Gandhi's Pilgrimage of Faith: From Darkness to Light

9. A Satyagrahi in South Africa, Phase III

A Satyagrahi in South Africa, Phase III In this last act of Gandhi’s South African drama, satyagraha occupies center stage. Gandhi remains in the limelight, though, not because others do not matter, but because he is the main character as well as the director. Gandhi is the spiritual genius who masterminded satyagraha, the first mass-scale nonviolent revolution in human history, considered to be the “moral equivalent of war.” As Geoffrey Ashe said (1968, 67), “The South African drama has only one fully realized character, under a constant spotlight . Gandhi is the master spirit, while most of his companions, with all their zeal and goodwill, are simply names.” Let us first understand the political circumstances that propelled Gandhi to conceive the principle of satyagraha, which preceded the actual nonviolent campaign. After the Zulu Rebellion, Gandhi was so deeply shaken by the violence and victimization of the innocent Zulus that he determined to devote himself totally to the cause of human service. In order to serve humanity better, and to get rid of his own carnal nature, Gandhi took the brahmacharya vow right after the Zulu Rebellion. As Louis Fischer observed (1950, 73), “Less carnal, Gandhi became less selfcentered . He seemed suddenly lifted above the material. A new inner drive possessed him.…A new Gandhi faced the South African government.” He was now ready to fight the new Botha-Smuts government.1 Much to Gandhi’s dismay, despite the Indian volunteer services in both wars (The Boer and the Zulu), the newly established responsible government did not relent its harsh laws or attitude toward Indians. “If anything, the position of the Indians deteriorated,” said Robert A. Huttenback (1971, 9 133 127), because the new government was no longer obstructed by protests from London and Cape Town. It proceeded, therefore, to enforce republican legislation with extraordinary zeal. “The Black Act” Mr. Lionel Curtis of the newly created Asiatic Department drafted the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance. Gandhi saw in it “nothing except hatred of Indians.” Striking at the very root of the Indian problem, the law put greater restrictions upon Indians’ entry into the Transvaal; because of its dark, sinister nature, Gandhi called it “The Black Act.” According to the proposed ordinance, the old Indian permits and registrations were valid no more; all Indian men, women, and even children above the age of eight would not only have to reregister but also give their fingerprints or thumb impressions as primary marks of identification. Having reregistered, the Indians would also have to carry with them the new registration certificate at all times, and produce it upon demand. Every Indian who failed to apply for new registration before a certain date would forfeit his or her right of residence in the Transvaal. Moreover, anyone who failed to produce the certificate upon demand could be arrested without a warrant, fined, imprisoned, and even deported if the court decreed so. Under the pretext of preventing illegal immigration, the government enforced fingerprinting , thereby, treating all Indians as potential criminals. The whole South African Indian community was incensed; the Muslims, however, were more vociferous since this law allowed the police to inspect their houses at anytime, which invaded their women’s religiously sanctioned seclusion. Gandhi strongly felt that if the Indians meekly allowed this ordinance to pass, it would spell absolute ruin for them in South Africa. Calling it “a question of life and death,” Gandhi wrote (1928, 101), “it was better to die than submit to such a law,” although he had no concrete plan yet about the way to put a stop to it. He decided to call a small meeting of all the prominent Indians of Johannesburg. As he explained to them the ordinance word by word, he saw they were as shocked by it as was he. The Muslim sentiments ran high and strong; in a fit of passion one of them said, “If anyone came forward to demand a certificate from my wife, I would shoot him on the spot and take the consequences” (ibid.). Determined to put a united Indian front against the Black Act, the Transvaal Indians held a huge public meeting to vent their wrath and decide their line of action. 134 Gandhi’s Pilgrimage of Faith Birth of the SATYAGRAHA Principle On September 11, 1906, thousands of Indians gathered at the Jewish Empire Theatre in Johannesburg to oppose the Black Law. Prominent Muslim businessmen delivered fiery speeches...