Mahatma Gandhi 42 – The Rowlatt Act Satyagraha

When Gandhiji took up the Viramgam
The first Satyagraha struggle in India,
Little did he know that a series of Satyagrahas
Awaited and were in store for him!
Gandhiji’s principles of Satyagraha were crystal clear.
The main moral of Satyagraha demanded
That every act of Satyagraha should be
Conducted with non-violence and peace!
The Satyagrahi should entertain purity
In thought, word and deed!

The addition of fast by Gandhiji
To gain momentum to the Satyagraha movement,
Left a tell tale mark on his health.
His food consisted of groundnut butter and lemons.
Kasturba would cajole him to take his meals made of
Sweet porridge or a bowlful of sprouted lentil!
Gandhiji was almost a Vegan,
He had taken a vow not to take milk or milk products.
After Kheda Satyagraha,
Gandhiji was sick and suffered from acute dysentery.

In spite of Dr.Dalal’s advise,
Gandhiji refused to take any milk or injections.
Even during the weakest moments of his failing health
He remained stubborn.
After much coaxing he decided to take goat’s milk.
Gandhiji writes that the strong desire to take up
Satyagraha fight kindled a desire to live.
Finally, he did drink goat’s milk to gain back his vitality.
The memory of this incident filled him with remorse
That he had to step down from his strong principles.

Hardly had Gandhiji recovered,
When he read in the newspapers,
The Rowlatt Act Committees’ Report!
Gandhiji was startled by the report,
Discussed it with Sri Vallabhbhai Patel,
Who visited him almost every day!
Together, they decided to sign a pledge of resistance,
And most definitely, offer Satyagraha immediately!
In spite of Gandhiji’s weak health condition,
With a handful of people, he began the Satyagraha!

The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919,
To provide special powers to the Government,
To curtail and suppress,
Movements against the State!
Any disobedience or anti government activity,
Authorised the Government to arrest and detain
The activists without even a trial!
The Bill had not been gazetted as an Act yet.
When Gandhiji received an invitation from Madras,
He decided to take the risk of a long train journey.

Sri Rajagopalachari, a learned lawyer was
Settled in Madras for legal practice.
Gandhiji met Rajagapalachari to discuss plans
To fight against the Rowlatt Act.
But beyond public meetings,
Nothing further happened.
Meanwhile, news spread of the
Bill being published as an Act!
Gandhiji had a sleepless night
Thinking of ways and means to solve this issue!

A new idea like a new dawn struck Gandhiji.
Gandhiji related his dream to Sri Rajagopalachari.
The idea was an all India ‘Hartal’ or Strike.
If Satyagraha was a process of purification,
Then all the people in India should go through it.
It was a sacred fight of self purification
Let people stop their work or business for a day.
Let it be a day of fasting or prayer!
Sri Rajagopalachari welcomed the suggestion,
And drafted a brief appeal!

The all India Strike happened on 6th April 1919.
All the villages and cities participated whole heartedly
It was a big achievement!
On 7th April, Gandhiji began his journey to Delhi and Amritsar,
But when he reached Palwal railway station,
He was served a notice prohibiting his entry into Punjab.
He was taken out of the train, put under police custody,
Into a third class compartment in another train,
On reaching Mathura, he was taken to police barracks.
After an overnight stay, he was put in goods train to Bombay.

Gandhiji was released in Bombay.
His arrest had caused great disturbance in the city.
When Gandhiji got into the car at Pydhuni in Bombay,
He was surprised to see a huge crowd awaiting him.
People went mad with joy to see their beloved Gandhiji.
Loud chants of Vande Mataram’ and ‘Allaho Akbar’
Rented the air. A long procession was formed.
As they were about to move into Crawford market,
They were accosted by police mounted on horses.
Gandhiji appealed to the people to remain calm.

The densely populated crowd of people broke through
The police cordon, as orders were issued to disperse the crowd.
As the mounted police charged upon the crowd,
There was utter confusion and people began running,
Some got trampled, some hurt and some crushed too.
It was a dreadful situation! Far from Gandhiji’s concept of Ahimsa!
In spite of this mad situation, Gandhiji managed to reach
Commissioner’s office to lodge a complain about the conduct of the police.
Most innocently, Gandhiji had made his way into the peoples’ consciousness,
Most unwittingly, Gandhiji had entered into the arena of Indian Politics.