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Reminiscences
Of Gandhi
Reminiscences
- Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas
APART from learning from newspapers about the fame
of Gandhiji in connection with his satyagraha in South Africa, my first
knowledge about his firm views was when he returned from overseas and there was
a move on the part of the orthodox members of the Modh Bania community in'
Bombay to put Gandhiji out of the caste. There were many who did not approve of
this. When. mention was made qf this move to Gandhiji: he simply said: "Why take
the trouble of passing a resolution put-' ting me out of the caste? 1 am
prepared to go out of the caste myself." This deservedly curt treatment of the
orthodox element in the caste has had its own effect, and those who felt that
they would in the least degrade him by their resolution, if carried, reconciled
.themselves t9,doing nothing. Gandhiji's attitude regarding matters concerning
his caste of Modh Banias has been a consistently cold and indifferent one all
through, without bring in any way. provocative or disrespectful. The net result
today is that the Modh Bania community feel proud of him, and caste restrictions
are slowly but most definitely being worn out, if not effaced.
My first contact with Gandhiji was in 1920, when' he was about to launch the
non-cooperation movement for the first time. 1 then saw him by appointment
through the late Revashankar Jagjivan, who used to be his host in Bombay at Mani
Bhavan. I was Wing to Understand from Gandhiji how the non-cooperation movement
could at all succeed under the circumstances of the country and the people at
the time.' Gandhiji's one reply, after I explained my point of, view to him,
was: "I will make this experiment with such as choose to follow me. There is
such dire poverty in the country that I shall get my following from the masses,
even though I may not get it from the classes." As I was leaving Gandhiji after
the interview, Pandit Motilal Nehru came in to see him,' and' that was the first
time I met the Panditji. He enquired of Gandhiji about me, and Gandhiji said
that I was the Sheriff of Bombay. Panditji, half jocularly, remarked: "He will
have to give this up now;" and Gandhiji, without waiting for me to ,say a word,
rejoined: "He will do it more thoroughly than many, but he will only do it when
he is convinced of our line of action being the correct one." As Revashankarbhai
said good-bye to me at the threshold of the staircase of the second floor of his
building, he asked if I felt that the interview had been a useful one. I replied
in all earnestness: "It is a serious move and will require to be watched at
every turn!'
My next interview with Gandhiji was in 1921 immediately after the landing of the
Prince of Wales at Bombay when commotion took place in Bombay and Gandhiji went
on fast. It was decided that, when Gandhiji was to break his fast, a few friends
should be present. I was specially invited to this, and there were a few
speeches requesting Gandhiji to break the fast and assuring him of the loyalty
of all India to him. At the end of these speeches, he asked me to say a few
words. This took me by surprise, as nothing in that direction was indicated to
me. But on his repeating his request, I referred to what I felt was most lacking
in Indian public life or private, namely discipline. A few friends from the
Congress circle were upset by my few words, but I was given to understand that
Mahatmaji said to them: "Purshotamdas touched the correct thing, and I am glad
he said it on this occasion."
Gandhiji's father had been Dewan of Rajkot; and during the agitation against
that State, which developed just before the Tripuri session of the Congress over
which Subhash Babu presided, Gandhiji decided to follow Kasturba who had gone to
Rajkot, having been brought up at Rajkot though her birth-place was Porbandar.
When I heard about this, I particularly asked friends in Bombay to arrange that
I should be able to see Gandhiji in Bombay on his way to Rajkot. It was a
Monday, his silence day, and he was to be in Bombay only for a few hours. As
soon as he learnt that I was anxious to see him, he very kindly sent a message
back saying that he would start his silence an hour or two later, so that I
might go and see him at his host's place in Juhu. I particularly appreciated
this, and had about half-an-hour's talk with him at Juhu. I suggested to him
that in my opinion Rajkot was-too small a problem for him to go personally to
solve. Gandhiji's only reply was: "I know it, but I feel. that, if I can go, I
should not avoid it." I reminded him of the divided loyalty which was bound to
worry him, and he said quite seriously: "That is exactly why I am going. The
people are not in the wrong, and the Dewan has a great hold over the young
Thakore. Perhaps I may be able to render a small service to the State which was
served by my father." I left Gandhiji convinced that he would, with his tact and
usual resourcefulness, bring about the best solution permissible under the
circumstances there. And so it did happen. Gandhiji has proved that whenever he
wills it so, he can stretch a thing without making it snap.
The last incident that I may refer to is what took place during my recent
illness in 1945. He had kind enquiries made after my health fairly regularly,
and on the very first day after his arrival in Bombay, after the evening
prayers, he told his host, Mr. Birla, that he was calling on me. When Mr. Birla
said that at about 8.30 p.m. I might not be able to see him, all that Gandhiji
said was: "Anyway I will see him, if he cannot see me." He called at my
residence with Dr. Sushila Nayyar and another friend. My daughter and grandson
had left me for the evening just a few minutes before, and the nurse was
preparing me for the night's rest. A servant brought the message that Mahatmaji
had arrived. My wife was wondering what to say to him, but she forthwith went
down to meet him. Gandhiji at once asked: "Is Purshotamdas in?" When my wife
said: "I am afraid he cannot come down, but he is a little better," Gandhiji
smilingly said: "Oh, I can go up and, if you like, I will take you up with me to
convince you that I can go up the stairs comfortably." Without waiting any more,
he started going up the stairs, and as soon as he was at the entrance of my
bed-room, he said in his cheerful voice: "Don't move at all. I will come and sit
by you." He was one of the very few who, instead of enquiring of me as to the
why and wherefor of my illness, kept on talking to me merely, as if bracing me
to the course of recovery. He left me after twenty minutes, and the nurse in
attendance, who saw him for the first time, said: "If only I could be, sure that
patients would have such visitors calling on them, they would do more for a
patient's recovery than doctors themselves."
Bombay,
July 1946.
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