E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesSomebody protested that Gandhi's Satyagraha campaign would abet Bolshevism.(The Bolshevik Revolution had taken place on November 7, 1917, and made adeep impression on the East.) No, Gandhi said in a speech at Madras on March30, 1919, 'if anything can possibly prevent this calamity descending upon ourcountry, it is Satyagraha. Bolshevism is the necessary result of modernmaterialistic civilization. Its insensate worship of matter has given rise to aschool which has been brought up to look upon materialistic advancement asthe goal and which has lost all touch with the final things in life ... I prophesythat if we disobey the law of the final supremacy of spirit over matter, ofliberty and love over brute force, in a few years' time we shall have Bolshevismrampant in this land which was once so holy'.The hartal, a prelude to Satyagraha, was observed in Delhi on March 30 and inBombay and other cities and villages on April 6; 'Needless to say,' Gandhireported, 'the hartal in Bombay was a complete success.' The nationwidehartal, he said, 'was a most wonderful spectacle'.In Delhi, however, the hartal provoked violence. The Punjab, home of millionsof Moslems and Hindus and of five million bearded, turbaned, stoutly built Sikhswhose religion was an offshoot of Hinduism, echoed to riots and shootings-Leaders asked Gandhi to come quickly to Delhi and the Punjab. The Britishstopped him, at the borders of province on April 9 and escorted him back toBombay, where be was released. En route to and from Bombay, Gandhi sentmessages that he was safe and free; reports of his arrest had inflamed thealready heated passions of the people; riots occurred in Bombay andAhmedabad.On April 11, Gandhi admonished his followers in Bombay. We have beenthrowing stones,' he said. 'We have obstructed tramcars by putting obstacles inthe way. This is not Satyagraha. We have demanded the release of about fiftymen who had been arrested for deeds of violence. But our duty is chiefly to getourselves arrested. It is a breach of religious duty to endeavour to secure therelease of those who have committed deeds of violence... If we cannot conductthis movement without the slightest violence from our side,' Gandhi warned,www.mkgandhi.org Page 202