by M K Gandhi
485 ‘dim’ added in the English translation.
486 ‘I was addressing a public meeting.’ Added in the English translation.
487 ‘stealing, irrespective of whether’ in the first edition.
488 ‘Such compliance will not, however, constitute the’ in the first edition.
489 ‘that is required of a satyagrahi’ added in the English translation.
490 ‘My error lay in my failure to observe this necessary limitation.’ Added in the English translation.
491 ‘upon’ in the first edition.
492 ‘mistake of mine’ in the first edition.
493 ‘How can those who daily commit breach of law in their thoughts, those who often break laws furtively, recognize civil disobedience all of a sudden? How can they observe its limits? It is easy to understand that such an ideal condition cannot be attained by thousands or hundreds of thousands.’ To add. ‘But it may be rightly argued: How can a people who are in the habit of frequently evading laws, as most people are, suddenly grasp the significance of civil disobedience, or keep themselves within its strict bounds? I admit, that it is no easy matter for thousands and hundreds of thousands of people to fulfil the ideal conditions mentioned above.’ These lines from the first edition were deleted in the 1940 revised edition.
494 ‘well-tried’ added in the English translation.
495 Two leaflets were issued under the title ‘Satyagrahi’ and twenty-one under ‘Satyagraha leaflet’. See CWMG, vol. 15.
496 ‘lawless’ added in the English translation.
497 ‘in all its nakedness’ added in the English translation.
498 ‘In Amritsar’ added in the English translation.
499 ‘procedure’ in the first edition.
500 The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919, when a crowd of non-violent protesters along with Baisakhi pilgrims who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar were fired upon by the troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Reginald Dyer. According to the British government, 379 persons died and 1200 were wounded; unofficial figures, including those of the inquiry committee of the Indian National Congress, put the figure of the dead at over 1000.
501 ‘principally’ added in the English translation.
502 ‘fanning the flame’ translates a colloquial expression which would translate as ‘adding ghee to fire’.
503 ‘while the people slept’ to add. The Bombay Chronicle was established in 1910 by Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, B G Horniman, Marmaduke Pickthall and Syed Abdullah Brelvi were among its editors, the paper closed down in 1959.
504 For MKG’s immediate reaction to B.G. Horniman’s deportation, see CWMG, vol. 15, pp. 260–61.
505 Syed Abdullah Brelvi became the editor of the Bombay Chronicle in 1924, remaining in that position till his death in 1942.
506 In Young India of 11 June 1919 MKG announced: ‘By courtesy of the Young India syndicate composed as it is largely of satyagrahis, since the deportation of Mr. Horniman, I have been permitted to supervise the editing of this journal.’ CWMG, vol. 15, p. 260.
507 The takeover of Navajivan was announced in July 1919. See ibid., pp. 419–21.
508 ‘There were other reasons besides for this change.’ Added in the English translation.
509 ‘from just a few copies’ to add.
510 ‘irate’ added in the English translation.
511 ‘and no martial law either’ to add.
512 Rambhaj Dutt Chaudhary (1866–1923), a journalist and a Congress worker of the Punjab.
513 ‘to the Punjab’ added in the English translation.
514 ‘and the other prisoners’ added in the English translation.
515 ‘every time I asked for permission to go there, and so the thing dragged on’ added in the English translation.
516 ‘Deenbandhu Andrews’ in the original.
517 15 October 1919. In a telegram dated 3 October 1919, Maffey, the PS to the Viceroy, wrote, ‘Orders to which you refer will be withdrawn on October fifteenth.’ MKG received the notice withdrawing the orders on 16 October. He reached Lahore on 24 October 1919.
518 ‘with whom I had previous acquaintance’ to add. Sarala Devi Chaudharani (1872–1945), poet, nationalist leader, daughter of Jankinath Ghoshal and Swarnakumari Devi, niece of Tagore; MKG’s relationship with her underwent intense fluctuations, from a time when he contemplated ‘spiritual marriage’ with her to cultivated distance. Her son Deepak married Maganlal Gandhi’s daughter Rukshmani or Rukhi.
519 ‘properly’ added in the English translation.
520 Pandit Motilal Nehru (1861–1931), nationalist lawyer, twice served as president of the Indian National Congress (1919–20 and 1928–29), founded the English daily The Leader, one of the founders of the Swaraj Party and author of the Nehru Report (1928) that envisioned dominion status for India.
521 ‘How’ added in the English translation.
522 Hunter Commission, established to examine the atrocities at Jallianwala Bagh. Lord William Hunter, chairman, Mr. Justice George C. Rankin, Sir Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad, W.F. Rice (member, Home Department), Major General Sir George Barrow, GOC, Peshawar, Pandit Jagat Narayan (member, Legislative Council, United Provinces), Thomas Smith (member, Legislative Council, United Provinces), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (lawyer, Gwalior) were members and H.C. Stokes (member, Home Department) was the secretary of the Commission.
523 ‘is now a matter of history’ added in the English translation.
524 ‘Suffice it to say that, looking back upon the events from this distance of time,’ added in the English translation.
525 For the Congress committee’s statement, see CWMG, vol. 16, pp. 546–50.
526 Chittaranjan Das (1869–1925), lawyer, pre-eminent leader of the Bengal Congress, president of the Indian National Congress (1921), one of the founders of the Swaraj Party.
527 Abbas Tayabji (1854–1936), served as the chief justice of Baroda State, appointed as MKG’s immediate successor to lead the Salt Satyagraha in case of MKG’s arrest, led the raid on the Dharasana Salt Works.
528 Mukund Ramrao Jayakar (1873–1959), liberal lawyer, member, Bombay Legislative Council and Central Legislative Council, judge, Federal Court of India, member, Privy Council, and member, Constituent Assembly of India.
529 ‘virtually’ added in the English translation.
530 The committee was constituted on 14 November 1919 and began its work on 17 November and submitted its report on 25 March 1920.
531 ‘their’ added in the English translation.
532 ‘spun by them’ to add.
533 ‘tyranny’ translates the original term ‘Nadirshahi’, which refers to the massacre of Delhi after the victory of Nadir Shah of Persia over the Mughal emperor in 1739.
534 ‘during the War’ added in the English translation.
535 See CWMG, vol. 17, pp. 114–292.
536 Asaf Ali (1888–1953), nationalist, called to the Bar from Lincoln’s Inn, played a prominent part in the Quit India agitation (1942), defended Bhagat Singh in his trial and was convenor of the Indian National Army defence team in 1945, served as India’s first ambassador to the United States of America. Married Aruna Asaf Ali (née Ganguli).
537 ‘With these thoughts filling my mind’ added in the English translation.
538 MKG attended the conference on 23 and 24 November 1919.
539 ‘My contention was that both questions should be examined on their own merit.’ To add.
540 ‘Before the conference I contended that’ added in the English translation.
541 ‘as I believe it had’ added in the English translation.
542 For MKG’s speech at the Khilafat Conference, see CWMG, vol. 16, pp. 318–23.
543 The Young India of 20 December 1928, vol. X. no. 51, reads: ‘But in spite of my warning the Mussalmans felt called upon at later conferences always to allude to the duty of stopping cow slaughter in grateful recognition of the Hindu’
s help on the Khilafat question.’ Navajivan of 16 December 1928 has: ‘But in spite of this, the Mussalmans did not stop discussing the issue of cow-protection.’ The text of the Autobiography was changed in the first edition, vol. 2, pp. 532–33, and the changes were later incorporated in the subsequent Gujarati edition.
544 ‘which concerned the whole Empire’ to add.
545 ‘which arose directly out of the peace terms’ added in the English translation.
546 The paragraph ‘There was a suggestion from . . . easily carried conviction’ was not in Navajivan of 16 December 1928 nor in Young India of 20 December 1928. This paragraph was added in the first edition, vol. 2, p. 533, and was later incorporated in the subsequent Gujarati edition.
547 Maulana Hasrat (Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan) Mohani (1875–1951), poet, nationalist, one of the founders of the Communist Party of India.
548 ‘cry in the wilderness’ translates ‘tuti no avaj’, literally, ‘sound of my mouth-organ’.
549 ‘to my agreeable surprise’ added in the English translation.
550 ‘platform’ English word in the original.
551 ‘Hasrat Mohani’ added in the English translation.
552 ‘of the North’ added in the English translation.
553 ‘in Urdu’ added in the English translation.
554 ‘but, I did respond.’ To add.
555 The paragraph ‘I simply said . . . case of a betrayal’ was not in the Navajivan of 16 December 1928 nor in the Young India of 20 December 1928. It was incorporated in the first edition, vol. 2, pp. 538–39, and was later incorporated in the subsequent Gujarati edition.
556 In the Gujarati, ‘another’.
557 ‘thus to withhold co-operation’ not in the Gujarati edition.
558 ‘great religious cause’ in the Gujarati edition.
559 ‘should the decision on Khilafat go against us’ in the Gujarati edition.
560 The sentence ‘Indeed when I supported . . . betrayal would never come’ was not in the Navajivan of 16 December 1928 or in the Young India of 20 December 1928; incorporated in the first edition, vol. 2, p. 538, and later incorporated in the subsequent Gujarati editions.
561 ‘I did so in the hope that Hindus and Mussalmans would have no occasion for non-cooperation.’ In the Gujarati edition.
562 MKG was in Amritsar from 25 December 1919 to 1 January 1920 and attended the Congress session on 29, 30, 31 December and 1 January.
563 ‘for longer or shorter periods’ to add.
564 Lala Harkishen Lal (1864–1937), studied at Cambridge, prominent businessman of the Punjab, one of the founders and the first honorary secretary of the Punjab National Bank.
565 ‘while the session of the Congress was still in progress’ to be placed at the end of the following sentence, instead of this one, as per the original.
566 ‘and had done great service’ added in the English translation.
567 ‘little’ to add.
568 The Montague–Chelmsford Reforms. It became the Government of India Act, 1919, which introduced the system of ‘diarchy’ and a bicameral legislature by extending the notion of responsible government.
569 Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha (1863–1928), president of the Indian National Congress, Advocate General of Bengal (1908), first Indian member of the governor general’s Executive Council (1909), first Indian to be appointed parliamentary undersecretary of State for India (1919), elevated to Peerage, first Indian member of the British House of Lords.
570 See n. 246 in Chapter XVI in Part III.
571 ‘I felt that all that still remained to be done in that connection must claim my attention’ added in the English translation.
572 ‘not rejecting but’ added in the English translation.
573 ‘Deshbandhu’ added in the English translation.
574 ‘late’ added in the English translation.
575 ‘antarnaad’, literally, ‘inner voice’, in the original.
576 ‘from the Congress for the rest of the session’ added in the English translation.
577 ‘in the Congress pandal’ added in the English translation.
578 ‘among the leaders’ to add.
579 Jairamdas Doulatram.
580 ‘C.R.’ added in the English translation.
581 Bipin Chandra Pal (1858–1932), along with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak were the popular triumvirate Lal, Bal and Pal.
582 The amendment was to the following effect: ‘In the opinion of the Congress, whilst the Reforms Act falls short of the requirement of the situation in India and therefore inadequate and unsatisfactory, the Congress recognizes, it is a definite step towards Responsible Government and without prejudice to its full rights to agitate at the earliest opportunity for remedying the glaring omission in the said Act, it calls upon people to co-operate with the authorities in making the Reforms a success and that this Congress expresses its cordial thanks to Right Hon’ble E.S. Montague and Lord Sinha, for their labours on behalf of India in connection with the constitutional reform.’ CWMG, vol. 16, pp. 364–65, n. 2.
583 ‘late’ added in the English translation.
584 ‘This I knew when I accepted the position of a Trustee. And so it happened.’ To add.
585 ‘or say two’ to add.
586 ‘and the nation is at a loss as to how to utilize the memorial fund’ added in the English translation.
587 ‘and inoffensive’ to add.
588 ‘Anybody could become a delegate.’ To add.
589 ‘upon the existing chaotic condition’ added in the English translation.
590 ‘viz., the Lokamanya and the Deshbandhu’ added in the English translation.
591 ‘late’ added in the English translation.
592 ‘late’ added in the English translation.
593 Narasimha Chintaman (Tatyasaheb) Kelkar (1872–1947), nationalist leader, literary figure, associate and biographer of Tilak, editor of The Mahratta, twice president, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (1928, 1932).
594 Indu Bhusan Sen, a ‘soil scientist’. Courtesy Ashok Mitra and Uma Dasgupta.
595 See CWMG, vol. 18, pp. 288–90 and 428–31. For the constitution as adopted at the Nagpur session, see CWMG, vol. 19, pp. 190–98.
596 Evident error for 1909. Hind Swaraj was composed in November 1909 and published in December that year.
597 ‘spinning-wheel till the year 1908 when in Hind Swaraj’ in the first edition.
598 ‘at Sabarmati’ added in the English translation.
599 ‘mill’ to add.
600 ‘either from the cloth-dealers or’ added in the English translation.
601 ‘take off’ in the first edition.
602 ‘and temporary’ added in the English translation.
603 ‘Indian spinning’ added in the English translation.
604 ‘No end of difficulties again faced us.’ Added in the English translation.
605 ‘Vakil’ in the original.
606 ‘and having been all but exterminated’ added in the English translation.
607 ‘in the accepted sense of the term’ added in the English translation.
608 ‘suppressed classes’ translates Antyaj.
609 Between 2 and 5 November 1917 MKG was in Godhra for the Gujarat Political Conference, Social Conference and Antyaj Conference. In his speech at the Antyaj Conference he urged Gangabehn to teach the Antyaj to read and write. CWMG, vol. 14, p. 73.
610 ‘about the charkha’ added in the English translation.
611 ‘like Damayanti after Nala’ to add.
612 ‘as useless lumber’ added in the English translation.
613 ‘to Gangabehn’ added in the English translation.
614 Umar Haji Yusuf Sobani (d. 1926), a millionaire philanthropist of Bombay, owned Elphinstone Mills.
615 ‘received from Umar Sobani’ added in the English translation.
616 ‘with these thoughts in my mind’ added in the English translation.
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br /> 617 ‘I considered no price too high at the time.’ Added in the English translation.
618 ‘in Bombay’ added in the English translation.
619 Yashvantprasad Hariprasad Desai (d. 1933), a mill owner of Bhavnagar, MKG described him as a ‘sincere and silent worker’ in the Harijan cause.
620 ‘While these developments were taking place in Vijapur’ added in the English translation.
621 ‘women’ to add.
622 ‘i.e., 28 tolas or nearly three quarters of a pound’ added in the English translation.
623 ‘widowed’ added in the English translation.
624 MKG later corrected this ‘lapse in memory’. He wrote in Young India of 31 January 1929, ‘Govindbabu of Champapurhat, Utkal, tells me that in “The Story of My Experiments with Truth”, I have erroneously mentioned two professional spinners of Bombay as having taught spinning to Shrimati Gangabehn, Avantikabai, and Ramabai and that it was he whom I had deputed to teach these sisters. I am thankful for having had the error pointed out to me. Now that I have taxed my memory, I do remember that I asked Govindbabu to teach many in Bombay who wanted to learn spinning. I have no doubt that in the “Story” there are several such omissions. Only the “Story” has been written not to issue certificates to deserving workers but to relate incidents illustrative of the working of the law of Truth. Those innumerable workers who have helped me in my pursuit must find in service its own reward.’ CWMG, vol. 38, p. 420. Here, ‘Ramabai’ refers to ‘Ramibai Kamdar’ in the Autobiography.
625 Manibhuvan.
626 ‘To see Gangabehn at her loom is a stirring sight.’ Added in the English translation.
627 ‘and much less to draw’ in the first edition.
628 ‘Instructive’ added, ‘A Dialogue’ in the original.
629 ‘of Bengal’ to add. The decision to effect the partition of Bengal in eastern Muslim-majority and western Hindu-majority areas was announced by Viceroy Lord Curzon in July 1905; it came into effect on 16 October 1905 and led to widespread political and cultural protests and the Swadeshi Movement was initiated. The decision was annulled in December 1911.