The Fast

For the first two weeks the mill-hands exhibited great courage and self-restraint, and daily held monster meetings. On these occasions I used to remind them of their pledge, and they would shout back to me the assurance, that they would rather die than break their word.

For the first two weeks, the mill workers showed great courage and self-control. They held huge meetings every day. At these meetings, I would remind them of their pledge. They would shout back that they would rather die than break their word.

But at last they began to show signs of flagging. Just as physical weakness in men manifests itself in irascibility, their attitude towards the blacklegs became more and more menacing as the strike seemed to weaken, and I began to fear an outbreak of rowdyism on their part. The attendance at their daily meetings also began to dwindle by degrees, and despondency and despair were writ large on the faces of those who did attend. Finally the information was brought to me that the strikers had begun to totter. I felt deeply troubled, and set to thinking furiously as to what my duty was in the circumstances. I had had experience of a gigantic strike in South Africa, but the situation that confronted me here was different. The mill-hands had taken the pledge at my suggestion. They had repeated it before me day after day, and the very idea that they might now go back upon it was to me inconceivable. Was it pride or was it my love for the labourers and my passionate regard for truth that was at the back of this feeling,—who can say?

But at last the strikers began to show signs of losing heart. Just as physical weakness makes people irritable, the weakening strike made them increasingly hostile toward the workers who had crossed the picket line. I began to fear that the strikers might turn violent. Attendance at their daily meetings gradually declined. Those who did attend looked discouraged and desperate. Finally, I was told that the strikers were beginning to waver. I was deeply troubled and thought hard about my duty in these circumstances. I had experienced a huge strike in South Africa, but the situation here was different. The mill workers had taken the pledge at my suggestion. They had repeated it before me day after day. I could not imagine that they might now break it. Was this feeling rooted in pride, or in my love for the workers and my passionate regard for truth? Who can say?

One morning,—it was at a mill-hands’ meeting,—while I was still groping and unable to see my way clearly, the light came to me. Unbidden and all by themselves the words came to my lips ‘Unless the strikers rally,’ I declared to the meeting, ‘and continue the strike till a settlement is reached, or till they leave the mills altogether, I will not touch any food.’

One morning, at a meeting of mill workers, I was still struggling to see a clear way forward. Then the answer came to me. The words came to my lips unbidden and of their own accord. ‘Unless the strikers come together and continue the strike until a settlement is reached, or until they leave the mills altogether,’ I told the meeting, ‘I will not eat any food.’

The labourers were thunderstruck. Tears began to course down Anasuyabehn’s cheeks. The labourers broke out, ‘Not you but we shall fast. It would be monstrous if you were to fast. Please forgive us for our lapse, we will now remain faithful to our pledge to the end.’

The workers were stunned. Tears began to run down Anasuyabehn’s cheeks. The workers cried out, ‘We will fast, not you. It would be terrible if you were to fast. Please forgive us for breaking our promise. We will now remain faithful to our pledge to the end.’

‘There is no need for you to fast,’ I replied. ‘It would be enough if you could remain true to your pledge. As you know we are without funds, and we do not want to continue our strike by living on public charity. You should therefore try to eke out a bare existence by some kind of labour, so that you may be able to remain unconcerned, no matter how long the strike may continue. As for my fast, it will be broken only after the strike is settled.’

‘You do not need to fast,’ I replied. ‘It would be enough if you could keep your pledge. As you know, we have no funds. We do not want to continue our strike by living on public charity. So you should try to earn just enough to live on by doing some kind of work. Then you can remain unconcerned, no matter how long the strike lasts. As for my fast, I will end it only after the strike is settled.’

In the meantime Vallabhbhai was trying to find some employment for the strikers under the Municipality, but there was not much hope of success there. Maganlal Gandhi suggested, that as we needed sand for filling the foundation of our weaving school in the Ashram a number of them might be employed for that purpose. The labourers welcomed the proposal. Anasuyabehn led the way with a basket on her head, and soon an endless stream of labourers carrying baskets of sand on their heads could be seen issuing out of the hollow of the river-bed. It was a sight worth seeing. The labourers felt themselves infused with a new strength, and it became difficult, to cope with the task of paying out wages to them.

Meanwhile, Vallabhbhai was trying to find some work for the strikers with the Municipality, but there was little hope of success. Maganlal Gandhi suggested employing a number of them to bring sand for the foundation of our weaving school at the Ashram. We needed the sand to fill the foundation, and the workers welcomed the proposal. Anasuyabehn led the way with a basket on her head. Soon, an endless stream of workers carrying baskets of sand on their heads emerged from the hollow in the riverbed. It was a sight worth seeing. The workers felt filled with new strength, and it became difficult to keep up with paying their wages.

My fast was not free from a grave defect. For, as I have already mentioned in a previous chapter, I enjoyed very close and cordial relations with the mill-owners, and my fast could not but affect their decision. As a Satyagrahi I knew that I might not fast against them, but ought to leave them free to be influenced by the mill-hands’ strike alone. My fast was not undertaken on account of any lapse of the mill-owners, but that of the labourers in which, as their representative, I felt I had a share. With the mill-owners, I could only plead; to fast against them would amount to coercion. Yet in spite of my knowledge that my fast was bound to, as in fact it did, put pressure upon them, I felt I could not help it. The duty to undertake it seemed to me to be clear.

My fast had a serious flaw. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, I had very close and friendly relations with the mill owners. My fast was bound to affect their decision. As a Satyagrahi, I knew I must not fast against them. I should have left them free to be influenced by the workers’ strike alone. I fasted not because the mill owners had done anything wrong, but because the workers had fallen short. As their representative, I felt I shared responsibility for their failure. I could only appeal to the mill owners. To fast against them would be coercion. Yet I felt I had no choice, even though I knew my fast would put pressure on them. In fact, it did put pressure on them. My duty to fast seemed clear to me.

I tried to set the mill-owners at ease. ‘There is not the slightest necessity for you to withdraw from your position,’ I said to them. But they received my words coldly, and even flung keen, delicate bits of sarcasm at me, as indeed they had a perfect right to do.

I tried to reassure the mill owners. ‘There is no need at all for you to change your position,’ I told them. But they received my words coldly and even made sharp, subtle sarcastic remarks at my expense. They had every right to do so.

The principal man at the back of the mill-owners’ unbending attitude towards the strike was Sheth Ambalal. His resolute will and transparent sincerity were wonderful, and captured my heart. It was a pleasure to be pitched against him. The strain produced by my fast upon the opposition, of which he was the head, cut me, therefore, to the quick. And then, Saraladevi, his wife, was attached to me with the affection of a blood-sister, and I could not bear to see her anguish on account of my action.

Sheth Ambalal was the main force behind the mill owners’ refusal to compromise during the strike. His firm will and obvious sincerity were remarkable, and they won my heart. It was a pleasure to be opposed to him. So the strain my fast placed on his side hurt me deeply. His wife, Saraladevi, was also as fond of me as a sister. I could not bear to see her anguish over what I had done.

Anasuyabehn and a number of other friends and labourers shared the fast with me on the first day. But after some difficulty I was able to dissuade them from continuing it further.

Anasuyabehn and several other friends and workers joined me in fasting on the first day. But, with some difficulty, I persuaded them not to continue fasting.

The net result of it was that an atmosphere of good-will was created all round. The hearts of the mill-owners were touched, and they set about discovering some means for a settlement. Ansuyabehn’s house became the venue of their discussions. Sjt. Anandshankar Dhruva intervened, and was in the end appointed as arbitrator, and the strike was called off after I had fasted only for three days. The mill-owners commemorated the event by distributing sweets among the labourers, and thus a settlement was reached after 21 days’ strike.

The result was an atmosphere of goodwill all around. The mill owners were moved and began looking for a way to settle the dispute. They held their discussions at Ansuyabehn’s house. Sjt. Anandshankar Dhruva intervened and was eventually appointed as arbitrator. The strike was called off after I had fasted for only three days. The mill owners marked the event by giving sweets to the workers. A settlement was thus reached after a 21 day strike.

At the meeting held to celebrate the settlement, both the mill-owners and the Commissioner were present. The advice which the latter gave to the mill-hands on this occasion was: ‘You should always act as Mr. Gandhi advises you.’ Almost immediately after these events I had to engage in a tussle with this very gentleman. But circumstances were changed, and he had changed with the circumstances. He then set about warning the Patidars of Kheda against following my advice!

Both the mill owners and the Commissioner attended the meeting to celebrate the settlement. The Commissioner advised the mill workers: ‘You should always act as Mr. Gandhi advises you.’ Almost immediately afterward, I had to struggle with this same gentleman. But circumstances had changed, and he had changed with them. He then began warning the Patidars of Kheda not to follow my advice!

I must not close this chapter without noting here an incident, as amusing as it was pathetic. It happened in connection with the distribution of sweets. The mill-owners had ordered a very large quantity, and it was a problem how to distribute it among the thousands of labourers. It was decided, that it would be the fittest thing to distribute it in the open, beneath the very tree under which the pledge had been taken, especially as it would have been extremely inconvenient to assemble them all together in any other place.

I must not end this chapter without mentioning an incident that was both amusing and sad. It happened during the distribution of sweets. The mill owners had ordered a very large quantity, and distributing them among thousands of workers was a problem. We decided it would be best to distribute them outdoors, under the very tree where the pledge had been taken. It would also have been extremely inconvenient to gather all the workers anywhere else.

I had taken it for granted, that the men who had observed strict discipline for full 21 days would without any difficulty be able to remain standing in an orderly manner, while the sweets were being distributed, and not made an impatient scramble for them. But when it came to the test, all the methods that were tried for making the distribution failed. Again and again their ranks would break into confusion after distribution had proceeded for a couple of minutes. The leaders of the mill-hands tried their best to restore order but in vain. The confusion, the crush and the scramble at last became so great, that quite an amount of the sweets was spoiled by being trampled under foot, and the attempt to distribute them in the open had finally to be given up. With difficulty we succeeded in taking away the remaining sweets to Sheth Ambalal’s bungalow in Mirzapur. Sweets were distributed comfortably the next day within the compound of that bungalow.

I had assumed that the men who had followed strict discipline for 21 full days could easily remain standing in orderly ranks while the sweets were distributed. I thought they would not scramble impatiently for them. But when the time came, every method we tried for distributing the sweets failed. Again and again, the ranks fell into confusion after distribution had gone on for a couple of minutes. The mill workers’ leaders did their best to restore order, but in vain. Finally, the confusion, crowding, and scramble became so great that a considerable amount of the sweets was spoiled by being trampled underfoot. We had to give up the attempt to distribute them in the open. With difficulty, we managed to take the remaining sweets to Sheth Ambalal’s bungalow in Mirzapur. The next day, the sweets were distributed without difficulty within the bungalow’s grounds.

The comic side of this incident is obvious but the pathetic side bears mention. Subsequent inquiry revealed the fact, that the beggar population of Ahmedabad, having got scent of the sweets that were to be distributed under the Ek-Tek tree, had gone there in large numbers, and it was their hungry scramble for the sweets that had created all the confusion and disorder.

The funny side of this incident is obvious, but the sad side is worth mentioning. Later inquiries revealed that Ahmedabad’s beggars had heard sweets would be distributed under the Ek-Tek tree. They had gone there in large numbers, and their hungry scramble for the sweets had caused all the confusion and disorder.

The grinding poverty and starvation with which our country is afflicted is such, that it drives more and more men every year into the ranks of the beggars, whose desperate struggle for bread renders them insensible to all feelings of decency and self-respect. And our philanthropists, instead of providing work for them, and insisting on their working for bread, give them alms.

The crushing poverty and hunger in our country drive more and more men to beg each year. Their desperate struggle for food leaves them without any sense of decency or self-respect. Yet our philanthropists give them charity instead of providing work and insisting that they work for their food.