Monday, September 12, 2011

Mahatma Gandhi 's visit to London

Mahatma Gandhi’s  London visit

On voyage to England  Mohandas Gandhi  struggled  to speak English he had to frame each sentence in his mind before he could bring out. Eating with knife and fork is difficulty he faced his on way to England. Gandhi find difficulty in climate in which ship he boarded , every body in the ship warned that no one could live without meat and liquor  certainly not with meat. But different seas came and went Mohandas Gandhi survived.

Victoria hotel, one of  London  grandest hotels at that time dazzled Gandhi. He was bowed over  the row of lights, by lift- he was seeing first time. One of  four Indian Gandhi found are Dalpatram Shukla for whom Mohandas has letters.  A Brahman  Kathiawar i and also hoping to become barrister, Shukla accepted Gandhi and accommodated in to his house in Richmond.

In these cheaper rooms where Mohandas passed his 19th birthday, he had to over come his home sickness.

From Gandhi autobiography 37 years later we recollect his life experience in London.
“I would continually think of my house and country. My mother love always haunted me. I knew nothing soothe me. Every thing was strange- the people their ways an even their dwellings. Even dishes that I could eat were taste less and insipid.”

Even though above difficulties he never thought  returning home.

During his stay Richmond house he stayed reading news papers “ daily telegraph “ daily news” and “ pall mall gazette.“ Shukla helped his friend the vegetarian vow. Shukla pressurized Gandhi to eat meat. He never have any idea of eating meat as per the vow he had promised to his illiterate mother who does not know conditions  in London..

But the youth Mohandas  Gandhi was enjoying his walks, often walking several miles a day eating bread in cheap restaurants looking foreword to his legal studies.

The London he had come to alive with ideas and movements. From here Victoria reigned over expanding Europe . The Anglo- Saxons were world supreme race, and Christianity the greatest religion was assumed in London , and also at that time in much Europe and America, but browns and blacks were not disliked in England  partly because of few of them.

Those desirous of being called to bar had to pass two set of examinations one in Roman law and another  in common  law and attend six dinners a term for 12 terms spread over three years. The law course was Prestigious and advanced but not arduous.  At most every thing depend upon on personnel study- there was such thing as campus and there were not much classes or lectures to attend. Because of an Indian aspirant for bar usually waited several months after arrived in London to begin personal study in the earnest. This is same case with Mohandas Gandhi . 

Oxford  and Cambridge too had entered his thoughts, but time and fees required for course , but the time and fees required for course at either of these university seems unaffordable. He was eligible to sit for Roman law examination in Nov 1889 , but close to wait until March 1890, a timing influenced by the demands of matriculation exam, some proficiency in languages totally new him Latin, French as well as English , history , mathematics, physics, chemistry and geography. Studying cheaply but also attending some preparatory classes for matriculation framing time table to minute to minute Mohandas at 19, only youngest of all the roughly 200 students studying than inexpensive notes but Mohandas bought all the costly text books prescribed while enjoying on the whole his demanding studies. Nothing like self preparation he would soon write- he failed in Latin in December 1889. He therefore has to repeat matriculation exam in June 1890, when passed all subjects including Latin.

Mohandas spent a week in Paris immediately prior to writing matriculation exam in June 1890.He lived in vegetarian  boarding house in Paris walked with a map whatever he wanted to go and also climbed Eiffel tower two to three times.

Mohandas also found time to visit ( perhaps  for a meeting of vegetarian, the resort town of Brighton .  There in a hotel he sat at the same table with old widow of moderate  means as he  remembers her in his ( Gandhi ) auto biography .   To help Mohandas conquer his bashfulness the old lady introduced  to young ladies and encouraged him to converse with them particularly marked out for these was a young lady who stayed with her and often left  along entirely  alone together what he did not tell her was that he had a wife and son back in India.

After several attempts Gandhi remembered  in his autobiography that he had mentioned that he had wife and son back in India. After several attempts he( Gandhi ) redrafting a letter to the lady.

“Ever since we met Brighton you have kind enough to me. You also think that I should get married and with that introduction you have been introducing young ladies. I am a married man while yet a boy and I am father of a son. I pained that I have kept this knowledge from you so long will forgive me. “

The old lady replied.

“I have your frank letter. We were both very glad and had heartily laugh over it. My invitation still stands, and we shall certainly expect you next Sunday  and look foreword to hearing about your child marriage and laughing at your expense. “

With memories Gandhi left Paris for London

While living in his Tail stock street room, Gandhi  invested in stove, cooked oat meal porridge for break fast ate lunch out and had bread and cocoa at home for dinner. The meals cost him a total of shilling  and three pence a day. Despite economics the London project would cost Gandhi a total of 13,000 rupees. The bar finals of December 1890 were only few months away, but Gandhi left second half in 1890 for India in June1891 was attractive socially intellectually.

Gandhi was dilemma about which religion he has to be followed. He studied on Buddha  and on Christianity and read bible.  At that time Gandhi was elected to the executive   committee of London vegetarian society.

He had passed his bar finals at time of Brad Laugh’s funeral ( Brad Laugh Britain famous advocate of atheism  whom Gandhi liked). Having sat for these examinations from 15 to 20th December 1890 and he learn t on January 12 he had passed his bar final and decided to leave India.

    

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