17. SETTLED IN NATAL :

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





Sheth Haji Muhammad Haji Dada was regarded as the foremost leader of the Indian
community in Natal in 1893. Financially Sheth Abdulla Haji Adam was the chief among them, but
he and others always gave the first place to Sheth Haji Muhammad in public affairs. A meeting
was, therefore, held under his presidentship at the house of Abdulla Sheth, at which it was
resolved to offer opposition to the Franchise Bill.



Volunteers were enrolled. Natal-born Indians, that is, mostly Christian Indian youths, had been
invited to attend this meeting. Mr. Paul, the Durban court interpreter, and Mr. Subhan Godfrey,
headmaster of a mission school, were present, and it was they who were responsible for bringing
together at the meeting a good number of Christian youths. All these enrolled themselves as
volunteers.



Many of the local merchants were of course enrolled, note-worthy among them being Sheths
Dawud Muhammad, Muhammad Kasam Kamruddin, Adamji Miyakhan, A. Kolandavellu Pillai, C.
Lachhiram, Rangasami Padiachi, and Amod Jiva. Parsi Rustomji was of course there. From
among the clerks were Messrs Manekji, Joshi, Narsinhram, and others, employees of Dada
Abdulla and Co. and other big firms. They were all agreeably surprised to find themselves taking
a share in public work. To be invited thus to take part was a new experience in their lives. In face
of the calamity that had overtaken the community, all distinctions such as high and low, small and
great, master and servant, Hindus, Musalmans, Parsis, Christians, Gujaratis, Madrasis, Sindhis,
etc., were forgotten. All were alike the children and servants of the motherland.



The Bill had already passed, or was about to pass, its second reading. In the speeches on the
occasion the fact that Indians had expressed no opposition to the stringent Bill was urged as
proof of their unfitness for the franchise.



I explained the situation to the meeting. The first thing we did was to despatch a telegram to
the Speaker of the Assembly requesting him to postpone further discussion of the bill. A similar
telegram was sent to the premier, Sir John Robinson, and another to Mr. Escombe, as a friend of
Dada Abdulla's. The Speaker promptly replied that discussion of the bill would be postponed for
two days. This gladdened our hearts.



The petition to be presented to the Legislative Assembly was drawn up. Three copies had to be
prepared, and one extra was needed for the press. It was also proposed to obtain as many
signatures to it as possible, and all this work had to be done in the course of a night. The
volunteers with a knowledge of English, and several others, sat up the whole night. Mr. Arthur, an
old man who was known for his calligraphy, wrote the principal copy. The rest were written by
others to someone's dictation. Five copies were thus got ready simultaneously. Merchant
volunteers went out in their own carriages, or carriages whose hire they had paid, to obtain
signatures to the petition. This was accomplished in quick time and the petition was despatched.
The newspapers published it with favourable comments. It likewise created an impression on the
Assembly. It was discussed in the House. Partisans of the Bill offered a defence--an admittedly
lame one--in reply to the arguments advanced in the petition. The Bill, however, was passed.



We all knew that this was a foregone conclusion, but the agitation had infused new life into the
community, and had brought home to them the conviction that the community was one and
indivisible, and that it was as much their duty to fight for its political rights as for its trading rights.
Lord Ripon was at this time Secretary of State for the Colonies. It was decided to submit to him
a monster petition. This was no small task and could not be done in a day. Volunteers were
enlisted, and all did their due share of the work.



I took considerable pains over drawing up this petition. I read all the literature available on the
subject. My argument centred round a principle and on expedience. I argued that we had a right
to the franchise in Natal, as we had a kind of franchise in India. I urged that it was expedient to
retain it, as the Indian population capable of using the franchise was very small.



Ten thousand signatures were obtained in the course of a fortnight. To secure this number of
signatures from the whole of the province was no light task, especially when we consider that the
men were perfect strangers to the work. Specially competent volunteers had to be selected for
the work, as it had been decided not to take a single signature without the signatory fully
understanding the petition. The villages were scattered at long distances. The work could be
done promptly only if a number of workers put their whole heart into it. And this they did. All
carried out their allotted task with enthusiasm. But as I am writing these lines, the figures of Sheth
Dawud Muhammad, Rustomji, Adamji Miyakhan, and Amod Jiva rise clearly before my mind.
They brought in the largest number of signatures. Dawud Sheth kept going about in his carriage
the whole day. And it was all a labour of love, not one of them asking for even his out-of-pocket
expenses. Dada Abdulla's house became at once a caravanserai and a public office. A number of
educated friends who helped me and many others had their food there. Thus every helper was
put to considerable expense.



The petition was at last submitted. A thousand copies had been printed for circulation and
distribution. It acquainted the Indian public for the first time with conditions in Natal. I sent copies
to all the newspapers and publicists I knew.



The Times of India, in a leading article on the petition, strongly supported the Indian demands.
Copies were sent to journals and publicists in England representing different parties. The London
Times supported our claims, and we began to entertain hopes of the bill being vetoed.



It was now impossible for me to leave Natal. The Indian friends surrounded me on all sides and
importuned me to remain there permanently. I expressed my difficulties. I had made up my mind
not to stay at public expense. I felt it necessary to set up an independent household. I thought
that the house should be good and situated in a good locality. I also had the idea that I could not
add to the credit of the community, unless I lived in a style usual for barristers. And it seemed to
me to be impossible to run such a household with anything less than £300 a year. I therefore
decided that I could stay only if the members of the community guaranteed legal work to the
extent of that minimum, and I communicated my decision to them.



'But,' said they, 'we should like you to draw that amount for public work, and we can easily
collect it. Of course, this is apart from the fees you must charge for private legal work.'
'No, I could not thus charge you for public work,' said I. 'The work would not involve the
exercise on my part of much skill as barrister. My work would be mainly to make you all work.
And how could I charge you for that? And then I should have to appeal to you frequently for funds
for the work, and if I were to draw my maintenance from you, I should find myself at a
disadvantage in making an appeal for large amounts, and we should ultimately find ourselves at a
standstill. Besides I want the community to find more than £300 annually for public work.'
'But we have now known you for some time, and are sure you would not draw anything you do
not need. And if we wanted you to stay here, should we not find your expenses?'



'It is your love and present enthusiasm that make you talk like this. How can we be sure that
this love and enthusiasm will endure for ever? And as your friend and servant, I should
occasionally have to say hard things to you. Heaven only knows whether I should then retain your
affection. But the fact is that I must not accept any salary for public work. It is enough for me that
you should all agree to entrust me with your legal work. Even that may be hard for you. For one
thing I am not a white barrister. How can I be sure that the court will respond to me? Nor can I be
sure how I shall fare as a lawyer. So even in giving me retainers you may be running some risk. I
should regard even the fact of your giving them to me as the reward of my public work.'



The upshot of this discussion was that about twenty merchants gave me retainers for one year
for their legal work. Besides this, Dada Abdulla purchased me the necessary furniture, in lieu of a
purse he had intended to give me on my departure.



Thus I settled in Natal.


NEXT : 18. COLOUR BAR


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