Had I not known there was a danger of methods of violence becoming popular, even in

South Africa, had I not been called upon by hundreds of my countrymen, and not a few
English friends, to express my opinion on the Nationalist movement in India, I would have
refrained for the sake of the struggle, from reducing my views to writing. ut, occupying
the position that I do, it would have been cowardice on my part to postpone publication
under the circumstances !ust referred to. (Preface to Hind Swara!, March 20, 1910)
Gandhi launched a veiled attack against Tilak over the issue of cow rotection. Tilak was a leading
!e!"er of the Gow#$akshak Mandali in Pune. Gandhi attacked Tilak in Hind Swara! over cow
rotection without na!ing hi! when Tilak was alread% &ailed in Mandala% and could therefore not
re"ut Gandhi's (ueer views on cow slaughter and cow rotection.
I myself respect the cow" that is I look upon her with affectionate reverence. #he cow is
the protector of India because it being an agricultural country is dependent on the cow$s
progeny. She is the most useful animal in hundreds of ways.
ut !ust as I respect the cow, so do I respect my fellow%men. A man is !ust as useful as a
cow, no matter whether he be a &ahomedan or a Hindu.
'hen the Hindus became insistent, the killing of cows increased. In my opinion, cow
protection societies may be considered cow-killing societies. It is a disgrace to us that
we should need such societies. (Hind Swara!, )hater Ten, #he (ondition of India (ontd.)
The *irst +ar of ,ndeendence 1-./ galvani0ed the 1indu nation against 2ritish rule and ar!ed
resistance to 2ritish rule was organi0ed around cow slaughter and cow rotection. The anti#cow#
slaughter !ove!ent "% local Gosa!rakshana 3a!itis and Gow#$akshak Mandalis (Gosa!rakshana
!ove!ent 1-40#1920) was led "% 1indu sadhus, co!!unit% leaders and 1indu nationalists. The
!ove!ent gathered tre!endous !o!entu! and sread across the countr%.

The intense 1indu anger over increasing cow slaughter was viewed with great concern "% the 2ritish
govern!ent and e!ire lo%alists in the ,5). Gandhi's veiled attack against Tilak, and "% i!lication
against cow rotection !ove!ent as a 1indu issue, and against the readiness of 1indus to die for cow
rotection was ai!ed at de#1induising cow rotection as a sacred 1indu dhar!ic resonsi"ilit% and
with far#sighted intent to !ake it an agricultural and ani!al hus"andr% issue. Gandhi "haktas alwa%s
react to an% criticis! of Gandhi "% reroducing coiousl% what Gandhi said a"out cow slaughter and
religious conversion and a"out )hristian !issionaries. 1owever, Gandhi will "e &udged "% the end
roduct of his toil 6 what is the condition of the 1indu nation toda% "ecause of the kind of olitics
which Gandhi forced uon the ,5)7
8ears later when the )onstituent 9sse!"l% would !eet to draft the ,ndian )onstitution, Nehru would
oppose making cow protection a fundamental right and would instead consign it to some obscure
corner in the constitution under Directive Principles which would word cow protection in
andhi!s and Nehru!s own language of scientific agriculture and animal husbandry.
andhi renews attack against "ilak
9fter Gandhi's return to ,ndia was !aniulated to coincide with Tilak's return in 191., Gandhi did not
care to watch his language or de!eanor with Tilak whenever their aths crossed. Gandhi had little to
show for hi!self acade!icall% or on the rofessional front. Tilak on the other hand was a scholar of
3anskrit, Mathe!atics, Marathi and astrono!%. Tilak was also the !ost towering 1indu leader of the
ti!es. 9nd %et, the language that Gandhi used against Tilak contrasts sharl% with the language Gandhi
used with officers of the 2ritish govern!ent and even their staff. andhi, on two public occasions
and in "ilak!s presence held up #ueen $ictoria, %ady Dufferin and %ady &helmsford as
e'amples worthy for "ilak to emulate.
)n &r. *innah moving in +u!arati, the resolution on the (ongress ,eague Scheme for
-eforms, +andhi!i thanked him, saying. &r. *innah has laid me under an obligation by
agreeing to my suggestion. He is at present a member of the Imperial ,egislative (ouncil.
ut, at no distant date, he will have to approach Hindus and &uslims, +hanchis, +olas
and others not knowing /nglish, for votes. He should, therefore, learn +u!arati if he does
not know it.
)n ,okamanya . +. #ilak rising to address the meeting, the 0uestion arose in what
language he should speak. +andhi!i remarked. 1ou want to have swara!" you should then
show respect to the man whom you have elected to conduct the meeting. &r. #ilak
understands, but he cannot speak +u!arati. He will only speak in his mother tongue.
#hough he is advanced in years, it would be but proper if he engages a +u!arati teacher
and picks up the language. 'e belong to the ombay 2residency and should, therefore,
learn both languages in order that we might know what the people feel. #ueen $ictoria
learned (rdu. (Speech at +u!arat 2olitical (onference, Godhra, 5ove!"er :, 191/, ;ol.
14, 1<1#1<2)
It would be a great advantage if ,okamanya #ilak would speak in Hindi. He should, like
,ord 3ufferin and ,ady (helmsford, try to learn Hindi. /ven 4ueen 5ictoria learned
Hindi. It is my submission to &alaviya!i that he should see to it that, at the (ongress next
year, no speeches are made in any language except Hindi. &y complaint is that, at the
(ongress yesterday, he did not speak in Hindi.
6+andhi!i addressed the (onference which was held at the Alfred #heatre, under the
presidentship of al +angadhar #ilak. It was attended, among others, by &adan &ohan
&alaviya and Saro!ini Naidu.7 (3eech at 5ational =anguage )onference, >ece!"er <0,
191/, ;ol. 14 age 1--)
Gandhi's fawning e?ressions of lo%alt% to 2ritish !onarchs and the e!ire have alread% "een
docu!ented. )ontrast Gandhi's s%ru% language in his letters to the ;icero% and to @ = Maffe%,
3ecretar% to the ;icero% around the sa!e ti!e as he was di!inishing Tilak u"licl% "efore other
leaders of the ,5).
#hus (hamparan and 8aira affairs are my direct, definite and special contribution to the
war. Ask me to suspend my activities in that direction and you ask me to suspend my life. If
I could populari9e the use of soul%force which is but another name for love%force, in the
place of brute force, I know that I could present you with an India that could defy the whole
world to do its worst. I write this because I love the English Nation, and I wish to evoke
in every Indian the loyalty of the Englishman. (,etter to the 5iceroy, 5ew >elhi, 9ril
29, 191-, )+MG ;ol. 1/, /#10)
#he 5iceroy looked pale yesterday. &y whole heart went out to him as I watched him
listening to speeches. &ay +od watch over and protect him and you, his faithful and
devoted Secretary. I feel you are more than a secretary to him. (=etter to @= Maffe%,
Acto"er 191-, )+MG ;ol. 1/, 12#1<)
3ear &r. &affey,
1ou will not consider that I was discourteous in not sending even an acknowledgment of
your last letter. #he fact is that I have treasured that letter as worthy of you and the
friendship that I hope will ever exist between us, no matter what differences of opinion and
standpoint there may be between us. (,etter to *, &affey, 9ril 1:, 1919, )+MG ;ol. 1/,
:1-#19)
9 %ear later on the ver% da% that Tilak assed awa%, Gandhi in t%ical Mahat!a 2rutus st%le !ade
laudator% references to Tilak's scholarshi and in the sa!e "reath said it was not necessary to observe
three days hartal and that one day would suffice. 2ut Gandhi was not averse to Provincial )ongress
govern!ents fro! cele"rating his "irthda% for an entire week as Gandhi @a%anthi week. 9fter
insultingl% holding u Bueen ;ictoria and =ad% )hel!sford as insiring !odels for Tilak to learn
1indi, un!indful that he was di!inishing a great scholar, Gandhi raises Tilak's genius after his death.
219,31$, >989=@,,
I have your letter. I don$t at all like the idea of a three%day hartal. I can understand a hartal
for one day. If we would really show our veneration, my preference is for some constructive
work. 'e should, therefore, reflect over his good 0ualities and try to cultivate them in
ourselves.
He was devoted to learning and had a wonderful command over his mother tongue and
Sanskrit" we, too, if we do not love or know our mother tongue well enough, should love
and know it better. 'e should improve our proficiency in the mother tongue and in Sanskrit.
((C?cert fro! ,etter to 3ayal!i, 9ugust 1, 1920, )+MG ;ol 21 age 10/)


)nnie *esant snubs andhi
Gandhi would gain total control of the ,5) onl% in 9ugust 1920 when Tilak assed awa%. 2etween
191. when Gandhi retuned to ,ndia and 1920, Gandhi had to contend with 9nnie 2esant and Tilak.
9nnie 2esant was not i!ressed with Gandhi and on one occasion, in 2enares at the function to
inaugurate the 2enares 1indu Dniversit%, Gandhi !ocked at the asse!"l% of 1indu ra&as and
!ahara&as sitting on the dais. 9nnie 2esant re"uked Gandhi sharl% for his disresect and with the
1indu rinces including the Mahara&a of >ar"hanga, walked out of the function "efore Gandhi could
co!lete his seech.
Gandhi's conduct in 2enares and the news that all 1indu rinces left the function !idwa% in rotest
had sread (uickl% to !an% arts of the countr%. Gandhi was (uestioned reeatedl% a"out the events in
21D and he was co!elled to offer a written rel%.
&rs. esant$s reference in :New India$ and certain other references to the enares Incident
perhaps render it necessary for me to return to the sub!ect however disinclined I may be to
do so. So far as my remarks are concerned, I am yet unable to know what it was in my
speech that seems to her to be open to such exception as to warrant her interruption.
And in order to show how short we fell of our duty, I drew attention to the dirty condition of
the labyrinth of lanes surrounding the great temple of 8ashi 5iswanath and the recently
erected palatial buildings without any conception as to the straightness or the width of the
streets. I then took the audience to the gorgeous scene that was enacted on the day of the
foundation and suggested that if a stranger not knowing anything about Indian life had
visited the scene, he would have gone away under the false impression that India was one
of the richest countries in the world; such was the display of !ewellery worn by our
noblemen. And turning to the &ahara!as and the -a!ahs, I humorously suggested that it
was necessary for them to hold those treasures in trust for the nation before we could
reali9e our ideals, and I cited the action of the *apanese noblemen who considered it a
glorious privilege, even though there was no necessity for them, to dispossess themselves of
treasures and lands which were handed to them from generation to generation. (-eply to
&rs. esant, "efore *e"ruar% 1/, 1914, )+MG ;ol. 1. 1/9#1-2)
3uch was Gandhi's haste to esta"lish hi!self as thinker and leader that he saw in ever% !eeting he
attended, and in ever% event, an oortunit% to take a dig at all those he had to di!inish if he had to
redirect the ,5) in the new direction that had "een decided "% the e!ire lo%alists in the ,5) and the
2ritish govern!ent.


5ot onl% did Gandhi give "i0arre definitions and descritions of our civilisational histor% as contained
in our itihasa, he di!inished all 1indu custo!s, rituals and ractices. ,t cannot "e said of Gandhi that
he was clu!s% or that he did not have the re(uisite training for u"lic conduct. Gandhi knew what he
was sa%ing, where he was sa%ing it and to which audience he was sa%ing it.
,n 2enares, it did not !atter to Gandhi that the 1indu rinces were honoured guests of Pandit Malavi%a
and it did not !atter to hi! that he was "elittling 1indu rulers and "elittling one of the !ost sacred
te!les for 1indus in the resence of the ;icero%. )lmost as if he en+oyed wounding ,indu
sensibilities, andhi within ten days of his unacceptable speech at *enares, once again speaks
irreverently about the -ashi $ishwanath "emple at a meeting of &hristian missionaries and
&hristian social charity workers in .adras.
I have been asked to speak to you this evening about social Service.
)ur (hair ,ady was good enough to take me to the 2ariah 5illage !ust behind the
compound of the ishop$s house and described to me the condition that little village was in
before this ,eague commenced its operations there. After seeing the village, I make bold to
state that it is a model of cleanliness and order and it is much cleaner than some of the
busiest and the most central parts of &adras.
#he streets of 8ashi, the most sacred place for the Hindus, are dirty. #he same dirt was to
be seen even in the sanctuary where the din and noise was very great. In such a place there
should be perfect orderliness, peace, silence, gentleness and humility. All these things, I
regret to say, were conspicuous by their absence. "he priests do not accept anything less
than a rupee from the devotees. #hat could not have been the position of 8ashi
5iswanath in ages gone by. 'hen people are transported to 8ashi in a railway /xpress by
millions and when the surroundings are altered, one condition of orderly progress is that
people should respond to the new conditions. 'hat is true of 8ashi 5iswanath is true in the
ma!ority of cases in our holy temples. (Speech at &adras Social Service ,eague, Madras
*e"ruar% 14, 1919, )+MG ;ol. 1. 1/.#/9)
andhi!s call to boycott ,indu temples
1aving turned the ,ndian 5ational )ongress awa% fro! "eing a olitical vehicle for total olitical
freedo! fro! colonial rule, Gandhi transfor!ed the ,5) into a social service instru!ent.
andhi had made temple boycott an inviolable diktat to all &ongress men and women and to all
inmates in his ashrams. ,f Gandhi u"licl% hu!iliated Tilak and 1indu Princes, he did not sare his
wife either. Gandhi had !ade te!le entr% a )ongress agenda and he issued an e?licit order 6
)ongress !en and wo!en and all 1indus who acceted hi! as their leader should not enter te!les or
offer worshi if those te!les did not er!it hari&ans to enter the te!les for worshi.
9t a u"lic !eeting of the Gandhi 3eva 3angh in >elang, Gandhi denounced Eastur"a in his u"lic
seech at which were also resent his sa!"andi Eishorelal Mashruwala, @a!nalal 2a&a&, @2 Erialani
and other ,5) !e!"ers and functionaries.
9s with ever%thing else that Gandhi did, he assu!ed a needless !a?i!alist and e?tre!e osition on
issues which cannot "e altered or changed "% force. 9nd %et, Gandhi wanted to change 1indu ractices
with force and through coercion instead of the !ore ractical and worka"le alternative 6 to work
a!ong the eole within their own societies to "ring a"out a change in attitude.

+hile it is inconceiva"le that an% ,ndian olitician would dare to i!ose the condition that religious
)hristians and Musli!s should not enter )hurches and Mos(ues for worshi, Gandhi not onl% i!osed
this condition on religious 1indus "ut also unished those who violated his orders. /ith andhi,
dissent was always disloyalty. ,n classic Fthrow the "a"% with the "athwater' st%le, Gandhi roclai!ed
dra!aticall% that it is his dail% ra%er that if untoucha"ilit% does not erish then 1induis! should
erish.
1esterday I decided to remain silent on what I am now going to say.
#he various items of constructive activity that you are doing are only outward expressions
of truth and ahimsa.
#he removal of untouchability is one of the highest expressions of ahimsa. It is my daily
prayer, as it should be the prayer of you all, that if untouchability does not perish, it
were far better that ,induism perished.
And I have declared day in and day out that whoever believed in the removal of
untouchability should shun temples which were not open to hari!ans. Now how could I bear
the thought of my wife or my daughters having gone to such temples< I would plead with
them, would go on bended knees to dissuade them from going to these temples, and might
have to deny myself personal ties with them if my entreaties failed.
2ut Gandhi did not lead nor did he go down on "ended knees "efore 2aGhe threatened to sever all
ersonal ties with her in a u"lic !eeting. 1e threatened to sever ties with a wo!an who had lived her
entire life in silent grief as her hus"and conducted the !ost sinful and un#1indu e?eri!ent in
brahmacharya with other wo!en after officiall% giving u !arital se? in 3outh 9frica.
If their faith could be identified with mine I could reason also with the people. 0/hat is
the use of such temples12
I sent them to 2uri not to go into the temple, but to stand where the hari!ans were allowed
to go and refuse in protest to go beyond the limit. #hat would have been the right
propaganda and that way they would have done hari!an service.
If we do not go even to the temples which have been regarded as sacred for hundreds and
thousands of years, where such great men as (haitanya have gone to worship, where we
long to go, simply because our hari!an brothers are not allowed, it would be a great act of
dharma and if +od really is in the temples, as we believe, it will certainly have its effect.
#he pandas had come there and said hari!ans could go along with us. 4uite correct. 3or
the panda a silver coin is od. I therefore prevented -a!endra abu$s sister from going in.
some may say I exerted undue pressure. I would say I saved her from adharma. If I
intruded, it was in the name of religion. (Speech at +andhi Seva Sangh, >elang, March <0,
19<-, )+MG ;ol. /<, 4-#/1)
9s ;icero% ,rwin astutel% o"served in 19<1, andhi would never do and he would not allow the
&ongress to do anything which would cause difficulty to the *ritish overnment or the *ritish
Empire.
,n the 19<0s decade Gandhi instigated the ,5) to fo!ent unrest in several 1indu Princel% 3tates and
reciitate social tensions and insta"ilit% either in the na!e of te!le entr% or civil li"erties. This was a
hrase known to Gandhi and which he used on !an% occasions when seaking of the ,ndian Princel%
states. M%sore, $a&kot, @aiur, Travancore, )oachin, Talcher and >henkanal 6 all these Princel% 3tates
"ore the "runt of ,5)#led and instigated social and olitical refor! !ove!ents. 5eedless to sa%,
neither andhi nor the IN& dared to foment similar tensions in territories ruled by .uslim
Nawabs and Ni4ams. 9 decade later, 5ehru would !ake co!!on cause for civil li"erties with 3heikh
9"dullah and create acute ro"le!s for the 1indu king of @a!!u and Eash!ir.