Ahmedabad: Shock City of Twentieth-Century India

Part 1 The Gandhian Era, 1915–1950

part 1 The Gandhian Era, 1915–1950 part 1 The Gandhian Era, 1915–1950 Ahmedabad’s historian, Ratnamanirao Bhimrao Jhote, notes that in 1915 both Gandhi and electricity arrived in Ahmedabad. Seen from 1929, when he wrote, this glowing comparison makes sense, but when Gandhi first arrived to found his ashram, the consequences were by no means predictable. His public activities , however, soon distinguished him as a new kind of leader, and the old leadership ceded the field to him. Gandhi wanted Ahmedabad in the forefront of many of India’s agendas, including the struggles for independence; an end to untouchability; harmonious relations between Hindus and Muslims; a clean and safe city; peaceful, cooperative labor relations; an educated citizenry, with an emphasis on moral education and civic awareness; compassion and support for the poorest of the poor; hand spinning and weaving of cotton cloth, providing work for almost anyone who wanted it; and the use of khadi by rich and poor alike. These were the local components of Gandhi’s many evolving goals for India. Gandhi was an institution builder. To achieve his goals in Ahmedabad, he helped to establish the Gujarat Provincial Congress Committee out of the earlier Gujarat Sabha; the Harijan Sewa Trust for the uplift of untouchables; the Majoor Mahajan, or Textile Labour Association (TLA); the Gujarat Vidyapith, his university; and the Navajivan Press and its periodicals, Navajivan and Young India. He encouraged his allies to gain control of the Ahmedabad Millowners Association and the Ahmedabad municipality, although ultimate control of that government institution was in British hands until independence. To build these institutions, Gandhi needed allies. He created networks among Ahmedabad leaders and their followers. Through these institutions and networks, Ahmedabad became a Gandhian city, and a shock city for India, especially from 1915 to 1930 when Gandhi lived in the city, and continuing in substantial measure for almost half a century afterward. Gandhi’s Ahmedabad networks were a precursor and a microcosm of those he forged at the national level.1 Chapter 1 portrays the city of Ahmedabad on the eve of Gandhi’s arrival, 20 The Gandhian Era focusing on the relationships he built with its leaders and masses. Chapter 2 traces the main contours of the alliances Gandhi built with five new, rising leaders in Ahmedabad. It sketches a collective picture, for it was by working together that this group created the Gandhian city. Chapter 3 analyzes the contributions of each of the five individually in greater depth. ...