Now Gandhi had spent three years in South Africa. His homeland was calling him and the family wanted to see him. In India Independence efforts had begun under the guidance of Tilak, Gokhale, Lajpatrai and others. Mohandas Gandhi wanted to tell the countrymen the state of Indians in South Africa.
He handed over charge of Natal Indian Congress to Adamji Mian Khan and Parsi Rustam Khan till his return and sailed for India in 1896.
He landed in Calcutta and reached Prayag by train where he met the editor of ‘Pioneer’ newspaper and inspired him to write an editorial on the conditions of Indian in South Africa. Then, he reached Rajkot. Meanwhile he had written a book on Indians in South Africa detailing their travails. The book became famous as ‘Green Book’ due to its greenish getup.
That was the time when Bombay suffered plague epidemic. Gandhi rendered possible relief services.
He was running out of time. He had to get back to his current action station, South Africa. He was no more a shy and diffident person. Mohandas Gandhi now could meet any person and debate issues. He wanted to meet Indian leaders and assess them and get his work assessed.
Gandhi met Sir Ferozeshah, Justice Ranade and Tayyabji. In a meeting in Bombay he read out an account of the state of Indian in South Africa. At the suggestion of above leaders he went to Poona to meet Bal Gangadhar Tilak who very kindly received Gandhi. Tilak advised him to meet Bhandarkar. The latter assured Gandhi of his full support in African campaign.
Gandhi delivered a speech in Madras. Newspapers ‘Hindu’ and ‘Madras Standard’ published excerpts from his ‘Green Book’ which boosted the sale of the book.
From there he reached Calcutta. Revolution prone Bengal was cool to Gandhi. He received a wire from Durban (South Africa) asking him to reach there as Parliament Session was to start soon.
Back to South Africa
His return journey was easily arranged as this time. Seth Abdullah’s own steamer was leaving for South Africa. He boarded the steamer in the month of November, 1896 with his wife and the children.
The day Abdullah’s steamer sailed an another ship also began its journey to the same destination, Durban.
Meanwhile the speeches of Gandhi and his writings is Indian newspapers condemning the white terror in South Africa had reached there and the racial Whites were enraged. The news of the arrival of two ships from India gave them an opportunity to hit back as on one of the ships was Gandhi returning.
A rumour was deliberately spread that coolie Barrister Gandhi was coming back from India with two ship loads of Indians to invade Natal. Hundreds of Anti-Gandhi whites gathered at the Durban port. The whites were too incited to calm down.
Looking at the gravity of the situation Gandhi family was taken off the ship with another gentleman posing as the master. Abdullah’s white lawyer Loughton tried to take Gandhi out as his companion. But Gandhi had become a familiar face in South Africa. The white miscreants recognise him and started pelting stones. By the time the police arrived Gandhi was badly hurt and he had lost consciousness.
The news of the dastardly act reached London. The British government promised stern action against the miscreants. But when police asked Gandhi about the action against the culprits he clearly stated that he wanted no action against anyone.
It surprised even the enemies of Gandhi. It was a victory of non-violence against violence. Gandhi was emerging as a new symbol.
The incident made Gandhi the talk of the town and the country. Even whites had begun to respect him. His practice was becoming more rewarding.
But instead of living like a rich Barrister, Gandhi was becoming more social service oriented. He would go to the hospitals and work as volunteer attendant to serve the sick.
One day, a leper came to his home asking for food. He was fed. Gandhi realised that the leper needed more than the food. Constant care was his real need. He kept the leper at his home for some days before getting him admitted to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Kasturba bore two more sons there. Then, Gandhi decided to practice strict celibacy. He was experimenting with himself in various aspects. He realised the power of self control. To cut down expenses he started washing his own clothes. Often he would become a butt of jokes for his crumpled clothes or for the starch flaking off his clothes.
Once a white barber refused to give him a hair cut. Gandhi bought a barber kit and shaved off his own hair. In the court the fellow lawyers laughed at his clumsily cut hair. One remarked, “Mr. Gandhi, did some rabbit graze your hair?”
Gandhi had a hearty laugh along with others. Now he had learnt to laugh at himself.
For Natal Congress he raised properties to give it financial independence from the donations. It earned enough money through rents to finance any movement.