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      Bearing the Cross by Crossing the Black Seas

      It was not, however, a smooth sailing before or after. Before Gandhi could finally leave on the scheduled date, he had to face two major hurdles: one entailed facing his “Modh Bania” caste ostracism, and the other was the challenge of appeasing his strictly religious mother’s moral qualms. In those days, “crossing the black seas,” called kalapani in his native Gujarati language, was considered to be a mortal sin by the rigid caste rules. By daring to defy them, Mohandas had infuriated his caste elders so much so that they had threatened to excommunicate not only him but his entire family. And they certainly did. Yet, fearless and nonchalant, Gandhi stood his grounds. He did not argue with them; he just prevailed. This was the earliest incidence of the Gandhian style of civil disobedience—a nonviolent yet firm resistance to injustice.

      The other hurdle was of a different nature related to his “saintly mother” Putliba’s love and concern for her son, that in a foreign land, her young son may likely go astray. Though she herself belonged to the Pranami sect of Vaishnavism, in practice Putliba was very much like a scrupulous Jain—fasting frequently, taking the hardest of the hard vows, eating only vegetarian foods, and observing many such rigorous self-disciplines. Therefore, only reluctantly she agreed to let her son go overseas to England with a condition that Mohandas must promise in front of Becharji Swami—a Jain family priest—to abide by three moral stipulations: to not eat meat, drink alcohol, or be sexually involved with any woman other than his wife—whom he was leaving behind. Gandhi instantly agreed because in the heat of his excitement to go to his dreamland, he would not let anything or anyone stand in his way, and of course, he so adored his mother, that he would never imagine disobeying her or displeasing her on his account.

      The Moral-Spiritual Significance and

      Rationale of Gandhi’s Responses

      A point worth noting here is that unlike in the first instance of his defiant dealings with the caste authorities, Gandhi chooses to “stoop to conquer” in the second instance. By promising to abide by his mother’s conditions, he is not only able to remove the reasons for her anxiety and distrust, but also win her heart and her approval. In this case, Gandhi prefers discretion over defiance; he resolves the conflict by arriving at a mutually agreeable compromise that would leave both parties satisfied and happy! Much later, after his close contact with Rajchandra in Mumbai, India (next chapter), and after reading some of the great Western writers, Gandhi would further develop what came naturally to him—to seek and find a mutually agreeable, peaceful conflict resolution. Later on Gandhi would learn to harness these underlying spiritual principles into a practicable method of Satyagraha—based on truth, nonviolence, and self-suffering.

      Come London!

      For the newcomer Gandhi, arriving in London turned out to be anything but “having a cup of tea” (as the English would say)! Out of the three promises given to his mother, “not to eat meat” proved to be the biggest challenge for this totally vegetarian, home-food addict, Vaishnava-Hindu lad. His earliest desperate search for a vegetarian restaurant in the streets of London cannot but make us laugh (or cry in sympathy) for this helpless, herbivorous Hindu chap in a carnivorous Christian land!

      Food, which was once a bane, became a boon, however, for the young vegan. When, by chance, Gandhi stumbled upon one vegetarian restaurant on Farringdon Street, he was beside himself with joy! As he entered, he saw some books displayed on the glass shelves near the door. Among them all, one particular pamphlet arrested his attention, titled “A Plea for Vegetarianism” by Henry Salt. Gandhi devoured it there and then; he could scarcely believe that in this flesh-eating foreign country, someone like Henry Salt had not only condoned “vegetarianism” but also written a book arguing logically to prove that vegetarian food is superior to all nonvegetarian foods. For how Gandhi felt at that moment, read what he wrote in his Autobiography (GATB, 67): “I was very much impressed by it. From the date of reading this book, I may claim to have become a vegetarian by choice. . . . the spread of vegetarianism henceforward became my mission.” Gandhi also confessed that though he blessed the day on which he had taken the vow before his mother to abstain from meat, he had secretly wished in his heart to be a meat-eater; he looked forward to eating meat freely and openly someday and also enlist others to do the same. Now, however, he found his raison d’etre, or rational justification, for remaining a vegetarian by choice. His heart was filled with exhilarating feelings of joy and pride of keeping his sacred promise to his mother. No more a vegetarian out of habit, religion, or moral compunction, Gandhi was now a fully convinced “shakahari” (one who eats plant-based foods). This happy resolution of his food complex was Gandhi’s first personal breakthrough; it was also a forerunner of many fresh beginnings, acquaintances, and discoveries.

      Meeting the Vegetarians:

      Championing Their Cause

      Being an adherer to truth, once Gandhi was convinced about any idea, cause, or principle, he would practice it first himself and then only propagate it to enlist others. With a missionary’s zeal, therefore, Gandhi joined the London Vegetarian Society (LVS) in 1890—his most timely and propitious decision—which introduced him to some of the most prominent Victorian vegetarians of England: Henry Salt, Anna Kingsford, Dr. Allison, Joshua Oldfield, Edward Maitland, Howard Williams, and others. Earlier, in 1888, on behalf of the LVS, Gandhi had launched a weekly paper—Vegetarian—for the “Promotion of Humanity, Purity, Temperance, Health, Wealth, and Happiness” (Hunt, 1978, 20–30). Also as an elected secretary of the LVS in 1890, Gandhi undertook the responsibilities of organizing meetings and lectures, taking minutes, traveling for the promotion of vegetarianism, and also writing articles in the Vegetarian. Though he provided enough amusement to all LVS members with his nervous speeches, it’s worth noting that this once excruciatingly shy, tongue-tied Indian nincompoop was now breaking out of the cocoon of his shyness, ready to meet members of another dynamic group of the day.

      Meeting the Theosophists: First Time

      Getting Acquainted to Religions

      Theosophy was as hot a topic as vegetarianism in the 1890s, but with a diverse inclusion of the Orientalists, Unitarians, Transcendentalists, anti-vivisectionists, and some other New Age writers and reformers as well. Through his active involvement in the London Vegetarian Society, Gandhi made many close friends (see the previous section) who introduced him to prominent theosophists of the day: Annie Besant, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the Olcott brothers, and the poet Edwin Arnold—who would be the first among them all to expose Gandhi to the original Sanskrit text of the sacred Hindu classic: Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.

      Theosophy ruled the day as “Voice of a New Age Revolution” (Green, 1993). The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, who were inspired by Eastern religions—particularly, Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. Their three major themes or objectives were: the universal brotherhood of humanity; the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science; and an investigation of the occult laws of nature and the powers latent in human beings. Though the philosophical side of theosophy attracted Mohandas, he said he had no interest in occultism. Still, Gandhi seems to have been very happy in the company of these theosophists, especially admiring its dynamic women leaders like Madame Blavatsky and Annie Besant—much more the latter—with whom he would later be working in the 1920s as a leader fighting the British for India’s independence. He felt equally at home with both the theosophists and vegetarians, however, with one difference: vegetarianism as a subject was not foreign to him; the LVS had only rationally confirmed what he had been exposed to since birth. By comparison, theosophy—with its keen interest in the study of Asian and other comparative religions—was a totally new subject for Gandhi; it was at once challenging and exciting!

      Gandhi’s First Formal Introduction

      to the Bhagavad Gita

      Being a learning enthusiast, Gandhi was keenly interested in a formal study of religions, a desire that had remained unfulfilled

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