Gandhi on What Motivated His Life and Work: “I believe in what I do.”

Letters of Gandhi proclaiming his belief in his historic work are very uncommon, this being our first

In 1937, Gandhi was tirelessly addressing public meetings and establishing his ashram at Segaon. One of his main focuses was on the plight of the untouchables, and in January he threw open temples to them, a courageous and selfless act, considering that there had been numerous attempts on his life already. In March, Congress Party members were requested to take an oath of national independence and allegiance to the Indian people, and Gandhi declared that the British Government “had broken to the heart what it had promised to the ear” by refusing to follow through on promised assurances. In 1939, the fifty-first session of the Congress Party met and Gandhi spoke of the khadi (a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by him to indicate adherence to the cause). “A real Khadi-wearer will not utter untruth, will harbour no violence, no deceit, no impurity …Do what you do for the sake of India. If you wear Khadi for my sake, you will burn khadi on the day you burn my dead body. But if you have fully understood the message of Khadi, it will long outlive me. .. ” The party president, Subhash Chandra Bose, stated “All India prays that Mahatma Gandhi may be spared to our nation for many years to come to keep our struggle free from bitterness and hatred … We need him for the cause of humanity…”

In 1939 world events began to impinge on Gandhi’s attention. Gandhi went on a hunger strike advocating establishment of a political reform committee and release of satyagraha prisoners (imprisoned for the cause of Indian independence). He also wrote Hitler in July 1939, urging him to avoid war; that war would break out on September 1, 1939. At the same time, he was engaged in a campaign of Indian unity and governance. In mid-May, in order to ensure Indian democratic reforms and equal representation of minorities, Gandhi committed to fast. This news was covered worldwide.

Gandhi was not the man to nurse a grudge or see disagreements as permanent. In facing intractable religious conflicts like that between Hindus and Muslims, his own reading of theological works brought him to the conclusion that all religions were true and yet every one of them was imperfect because they were “interpreted with poor intellects, sometimes with poor hearts, and more often misinterpreted.” But understanding was feasible and desirable, even in that conflict. And he was a patient man who believed that the right would triumph in the end. He is quoted as writing, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

This letter contains two of Gandhi’s most important quotations. The first is “Time removes misunderstandings if we only have patience.” And the second is “I believe in what I do,” clearly referring to his life’s work of Indian independence. These quotations are reminiscent of his statement, “If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”

Always a believer in self-sufficiency, beginning in 1935, Gandhi advocated that Indian farmers look to the soybean as a source of protein to feed India’s vegetarians. Gandhi’s remark about soybeans in this letter presumably refers to an attempt to cultivate the soybean plant in the climate of a particular region. Today, India has become one of the world’s largest producers of soy products.

S.R. Bomanji was a long time ally, friend, and colleague of Gandhi. At the time, he was living in Paris before Hitler’s invasion. In late May, Bomanji wrote to Gandhi, likely discussing news that Gandhi was again engaged in a fast, which was criticized at the time and sending news of European affairs.

Autograph letter signed, two pages, on stationery with letterhead set in Devanagari type, Segaon, Wardha, June 14, 1939, to Savak R. Bomanji. “My dear Bomanji, I was delighted to hear from you after such a long silence. My experience of soya bean was unhappy. Perhaps it suits the climate there.

“Your criticism of my newest development is interesting. I can never resent what you say because you always mean well. But I won’t argue. Time removes misunderstandings if we only have patience. I have, because I believe in what I do.” The envelop is still present. However this letter is not in the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Online (http://gandhiserve.org/e/cwmg/cwmg.htm).

Letters of Gandhi proclaiming his belief in his historic work are very uncommon, this being our first.