Gandhiji’s Prison Life -1

Transvaal Government in South Africa passed an Act on 21st March 1907. The Act required Asians to register themselves with the authorities, and many humiliating conditions were attached to the registration and production of the Registration Certificate. The Passive Resistance Association led by Gandhiji carried on an intensive non-violent struggle against this Act. The form of protest was to defy the legislation and refuse to register and undergo whatever punishment was inflicted. . Even after two extensions, only 500 out of the total of 13000 registered themselves. Irked by the lukewarm response, General Smuts decided that the leaders who instigated the resistance were to be arrested. Accordingly Gandhiji and several others were produced before the court on 28th December 1907. The magistrate ordered that they should leave the country within 48 hours. The time limit expired on 10th January 1908. They were produced in the court on the same day. Before the magistrate, Gandhiji submitted that resisters in Pretoria had been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour and also were levied a hefty fine. He pleaded that as his own offence was much greater, he should be given a more severe punishment. But the magistrate chose to give him only two months’ simple imprisonment.

The clothes that were given to Gandhiji were very dirty. Gandhiji reconciled himself to wear them. The cell door was locked at 6:00PM. The door was not made of bars but was quite solid. There was a small aperture high up in the wall so that the feeling was that of having been locked up in a safe. In South Africa there were only two classes of convicts, namely whites and Blacks, i.e. the Negroes. , and the Indians were classed with Negroes. The next day it was informed that prisoners without hard labour were entitled to keep their own private clothing. Otherwise they would be given special clothing appropriate to their class. They opted to get clothing assigned to Negro prisoners not punished with hard labour. As such clothing was not available; the Satyagrahis opted to take the clothing assigned to hard labour Negro prisoners. The food allowed in the jail was not only not tasty but was indigestible. The prisoners were later allowed to cook their own food. Even though they were not called upon to join the physical exercises, they took part in the drill sessions. During the Jail term, Gandhiji read books by Carlyle, Johnson, Scott, Bacon, Ruskin and Tolstoy. He started translating books by Carlyle and Ruskin into Gujarati, but the task could not be fulfilled as he and his colleagues were released on 30th January 1909, as a result of an agreement reached with General Smuts.

How this agreement resulted in difficulties for Gandhiji. How General Smuts reneged on his words as a result of which Gandhiji hardened his stand and intensified his struggle is another matter which requires a separate study.

This was the first jail term of Gandhiji which lasted for 381 days.