E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & Timesthought, was this little man sitting in Yeravda Prison, and how well he knewhow to pull the strings that Move people's hearts.'Even Nehru had underestimated Gandhi's magic and Gandhi's political sagacity.The government's fierce repressions against the civil resisters were breaking theback of the movement; it was petering out into pessimism. Gandhi's fastrescued nationalist India from the political doldrums. But compared with thebig result, this was a minor by-product.All Gandhi's adult life he had fought against the 'bar sinister' between casteHindus and Harijans; even as a boy he laughed at his mother's idea that thetouch of an untouchable defiles. Now the British Empire was erecting a politicalreservation for Harijans. With his congenital impulse to assume the bestmotives, he was ready to believe that MacDonald and Hoare were acting in theinterest, as they saw it, of the Depressed Classes. But he knew India better.Legalisms do not make life; Hindus and Harijans might form a joint electorate,but the Harijans' additional separate electorate would blot out the goodpsychological effect of the joint electorate. Given a separate electorate,Harijan candidates and elected representatives would stress what divided themfrom the caste Hindus. A political machine would arise with a vested interest inperpetuating the rift between Harijans and caste Hindus; its political capitalwould be Hindu injustice. Gandhi felt passionately that untouchability was aperversion which would kill the soul of Hinduism and, in turn, poison the soul ofthe Harijans. The MacDonald award threatened to give long life to India's worstsin.Harmony in diversity, love despite differences, was Gandhi's way of eliminatingviolence in thought and action. To divide is to invite war. Gandhi had fasted forHindu-Moslem unity; he did not want two Indias. Now he was faced with theprospect of three Indias. He regarded Hindu-Moslem enmity as politicallydisastrous. The Hindu-Harijan division was politically disastrous and religiouslysuicidal. Gandhi could not countenance the widening of the Hindu-Harijan gulf.The fast, Gandhi said, 'is aimed at a statutory separate electorate, in any shapeor form, for the Depressed Classes- Immediately that threat is removed oncewww.mkgandhi.org Page 349