4. THE FIRST SHOCK :

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH
by Mohandas K. Gandhi




Disappointed, I left Bombay and went to Rajkot, where I set up my own office. Here I got along
moderately well. Drafting applications and memorials brought me in, on the average, Rs. 300 a
month. For this work I had to thank influence rather than my own ability, for my brother's partner
had a settled practice. All applications etc. which were, really or to his mind, of an important
character, he sent to big barristers. To my lot fell the applications to be drafted on behalf of his
poor clients.



I must confess that here I had to compromise the principle of giving no commission, which in
Bombay I had so scrupulously observed. I was told that conditions in the two cases were
different; that whilst in Bombay commissions had to be paid to touts, here they had to be paid to
vakils who briefed you; and that here as in Bombay all barristers, without exception, paid a
percentage of their fees as commission. The argument of my brother was, for me, unanswerable.



'You see,' said he, 'that I am in partnership with another vakil. I shall always be inclined to make
over to you all our cases with which you can possibly deal, and if you refuse to pay a commission
to my partner, you are sure to embarrass me. As you and I have a joint establishment, your fee
comes to our common purse, and I automatically get a share. But what about my partner?




Supposing he gave the same case to some other barrister, he would certainly get his commission
from him.' I was taken in by this plea, and felt that if I was to practise as a barrister, I could not
press my principle regarding commissions in such cases. That is how I argued with myself, or to
put it bluntly, how I deceived myself. Let me add, however, that I do not remember ever to have
given commission in respect of any other case.



Though I thus began to make both ends meet, I got the first shock of my life about this time. I
had heard what a British officer was like, but up to now had never been face to face with one.



My brother had been secretary and adviser to the late Ranasaheb of Porbandar before he was
installed on his gadi,* and hanging over his head at this time was the charge of having given
wrong advice when in that office. The matter had gone to the Political Agent, who was prejudiced
against my brother. Now I had known this officer when in England, and he may be said to have
been fairly friendly to me. My brother thought that I should avail myself of the friendship and,
putting in a good word on his behalf, try to disabuse the Political Agent of his prejudice. I did not
at all like this idea. I should not, I thought, try to take advantage of a trifling acquaintance in
England. If my brother was really at fault, what use was my recommendation? If he was innocent,
he should submit a petition in the proper course and, confident of his innocence, face the result.



My brother did not relish this advice. 'You do not know Kathiawad,' he said, 'and you have yet to
know the world. Only influence counts here. It is not proper for you, a brother, to shirk your duty,
when you can clearly put in a good word about me to an officer you know.'



I could not refuse him, so I went to the officer much against my will. I knew I had no right to
approach him, and was fully conscious that I was compromising my self-respect. But I sought an
appointment and got it. I reminded him of the old acquaintance, but I immediately saw that
Kathiawad was different from England; that an officer on leave was not the same as an officer on
duty. The Political Agent owned the acquaintance, but the reminder seemed to stiffen him. 'Surely
you have not come here to abuse that acquaintance, have you?' appeared to be the meaning of
that stiffness, and seemed to be written on his brow. Nevertheless I opened my case.



The sahib was impatient. 'Your brother is an intriguer. I want to hear nothing more from you. I
have no time. If your brother has anything to say, let him apply through the proper channel.' The
answer was enough, was perhaps deserved. But selfishness is blind. I went on with my story.
The sahib got up and said: 'You must go now.'



'But please hear me out,' said I. That made him more angry. He called his peon and ordered
him to show me the door. I was still hesitating when the peon came in, placed his hands on my
shoulders, and put me out of the room.



The sahib went away, as also the peon, and I departed, fretting and fuming. I at once wrote out
and sent over a note to this effect:
'You have insulted me. You have assaulted me through your peon. If you make no amends, I
shall have to proceed against you.'



Quick came the answer through his sowar:
'You were rude to me. I asked you to go and you would not. I had no option but to order my
peon to show you the door. Even after he asked you to leave the office, you did not do so. He
therefore had to use just enough force to send you out. You are at liberty to proceed as you wish.'



With this answer in my pocket, I came home crestfallen, and told my brother all that had
happened. He was grieved, but was at a loss as to how to console me. He spoke to his vakil
friends. For I did not know how to proceed against the sahib. Sir Pherozeshah Mehta happened
to be in Rajkot at this time, having come down from Bombay for some case. But how could a
junior barrister like me dare to see him? So I sent him the papers of my case, through the vakil
who had engaged him, and begged for his advice. 'Tell Gandhi,' he said, 'such things are the
common experience of many vakils and barristers. He is still fresh from England, and hotblooded.



He does not know British officers. If he would earn something and have an easy time
here, let him tear up the note and pocket the insult. He will gain nothing by proceeding against
the sahib, and on the contrary will very likely ruin himself. Tell him he has yet to know life.'



The advice was as bitter as poison to me, but I had to swallow it. I pocketed the insult, but also
profited by it. 'Never again shall I place myself in such a false position, never again shall I try to
exploit friendship in this way,' said I to myself, and since then I have never been guilty of a breach
of that determination. This shock changed the course of my life.


* Throne.


Next :  5. PREPARING FOR SOUTH AFRICA :


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