When Mohandas Gandhi prepared to depart for home grateful Seth Abdullah organised a big event to thank him. Hundreds of Indians attended the meeting.
Gandhi called upon the Indians living in South Africa to struggle for their basic human rights instead of suffering injustices.
Many of the Indian wanted Gandhi to stay back in South Africa to lead them. One of the speakers openly said that the Indians needed the presence of a lawyer like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to guide their struggle.
Seth Abdullah and Tayyabji strongly supported the idea. Gandhi had to rethink.
Infact, Gandhi didn’t want to return to India because on that very day newspapers had carried an item according to which the Indians were soon to lose many of the whatever little rights they had got. The whites were all set to degrade Indians further to the level of the cattle or dogs. Gandhi had suffered so much humiliation at the hands of the racial whites that he had a deep set resolve to pay them back in some form.
Gandhi said after some thought, “I will be happy to do something for you. But to launch an agitation or campaign the money is required. Filing cases, correspondence, telegrams and railway travels all cost money. So, if you are ready to make adequate contributions in cash, kind, support and services I can consider postponing my departure.”
Several voices said, “It will be done.”
On that very day Working Committee was set up. Gandhi drew up his action plan.
The people took upon themselves to pay for Gandhi’s own expenses besides agitational spending. Mohandas Gandhi didn’t like it but there was no alternative for the time being.
The declarations printed in the newspapers said that Indians would lose voting rights. The Assembly was discussing the issue. The bill was sure to be passed which Gandhi wanted stalled or defeated. Passing of the bill into Act would mean the status of Indians becoming no better than animals.
Gandhi drafted a petition signed by all the prominent Indian businessmen and submitted it to the Speaker of the Assembly. The petition was accepted. It had asked for the postponement of the debate on the bill by two days which was acceded to.
There was some confusion about the name of the organisation Gandhi had set up. It was yet unnamed. There was some controversy about it also. Over riding everything Gandhi named it ‘Natal Indian Congress’ in May, 1894. Yearly members were enrolled on full advance fee payment. Indians joined the party with great enthusiasm in large numbers.
But Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was feeling uneasy about his own position. To live on the funds of the party was against his conscience especially when it was not clear how long he would be required to stay in Africa. To deal with this dilemma Gandhi put forward a resolution in the Working Committee making it clear that he was not in favour of taking party’s money for his private expenses. He wanted to make is own living through legal practice as long as he was to stay in South Africa. For that he said that Indian merchants must hire his legal services. But he warned of the disadvantages of a coolie Barrister in the white courts. Everyone knew about it.
The members of the committee insisted that he should take the money of the organisation and only concentrate on the political battle. Gandhi reiterated that it was not his principle to earn money from a public service activity. The members had to agree.
The Indians of South Africa decided to give cases to Gandhi to help him make his living.
The bill on which the debate had been postponed for two days was passed by the Assembly on the third day.
It was bad news for Indians and Gandhi.
But they were now organised force and could hope to fight for their rights. Gandhi rallied the Indians saying, “We should not lose heart or accept defeat. The loss of one battle is not the end of the war. We must carry on the war. We shall write to Lord Rippon, the Secretary of the colonies of the British Parliament against the notorious Act to safeguard the rights of the outside people settled in Natal province.”
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi contacted all the foreign settlers in South Africa and tried to win their support with great success. Many settlers from the countries other then India came to stand by Gandhi. He got signatures of ten thousands foreign settlers in South Africa on his petition against the inhuman Act. It was no easy task but Gandhi did it.
The copies of the petition were sent to major newspapers of England and India. London Times and other dailies wrote editorials against the Act passed by South African Assembly. It could be hoped that British Parliament might annul the Act.
Gandhi was put through a lot of hassles when he applied for the licence for his legal practice. First, the court demanded a good character certificate from whitemen of standing. When Gandhi produced it the court authority ruled that white people could not judge an inscrutable Indian character. So, a certificate from the Indians of respect was also required. Gandhi produced several such certificates.
Once started, his practice prospered.
To propagate Indian languages and cultures Gandhi founded Indian Educational Association. It was open to all religions. He was now evolving into a political creature of a different kind. The party, ‘Natal Indian Congress’ was solely running on the intellectual steam of Gandhi. Thus he was getting over worked.
One thing that bothered Gandhi was that Natal Indian Congress had become an organisation of rich traders because of its high membership fee. He wanted all Indians to become its members.
There were Contracted Indians, the Indians who were taken there by the English to work as labourers on contracts designed to make them virtual slaves. One day, a bleeding Contract Indian came to Gandhi to narrate how his English master had physically abused him breaking some of his teeth.
Gandhi got him medically examined and his affidavit was recorded. His name was Bal Sundaram. Gandhi met that English master and the matter was settled out of court. Thus even for bottom level Indians Mohandas Gandhi had become saviour.
Then, South Africa government proposed to levy a £ 25 annual tax on Contract Indians. Gandhi fought against this unjust proposal and was able to get it reduced to £ 3 and some reliefs were also granted to them.
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