Monday, Mar. 30, 1931
"Soul Force"
Several hundred U. S. tourists from the world-cruising S. S. Belgenland hurrahed St. Gandhi in New Delhi last week, snapped their cameras at him, clamored for his autograph.
Perhaps most demonstrative was a Mrs. Hattie Belle Johnston of New York. Rushing up to the Mahatma she cried:
"When are you coming to America? They will go wild about you there, simply wild!"
Mr. Gandhi: After India has her independence.
Mrs. H. B. J.: How long will that take?
Mr. G.: Oh, perhaps not so long as it took America to get her freedom.
With the tourists jostling each other for his autograph, St. Gandhi refused them all with a toothy grin and a joke.
"You might as well ask me for a lock of my hair," he said. The tourists, their attention thus directed to the scrawny little man's bald head, laughed & laughed.
No Saint. If a man goes about saying "I am a saint," people think him crazy. A saint is expected to go about saying "I am not a saint," the precedent having been set long ago. Last week in the small town of Sisroda (in Bombay Presidency near the sea), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi followed precedent.
"I am neither Saint nor Mahatma" [i. e. 'Great Soul'], he told the clamoring worshipping populace gravely. "You must not think me supernatural. I am only a satyagrahi [one who practices truth force, love force, soul force]. I am but a humble servant. I am only common clay."
Catching sight of a policeman in the crowd--the same policeman who arrested him for making salt at Dandi year ago (TIME, April 14)--Satyagrahi Gandhi called out: "You know I am on my way to make salt again--and will you arrest me once again?"
"That all depends," said the policeman stoutly, looking Common Clay in the eye, "on what you say and what you do."
If little Mr. Gandhi had intended to push on at once to the sea and make salt he postponed this act. He left Sisroda later in the day for Bombay where a great reception waited.
Gandhi & Reds. Communist leaders in Bombay took the line last week that "Gandhi betrayed the proletariat by his pact with Irwin!" It is true that Mr. Gandhi arranged the release of his own non-violent demonstrators first; but he continued last week to plead with the British for release of even violent, proletarian agitators. This, to the Communists, was no excuse. They greeted the little brown man in Bombay with roars of "Down with Gandhi! Down with his Nationalist Party! Down with British Imperialism!"
Squatting upon the speakers' platform Mr. Gandhi ignored the Communists utterly, moved not a muscle when Communists tore his Congress flag from the platform and put up their own. He waited tranquil and serene while Nationalists threw the Communists and their red flag out, restored the red, green & white Nationalist flag.
Then, and only then, the apostle of "soul force" spoke. Gently but firmly he exhorted his audience to keep the truce he had made with Lord Irwin. Diversion: mouselike Mrs. Gandhi brought as her guests to the speakers' platform some tourists from the S. S. Belgenland including Mrs. Hattie Belle Johnston (see above).
"What kind of clothes do you American women wear?" asked Mrs. Gandhi examining the stuff of Mrs. Johnston's dress. "Is it silk or satin? Is it hand-made or factory-made?"
Mrs. H. B. J.: It is factory-made.
Mrs. G.: Ah, you American women must wear homespun garments and emancipate yourselves from slavery to styles as well as dependence upon factories, just as the women of India are doing!
Irwin & Princes. In splendorous New Delhi met last week the Chamber of Princes. Nearly all of the Rajas and Maharajas maintain sumptuous residences in New Delhi which they inhabit only when the Chamber meets. Nearly all ride Rolls-Royces (the Maharaja of Patiala has 36 Rolls-Royces). Last week from the flagstaffs of these pampered potentates fluttered the crimson & gold of Bikaner, the blue, white & yellow of Bahawalpur, the scarlet of Patiala.
It was India's princes who surprised the Indian Round Table Conference in London by their offer to federate, their states with the rest of India (TIME, Dec. i). For this they were thanked last week by Viceroy Baron Irwin. Then up rose the sturdy, fighting Maharaja of Bikaner. He thanked Lord Irwin for arranging the truce with Mr. Gandhi. He concluded amid a burst of cheers: "If, alas, we cannot have Lord Irwin with us forever, we hope an Irwin-hearted Viceroy will follow after him."
As the princes well knew, Lord Irwin's term as Viceroy is just expiring. He will soon be replaced by the onetime Governor General of Canada, Lord Willingdon (TIME, Dec. 29). As his parting shot last week Lord Irwin proceeded to tell the Chamber of Princes bluntly that its members must pamper themselves less or expect trouble from the awakening subjects in their realms. He advised fewer Rolls-Royces (not of course mentioning that equipage by name), and more voluntary contributions by Rajas and Maharajas to projects of public welfare.
"The princes now stand at the parting of the ways," concluded Baron Irwin. "I believe that the road [to an All India Federation] which the deliberations in London pointed out is the [right] road."
Gandhi & Irwin. In New Delhi last week Mr. Gandhi conferred with Lord Irwin and police officials, telling them that the jails were not being emptied fast enough (over 15,000 Gandhites had been set free before the end of the week).
"Things are not going well," said Mr. Gandhi, referring to three developments:
1) During the night New Delhi had been placarded with anonymous threats to bomb the Gandhite Nationalist Congress when it meets in Karachi, unless violent as well as non-violent agitators are first released from jail.
2) Twelve Moslems were killed by Hindus in the Mochi district last week "for insulting a Hindu sacred cow," and Hindu-Moslem feeling began to run so high that St. Gandhi threatened to go on "hunger strike" until both communities calmed down.
3) At Karachi Dr. Choithram Gidwani, faithful Gandhite lieutenant who was organizing a huge encampment for the forthcoming Nationalist Congress, was faced by some 400 dissatisfied "congress volunteers."
Entering their chief's office these congress henchmen objected that proper pro vision had not been made for them to see the show. When Dr. Gidwani protested that this was impossible, they seized his hands, feet, arms, legs, head and body, held him motionless for five hours to show their displeasure.
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