Mohandas was pained to see the plight of Indians working in South Africa.
From the Caribbean to the South Pacific, Britain reigned the largest empire the world has ever seen. Indian ‘coolies ‘were transported to South Africa as cheap manual labour to work at Britain’s sugar fields, coal fields and for the expansion of their railways. Gandhi reached South Africa in 1893, to set up his legal practice. He was pained to see the plight of Indians working in South Africa. With his own eyes, he saw an Indian labourer being beaten up by his employer. It moved him. Soon, to represent the voice of Indians in South Africa, Gandhi set up the Natal Indian Congress and started the newspaper Indian Opinion.
The news of Gandhiji’s activism soon reached London. They perceived the Indian uprising as a threat. General Jan Smuts was given orders to quell it. Soon, Britain passed legislation where Indians had to register themselves with the authorities along with their thumb impression. Gandhiji opposed this discriminatory practice. Gandhiji, through his Satyagraha movement, integrated them and took away from the fear of being in jail. Protests erupted against this act. In Johannesburg, Indian merchants willingly went to jail in protest. In the next five years, Gandhiji was imprisoned four times along with his wife and children. While serving a prison sentence he continued the publication of Indian Opinion. “Suffering is our only remedy. Victory is certain,” Gandhiji had written in one of its publications. At a meeting between Gandhiji and General Smuts, the latter demanded that the movement stops to which Gandhiji replied that he would rather die than submit to this law that humiliates Indians. By September 1906, a large number of Indians refused to abide by this law.
Under pressure, General Smuts made it voluntary only to cunningly re-enact it again in 1908. Along with it, he imposed legislation that restricted the travel of Indians within South Africa. In defiance, Gandhiji burnt the Asiatic registration book as a sign of protest. More than 2000 books were burnt. A series of protests ensued. By November 1913. Gandhiji launched his biggest campaign against injustice. He addressed the coal miners to come out and protest against the government. Soon 15000 sugar workers joined.20,000 people who responded to Gandhiji’s call. The protesters were beaten up. Gandhiji’s coolies were turning martyrs. The world began to notice these atrocities.
Eventually, the Government was forced to concede to all the demands of the Indian community in 1914. South Africa turned out to be the testing soil for Gandhiji’s Satyagraha movement. In 1915, he left for India. The rest is history.
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THE POLITICAL GURU OF GANDHIJI
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress was known as the mentor to Mahatma Gandhi. Gokhale was a social reformer who believed in non-violence. He wanted to bring reforms within the British government. He founded the Servants of Indian Society. Gandhiji first met Gokhale in Fergusson College Ground. Later, he invited Gandhiji to stay with him at his home in Calcutta where the latter met with many leaders of the time. After this., Gandhiji set off on a tour of India in third class with the help and support of Gokhale. Gokhale prepared food for the journey for Gandhiji and even went to the platform to see him off. In his autobiography, Gandhi acknowledges that Gokhale played a crucial role in ensuring the abolishment of this act.
(Published in The Making of Mahatma' Supplement, The New Indian Express, south India, October 02, 2019
Link: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/1841233/The-Making-Of-Mahatma/02102018#page/3/2
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