Mahatma Gandhi in Ceylon

The memory of a visit fifty years ago

S. DURAI RAJA SINGAM
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

“Forge the links stronger.”                     –MAHATMA GANDHI

Lord Buddha blessed this “pearl among islands” Lanka, the Ceylon of today by his three sacred visits. Dharma Asoka sent the message of peace and goodwill through his best-loved Mahindra and Sanghamitra. Years rolled on through the ages and this beautiful isle passing through vicissitudes political, social and religious breaking away from the home of her race and culture and led astray by the allurements of the West forgot the Gospel of Ahimsa of her Great Master. To dispel the illusion and to rouse her up from her lethargy the immortal Swami Vivekananda sounded his trumpet-call to India and Ceylon, “Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached” more than sixty-five years ago. Lord Buddha, Mahindra and Vivekananda came with gifts to this thrice-blessed land. Later Sarojini Devi, the modern Sanghamitra, brought the message of Mahatma Gandhi to the island and this was followed by the visit of Mahatma Gandhi himself in 1927.

Quarter of a century ago the youths of Jaffna warmed with the fire of a pure patriotism inaugurated the Youth Congress, then called the Students Congress. The Students Congress, Jaffna, stood for the revival of national arts and literature and for the attainment of self-government for the land. This creed naturally made the young men yearn to sit at the feet of Gandhiji, the greatest teacher of modern times. Ever since the first session of the Students Congress in December, 1924, invitations were addressed to Mahatma Gandhi to bless this Youth Movement of Ceylon with his august presence and words of wisdom. It was my good fortune to be one of the first Joint-Secretaries of the Students Congress and early in 1925 when I went to see Gandhiji I pressed him to visit Ceylon. Again Sri S. H. Perinpanayagam, the idol of the youths of the Students Congress, went on a pilgrimage to India on this errand and met Mahatmaji at Bangalore and obtained his consent for a visit to Ceylon. He was followed by the late Sri J. V. Chelliah, Vice-Principal of the Jaffna College, and a past-president of the Students Congress with a similar request. Meanwhile the Indian Representative of the then Legislative Council of Ceylon, the late Sri K. A. Natesa Iyer, also extended an invitation on behalf of the Indian labourers of Ceylon. Long before Mahatmaji had definitely decided to accept the invitation to go over to Ceylon the whole island without differences of race, caste or creed, joined through the medium of the press to evince a keen desire to have the Mahatma in their midst for some days at least. When the Mahatma started his South Indian tour those of us in Ceylon fully expected that he would include Ceylon also in his itinerary. He was expected here in May 1926 and then rumour had it that he was to visit Ceylon only early in the next year. Definite information of his intention of visiting Ceylon in October reached in August. As there was an understanding that Ceylon should contribute her quota to the Khadi Fund, elaborate preparations were made in all parts of Ceylon to accord a right royal welcome to the greatest man of the age and to secure a contribution worthy of the island towards the relief of the starving millions of India Public meetings were held in all the important towns and ways and means were devised to make Mahatmaji’s tour in Ceylon pleasant and his mission successful.

The Viceroy’s invitation to Gandhiji to go over to Delhi on urgent state affairs and the consequent delay in Gandhiji’s going over to Ceylon only helped to increase the anxiety of the workers and to broadcast throughout the country that after all the island home of Buddha’s followers and the pious Hindu sojourners from the Tamilnadu that gave to India her greatest religious reform is to be once again blessed by a Messenger of Love from the time-honoured ancestor of her race, religion and culture. The month of October and November 1927 in Ceylon, were practically the Mahatma’s months. Both young and old, rich and poor, men, women and children of all castes and creeds vied with each other in chanting praises to the name of India’s hero of the day and servant of Daridranarayan (God in the form of the poor). Gandhiji, a household word in Ceylon for the past thirty years or more, needed no introductory proclamation as in the case of processions of princes or pro-consuls. In the East from where the voice of God is heard from eternity to eternity even the poorest in earthly riches get to know as if by instinct the advent of a great spiritual teacher. This was fully exemplified when after hoisting the banner of the universal religion of Love and Truth in the West the Hindu monk of India made his triumphal procession a generation ago from Colombo to Almora. Reverence and love to the great Teachers of Truth is in the very blood of the race. No wonder then surging crowds swelled the streets of Colombo Fort on the great day of Mahatmaji’s arrival to Ceylon. Gandhi and Khaddar was the talk of the day. Choirs of children with garlands and rose petals in their hands were singing their songs of welcome.

The Melbourne Jetty which was arranged for the Mahatma’s private landing was modestly decorated with flags, pot palms and cartons, and the landing steps were richly carpeted. The Labour Union Volunteer Corps, a hundred strong, was lined up in two ranks forming a passage between, and their bright red shirts lent a touch of oriental colour to the simple and formal reception.

The S. S. “Chinkoa” by which the Mahatma and his party travelled from Tuticorin entered the harbour at about 9 p. m. Shortly after the Master Attendant’s and the Principal Collector’s barges left the jetty. Shortly after 9-30 p. m., the barges returned with the distinguished visitor and Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi. Mrs. Gandhi was the first to step out, and she greeted those present in Oriental fashion with hands clasped. The frail figure of the Mahatma, attired in a dhoti and shawl of Kharldar emerged soon after Mr. P. B. Umbichy garlanded him.

The Mahatma’s party consisted of Shri Mahadev Desai, Kaka Kalelkar, Shri Pyarelal, Shri Jamnadas Gandhi, Shri C. Raja­gopalachari, Miss Lakshmi Rajagopalachari (now Mrs. Devadas Gandhi).

After formal introductions the Mahatma was escorted to the car that took him to the “Ark” his home during his sojourn in Ceylon. As the car wended its way through the Church Street, the Mahatma standing in the apostolic manner of St. Francis of Assissi, a radiant smile playing upon his face, shawl covering his body after the Roman fashion, arms outstretched beckoning peace and goodwill to the countless heads that raised their eyes to catch a glimpse of the great Apostle of Ahimsa, was a sight for the gods to see.

To quote Shri Mahadev Desai, “Lanka was a land which Gandhiji in his wanderings of over ten years has ever longed to visit, no less with the object of seeing the land whose ravaging beauty makes it a pearl in the islands of the earth than for studying living Buddhism at close quarters...but the visit, when it actually came about, happened, as Gandhiji said to the civic fathers in Colombo with engaging candour to be a mercenary visit.”

The weeks beginning with the 13th of November at Colombo till the evening of the 29th at Jaffna was one continuous programme of meetings, lectures, interviews, visits and collections. The Khadi collections made at Colombo and some important towns, totaled Rs. 105,000. Ceylon admirers of the Mahatma in Malaya had sent in their donations through the Hindu Organ, Jaffna, and through me, whilst the Ceylon students in London sent their contributions to the Colombo Reception Committee. “Ceylon gave Gandhiji more than he had expected” so wrote Mahadev Desai. Everyone who had helped in the success of the tour earned the blessings of Daridranarayan.

At Colombo, the Municipality presented an address of welcome. H. E. the Governor of Ceylon, Sir Herbert Stanley, offered Gandhiji a warm welcome through his Colonial Secretary and invited Gandhiji to a friendly meeting.

There are numerous great utterances of the Mahatma in Ceylon which are great pearls of wisdom. A few of them gleaned from my cuttings are the following:

To the Ceylonese he said:

“Do not for the sake of your country ape the manners and customs of others which can only do harm to you and for heaven’s sake do not wish to be what everyone of the people of Ceylon cannot be.”

To the Indians in Ceylon he said:

“Since you are earning your bread in this beautiful island, I would ask you to live as sugar lives in milk. Even a cup of milk which is full up to the brim does not overflow when sugar is gently added to it, the sugar accommodating; itself in the milk and enriches its taste, in the same way I would like you to live in this island so as not to become interlopers and so as to enrich the life of the people in whose midst you may be living.”

The last few days of Gandhiji’s stay in Ceylon at Jaffna were the most thrilling to the writer. In Mahadev Desai’s words, “Jaffna students, it will be remembered, were the first to invite Gandhiji, and then the other friends took up the proposal.”

On the 26th morning a vast crowd poured into the Railway Station premises to pay their respects to Mahatma Gandhi on his first arrival in Jaffna. The train steamed into the overcrowded station. All was silent for the moment when Gandhiji step out of one of the carriages. A murmur of veneration unconsciously escaped the tips of the people and all bowed to him in profound adoration.

Gandhiji was at last in Jaffna. The excited populace spent the next four days to honour the great leader. On the same day at about three in the afternoon the crowd is again gathered round the kadjanshed erected at the Esptanade for the occasion. The Mahatma arrives at the scene half an hour later and climbing the raised dais promptly squats on it. He is garlanded but he takes them off. Many addresses were presented to him but few are read and all are quickly auctioned. A few well-filled purses were also presented to him. There was Sir Waitilingam Duraisamy who presided. Shri C. Rajagopalachari rendered the Mahatma’s speech into Tamil.

“Having come to Jaffna, I do not feel I am in Ceylon, but I feel that I am in a bit of India,” said Gandhiji. He again “Ever since I have come to Lanka the conviction has been growing upon me that I am not in Lanka but in India glorified. A glorified edition of India Lanka certainly is from a scenic point of view. Though I was prepared for the scenery in Lanka, the scenery I have actually witnessed has surpassed all my expectations and so I could not help saying at a recent meeting that Ceylon seemed to be a fragrant beautiful pearl dropped from the nasal ring of India. If the people of Lanka are really, as they should be, inheritors of the culture of India, they should also represent in their lives a glorious edition of Mother India.”

When Gandhiji returned to Madras after the Vykom Satyagraha during the later part of March 1925, I was a student in Ceylon. From my college home in Jaffna with blessings from my mother and schoolmates I went to Madras. Full of excitement to see the great leader of India I was sitting by the side of the wall pillar of Sjt. Srinivasa Iyengar’s mansion when I saw Gandhiji with that toothless smile of his getting down from the car after a morning visit to a spinning school. My eagerness to go near him and if possible to touch his feet as a sign of reverence, could no longer be restrained. Gandhiji as I saw him was a lovable one, a personality that had exploded all the sham dignity attached to the paraphernalia of dress and fashion. A frail tiny man with sparkling eyes and a mystic toothless smile was a sight that awakened the sparks of the divine in man. Besides Gandhiji I saw for the first time Sjt. C. Rajagopalachari, Sjt. Mahadev Desai and Sjt. Ramdas Gandhi. It was Sjt. C. Rajagopalachari who first helped me to talk to Gandhiji. On hearing that I had come all the way from Ceylon to have his Darshan, Gandhiji patted me on my shoulder and bidding me to his room jocularly quoted Bishop Heber’s saying, “Oh then, you come from a land where every prospect pleases except man alone is vile.” I laughed at these words and asked him when he would be able to visit Ceylon. He replied that he had a great desire to visit “the beautiful island”, but he could not tell me when, and this visit was, as it were, a fulfillment of this promise. That was all he spoke for as I sat before him, I could not proceed further with any other questions. Gandhiji had an endearing manner about him. He instantly put me at ease.

When I was about to leave him with the joy of having paid my homage to the great soul, he gave me some sugar candy that formed part of a gift from some admirer and bade me learn my lessons diligently and be useful to my country. When I recollect this meeting with Gandhiji, what stands out most clearly in my memory is that smile of his and his lighter vein. From that day I have always thought of him as the Smiling One.

It was my good fortune to meet Gandhiji a second time now in Ceylon. From Malaya I went to Ceylon and armed with fruits and flowers I met him in Colombo. I offered the fruits and flowers and made my pranams. He was quick to recognise me. He never forgets people. He “remembers people and with love.” Jocularly he asked: “Grapes I know, oranges I know but where are your Malayan mangosteens and durians?” I assured him that were he to visit Malaya he would have these fruits in plenty. He then said, “Durians and mangosteens won’t tempt me. If Ceylon can give me more than a lakh of rupees for my Khadi Fund, I will visit Malaya if you can assure me a collection of several lakhs in Malaya.” He promised to visit Malaya but he was not able to visit the country owing to his work in India. I enrolled myself as a “Volunteer” of the Students Congress during the three-week tour of Gandhiji in Ceylon. There were very many occasions when I could see Gandhiji in lighter vein. We, volunteers, performed such duties as the controlling of the crowd, the posting of letters and other duties that were allotted to us. I would like to add here one further personal instance of Gandhiji’s humour. Gandhiji often auctions for the Khadi Fund the addresses and caskets that are given to him at meetings. He also requests those around him at meetings to offer him any ornaments they wish for sale in aid of the Khadi Fund. I was present at his address in Ceylon to the Indians of Jaffna at the Vaidisvara Vidyalayam on 27th November 1927, when he called for ornaments to be auctioned. I offered the gold ring I was wearing. It was a treasured ring for it belonged to my late father. Sjt. C. Rajagopalachari acted as the auctioneer and I bought this same ring of mine for Rs. 85 but when Gandhiji was handing the ring he laughed and said, “Why not we auction this ring again?” Hearing these words, I offered the ring again for auction and again bought it for Rs. 45. With his characteristic smile he gave me the ring, saying, “Don’t you try your luck another time.” I still wear the ring which reminds me of his genial humour. The auction went on and Gandhiji was at his best. A pair of gold bangles was then offered by a lady in the gathering. Came the bid. “Fifty Rupees” said one. Gandhiji nodded his head with approval and a smile. “Rupees hundred,” the bid rose. “Oru murai” (once) said Gandhiji in Tamil which was lost in the general laughter. He then changed his tone and said, “it is going.” His face beamed with a smile. At last the pair of bangles was knocked down by the same lady who offered it and Gandhiji laughed aloud joyfully. A girl of six, the daughter of the lady, came and received the bangles. AI she received the bangles the child garlanded him. He looked at the child and said smilingly, “Tell your mother I want your bangles.”

When Gandhiji was in Ceylon, I had the chance of noting his delightful companionship with children. While in Jaffna, returning home after addressing a public meeting, and alighting from the car he held up the hand of a little Tamil girl that had been seated with him and with a smile said to those of us standing around, “This is my Jaffna sweetheart.” He was so large of heart that he found another sweetheart at Chilaw. Gandhiji and party were conducted to the platform on pavada. Near the platform little Miss Niles presented Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi with a bouquet of flowers and Gandhiji with a garland. Taking off the garland he put it in turn on Miss Nancy Corea, remarking, “Take this garland my little sweetheart.” Gandhi’s love for children is shown by another incident. On his way from Kayts to Victoria College, Chulipuram, Gandhiji halted at the “Guru-pooja Madam” in Chulipuram as there was a large gathering of people, especially women and children from that village and the adjoining ones. Here he was received with Poorna Kumbham in a pandal decorated for the occasion. When he was presented the camphor flame that was offered to the deity, he moved his hands and transmitted the efficacy of the Prasad to his eyes. Little Miss Minakshi Sundaram, a grand-daughter of Saiva Murugesapillai, presented a small purse to the Mahatma who, with a gentle smile, embraced the child and kissed her with tender love and affection.

At one meeting the Rev. C. E. V. Nathanielsy said that he would like to ask a question that had been put to him by someone that morning: Is Mahatma Gandhi a Christian or is he a Hindu or does he believe in a half-way house? Mahatma Gandhi who appeared highly amused at the question said: “And I suppose you want me to answer whether it is in the half-way house I am in. I admire that man certainly. I am myself a whole-hogger and have been considered by so many of my friends and so many of my critics as an intolerable whole-hogger. So there is no question of a half-way house.”

One of the men at one place wished to know if Kasturba was Gandhiji’s mother, * and an old European lady who walked along by their car had the same impression. With amused joy Gandhiji said, “Yes, she is my mother.” The next morning at a public meeting which she did not attend, people missed her and inquired why “mother” had not come. Gandhiji said, “A gentleman did last night mistake her for my mother, and for me as for her it is not a pardonable mistake but a welcome mistake. For years past she has ceased to be my wife by mutual consent. Now nearly 40 years ago, I became an orphan and for nearly 30 years she has filled the place of my mother. She has been my mother, friend, nurse, cook, bottle-washer and all these things.”

Gandhiji felt very happy at the boundless affection he had experienced wherever he went. What struck me most was his ever joyful smile and the almost childlike simplicity of Kasturba. I once watched the devoted way Kasturba sat by the fireside making chappatis with Kashiba Kantawala and Lakshmi Rajagopalachari, (later her daughter-in-law Mrs. Devadas Gandhi) by her side. Every act, every move of this great woman was soothing to the eyes. In one of his letters from Jaffna to the Ashram Sisters, Gandhiji wrote that Kasturba may be said to be on a holiday. There is a Gujarati couple here. The lady (Kashibai) belongs to a good family from Rajkot, and her husband is the son of the well-known Haragovind Kantawalla of Baroda. He is a District Judge here. Half of my meals is supplied by Kashibai. So Ba may be said to be on a holiday.” (Bapu’s Letters to Ashram Sisters.Edited by Kaka Kalelkar.)

My last look of the Master and disciple–Gandhiji and Mahadev Desai–was at the Jaffna Railway Station where crowds of men, women and children had come out of the villages and sought just to touch the hem of his garment or place their hands on his feet when Gandhiji stood at the carriage window, his palms pressed in the familiar salute, no one thought that one day that was to be his final gesture when the first bullet struck him. With my mother who had come with me to the railway station edged between me and the foot-board of the train I shouted along with the others “Gandhi-ki-Jai.” I left him little knowing that I would never see him again. The parting was as sad as it could be. The triumph of Gandhiji’s tour was nothing but Ceylon’s homage to the ideals of truth, non-violence and self-sacrifice.

Just before Mahatma Gandhi left Jaffna for India one of the Joint-Secretaries of the Reception Committee asked him to leave a message behind for the people of Jaffna. Mahatmaji had been kind enough to send a message from Talaimannar under date 30-11-’27, the text of which was as follows:

“The message that I can leave for Jaffna as for the whole of Ceylon is:

Let it not be “out of sight out of mind.” Let the descriptions I have given you of the starving millions daunt you and keep you in touch with them and so doing keep you also simple living, pure, free from drink and untouchability, if not for your own sakes, at least for theirs.”

* A similar mistake occurred in South Africa. “Beside her (Kasturba) he (Gandhiji) looked several years younger. The scene reminded me of the incident in South Africa nearly 32 years ago when mother had just emerged a complete physical wreck from a course of three months imprisonment there.