Notes

[01/06, 4:28 p.m.] monikA~: notes from My EXPERIMENTD WITH TRUTH:
> born 2nd oct 1869, porbandar gujarati to Kaba Gandhi a.k.a Karamchand Gandhi (Father-- was a pensioner of Rajkot state) and Putlibai (mother)
> was the youngest of a daughter and 3 sons
>read a book purchased by his father Shravana Pitribhakti Natak- a play about shravan's devotion to his parents
>used to watch the play _'Harishchandra'with keen interest
[06/06, 10:29 a.m.] monikA~: NOTES FROM 'MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH'
> in 5th 'n 6th standard Gandhiji obtained a scholarship of Rs 4 and 10 respectively
>Krishnashankar Pandya_ Sanskrit teacher in high school; inspired him to sit in sanskrit class
>he used to be haunted by the fear of Ghosts and Serpents..
> 15yrs- resolved never to steal again (had stolen a bit of gold from his brother's armlet
> confessed the theft to his father by writing it : his father cried: this incident was A LESSON IN AHIMSA for Gandhi.
>16th yr- his father died
> Gandhiji's nurse RAMBHA suggested as remedy for fear of ghosts the repetition of Ram nam..it became an infallible remedy for Gandhi throughout his life
[06/06, 10:32 a.m.] monikA~: >Regarded Ramayana of Tulsidas as the greatest book in all devotional literature
>Read Manusmriti- made him incline toward atheism but one thing took root in him that morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality..Truth became his sole objective
[06/06, 10:34 a.m.] monikA~: > Gujarati poet SHAMAL BHATT'S didactic stanza made a deep impression on his mind:
"For a bowl of water give a goodly meal
for a kindly greeting bow thou down with zeal.............. ..And return with gladness GOOD for EVIL"
[06/06, 10:35 a.m.] monikA~: its percept 'Return good for evil' became Gandhi's guiding principle
[06/06, 10:39 a.m.] monikA~: >1887_ passes matriculation exam ; then took admission in SAMALDAS COLLEGE, BHAVNAGAR, but returned home at the end of first term
>Mavji Dave(Joshiji) - family friend suggested to his mother that he be sent to England for 3yrs to become a barrister
>Becharji Swami ( family friend) administered the oath on Gandhi that when in England he would not touch Wine, Woman, Meat.
[06/06, 10:48 a.m.] monikA~: .18yrs_ sailed from Bombay to England on 4th of Sept
-stayed at Victoria hotel in London
-Richmond- at a friend's house; served apprenticeship for a month
> he put up at West Kensington with an Anglo-Indian family
>cultivated a liking for newspapers-- The Daily News, The Daily Telegraph, The Pall Mall Gazette
> hit upon a vegetarian restaurant in Farringdon street and read SALT'S BOOK -"Plea for Vegetarianism"
>after reading this book Gandhiji claimed to have become a Vegetarian by choice
>other books on Vegetarianism__ Howard Williams- Ethics of Diet
Dr Anna kingsford- The Perfect way in diet
>used to live on a shilling and 3 pence a day
> passed London Matriculation exam
[06/06, 11:00 a.m.] monikA~: Experiments in Dietetics:
> began a Vegetarian club in his locality BAYSWATER.the club came to an end in a course of few months but gave him some training in organising and conducting institutions
> BRIGHTON- met an old widow who eventually helped him Get RID OF THE CANKER OF UNTRUTH( He used to pass himself off as a bachelor though he was married and father of a son)
as the lady introduced him to a yound lady not knowing that Gandhi was married . at the end Gandhi told her the truth
> 2nd year in England- met two Theosophist brothers and started reading EDWIN ARNOLD'S TRANSLATION OF GITA- 'THE SONG CELESTIAL'
The Verses in the 2nd chapter made a deep impression on his mind:
"If one ponders on the object of the sense,there springs attraction, from attraction grows desire.."
he regarded the Gita as THE BOOK PAR EXCELLENCE FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH.
[06/06, 11:05 a.m.] monikA~: > Madame Blavatsky's book ' key to Theosophy' stimulated in him the desire to read books on hinduism
>read the New Testament of The Bible and compared it's chapter 'SERMON ON THE MOUNT' to the GITA : verses -" But I say unto you that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also"
He tried to unify the teachings of the Gita, Sermons on the mount and The Light of Asia(by Sir Edwin Arnold)
[06/06, 11:13 a.m.] monikA~: > met NARAYAN HEMCHANDRA (a writer) at the house of Miss Manning of the National Indian Association.
>1890 - attended the Great Exhibition at Paris ( Eiffel Tower)
> passed law examination and was CALLED TO THE BAR ON JUNE 10, 1891 , enrolled in the High court on 11th.
> 12th june, 1891, set sail for India by S.S ASSAM
[06/06, 4:09 p.m.] monikA~: > Raychandbhai or Rajchandra - was Gandhi's refuge in moments of spiritual crisis
>three moderns left a deep impress in Gandhi's life:
1.Raychandbhai
2.Leo Tolstoy- by his book 'The Kingdom of God is Within You'
3.John Ruskin- book "Unto his last"
[06/06, 4:18 p.m.] monikA~: >left for SOTH Africa- April 1893 ..to work for Dada Abdulla & Co.
> May 1893- arrived in NATAL- PORT NATAL/ DURBAN
>was thrown out of a train for travelling first class at MARITZBURG (the capital of Natal) railway station
>worked on Abdulla Sheth's case (vs Sheth Tyab Haji khan Mohammad) in PRETORIA
>first public speech - at Sheth Haji Mohammad Haji Joosab's house at a meeting of all Indians in PRETORIA, speech was about " observing truthfulness in business"
> his stay in Pretoria enabled him to make a deep study of the social , economic and political conditions of the Indians in the TRANSVAAL and Orange free state
[07/06, 9:18 p.m.] monikA~: >sheth Abdulla's case ended in a compromise and Gandhi prepared to return to India
>Abdulla Sheth gave farewell party at his home in Sydenham
>there Gandhi chanced to see a papragraph in the corner of the newspaper under the caption 'Indian Franchise' with reference to the bill, then before the House of Legislature which sought to deprive the Indians of their right to elect members of the Natal Legislative Assembly
> therefore Gandhi decided to stay for a month longer to work on this case
[07/06, 9:21 p.m.] monikA~: >meeting at Abdullas's house under presidentship of Sheth Haji Mohammad Haji Dada (was regarded as the foremost leader of Indian Community in Natal in 1893) ..in this meeting it was resolved to offer opposition to the Franchise bill
[07/06, 9:25 p.m.] monikA~: >volunteers were enrolled to work on the case..petition was drawn (Mr Arthur wrote the principal copy)
>The Bill however was passed in the Legislature but the AGITATION HAD INFUSES NEW LIFE INTO THE COMMUNITY of indians in Natal
>Lord Ripon was at that time Secretary of state for the colonies..it was decided to submit a monster petition to him and 10,000 signatures were obtained in a fortnight
>Volunteers_ Rustomji Adamji Miyakhan, Amid Jiva
> Thus Gandhi settled in Natal