzles many. But I must go on. If I am right, the puzzles will be solved. Harijan, 17-6-1939 1 The talk is extracted from “The Decision and After-III”. Mahadev Desai explains that Gandhiji was “speaking on another occasion”, and includes this after his report of the speech at Executive Committee meeting of Kathiawar Political Conference; vide the preceding item. 2 ibid 3 Here Mahadev Desai has omitted “instances” given by Gandhiji. VOL. 76 : 31 MAY, 1939 - 15 OCTOBER, 1939 3 4. MESSAGE TO NAWANAGAR STATE PEOPLE’S CONFERENCE1 May 1939 If you cannot do anything else, at least wear pure khadi and identify yourselves with the poor. M. K. GANDHI [From Gujarati] Sevamoorti: Shri Virchand Panachand Shah, p. 121 5. TELEGRAM TO VALLABHRAM VAIDYA RAJKOT, June 1, 1939 VALLABHRAM VAIDYA DHANWANTARI BHAVAN RAIPUR, AHMEDABAD PLEASE MEET KATHIAWAR MAIL2 TONIGHT AHMEDABAD STATION. GANDHI From the original: C.W. 2905. Courtesy: Vallabhram Vaidya 6. LETTER TO NRISINHPRASAD K. BHATT ON THE TRAIN, June 1, 1939 BHAI NANABHAI, I wanted to write to you as soon as I got your wire, but could not do so. Now I am writing this in the train. The path of those who worship ahimsa under all circumstances is straight. Such a person will not indulge in fighting even in self-defence. But he who does not have that strength has but to run away—that is, play the coward—if he does not attack the attacker. Cowardice is worse than violence because cowards can never be non-violent. So such people should learn to 1 According to the source, the third session of the Conference was held some time in “May, 1939”. 2 By which Gandhiji travelled to Bombay. 4 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI defend themselves. Under its constitution members of the Parishad1 can be said to be wedded to non-violence. But here such ahimsa is of no use. A person who has full faith in non-violence should be a thousand times more fearless than an armed man. Such fearlessness is not gained by joining some organization. Hence every member of the Parishad should find an independent way for himself. It is the duty of every believer in ahimsa to see that cowardice is not propagated in the name of non-violence. So we must frankly tell the common people that we are unable to guide them. It is not proper that they should look to us. If they can independently think of non-violent ways they will not ask us and if they do ask us we should give them only one guidance that they should not be weak under any circumstances.

Load more

  438

Copy Link