The Making of the Mahatma Page #9

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Stupid... just stupid

Why are you so selfish?

Your vow! Your satyagraha!

Our wishes do not count.

It is only what you want that matters

It's all right, Hari

Bapu, I want to talk to you

Why don't you send me to England

now that Chaganlal...

has stopped his studies

and run away to India?

Hari, I need you here

Bapu, I beg of you to send me

to England. I can be something

I know, I can

I have decided to send

Shahpurji Adajania in Chagan's place

He is a brilliant student.

- I might have been brilliant too...

if you only let me. But you

treat us like animals in a circus

We must always dance to your tunes.

- Hari...

don't let anger get the better of you.

- We are all victims of your fads

You took a vow of abstinence

even though you are married

And yet you expect Mother

to go on serving you

You want all of us

to follow your example

It seems that I have failed you.

- Yes, you have

You are simply using us

to satisfy your own ego

If you feel that your father

has done you wrong,

then you must forgive him

You are doing all this

for the Indian community

How does living in poverty,

abstinence, manual labour...

not eating this or that,

get us our political rights?

If you had made money or

given your family a decent life...

and educated your children,

would I ask you all this?

"Bapu, I have left for India

as it has become"

"unbearable for me to be with you

any longer"

"Our differences cannot be reconciled.

Your son Hari"

I knew this would happen

Will I have stopped him?

I would never have stopped him

At least he could've said goodbye

You know he hurts easily

He's always been a sensitive boy

Then, God will do His will

I cannot sit and brood over

my personal problems

There is lots of work to be done

Lots of work to be done

Mohan-bhai, I would like to introduce

you to a well known architect...

Mr Herman Cullinburg.

He's a great devotee of Tolstoy

That makes two of us

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?

- I attended your lecture on the Geeta

I see you're not celebrating this great

occasion of the union of South Africa

Not much fun for us, Mr Cullinburg

There are still so many of us

in prison

We have nowhere to put their families.

- Herman has an offer concerning that

Yes, I own about a hundred acres

near Lorli, not far from here

It is rather neglected.

But I could let you have it...

free of rent, of course.

- You take my breath away

You see, we can now have

a second Phoenix Farm

Why Phoenix? We shall

call it Tolstoy Farm

How much longer do you intend

to keep up the struggle?

Until the government withdraws

the Anti-Asiatic Act

Mohan-bhai, there is no end in sight.

And the traders...

who have so far been funding you,

have lost heart

I have faith in our cause

So Gandhi, my boy,

I'm sorry for you

Put up a clean fight, but now

your movement is running out of steam

You know, I want peace,

but my hands are tied

The Act cannot be amended

I see no difficulty.

- The whites will not accept it

I have already conceded

everything else

You and your families

will be protected

We don't need your protection

All we want is that you

put an end to racial discrimination

We refuse to be treated as outcasts

because of the colour of our skin

You are not stating it fairly

Then would you care to state it

in your own words, sir?

Look, there are only a handful

of Europeans in South Africa

As it is, we have enough trouble

with the natives

We cannot have anymore Asiatics coming

here and causing further problems

And that is not

discrimination for you?

It is particularly bad

in the Orange Free State

The Free Staters

will not have one more Indian

No Indian would care to be

in the Orange Free State either

It's just that we will not

tolerate a racial bar

If you'll show me the Free State law,

I'll show you how you can amend it

Bring me a copy

of the Free State law

So Mr Gandhi, what are you doing now?

Looking after the families

of the passive resisters

It is no pleasure

to imprison these people

Are you still practicing law?

- No, not at present

Then what are you doing for a living?

Have you plenty of money?

I'm living as a pauper just

as the others on Tolstoy Farm

Tolstoy Farm?

- Yes. Mr Cullinburg's farm

Oh Cullinburg!

He is an admirer of yours, isn't he?

No, I wouldn't say an admirer.

He is a good friend

I must come and see the farm.

Where is it?

Near Lorli. Why don't you

come and join us?

Yes, to oppose General Smuts

Caught you! Caught you!

Smuts has pulled the wool

over our eyes again, Gandhi-bhai

The new lmmigration Act

has been gazetted

Asians will now be debarred

from the entire country...

not just the Orange Free State

Neither have they abolished

the poll tax

Rogues! Humbugs!

That's what they are

There is something new.

Justice Sol's judgement

He decrees marriages conducted

according to our religious rites...

are illegal because

they are not registered

Well, then I think

satyagraha must be revived

Our people have

lost heart, Gandhi-bhai

So many years of struggle

with nothing to show

How many satyagrahis

can we get hold of?

A few. About forty maybe

I think a handful would be enough.

We shall begin with the women

Women?

- Yes

Your wife from Tolstoy,

my wife from Phoenix

Have you heard something?

- What is it?

You are no longer my wedded wife

Who said so? You create

new problems every day

Not I, the government

Our marriage is not registered

like a Christian one

So it is illegal. Therefore you are

no longer my wife but my concubine

Where do these useless people

get such stupid ideas?

Are you prepared to fight

to become my wife once more?

You want me to go to jail?

No, I don't want you to go.

You must make your own choice

Why? Won't you ask me?

- You must make up your own mind

Maybe you shouldn't go.

Your health is not so good

All of a sudden my health

has become so important

If I can survive you,

I can survive satyagraha

If you are not successful, you may

have to go to jail again and again...

even if you find that there is no one

to look after your children

Are you all prepared for that? Because

it is not too late to change your mind

Anyone who wants to,

may stay behind

But remember that you are going to

jail not just to defend your honour...

but to fight for the rights

of Indians in South Africa

And I assure you, it's not

going to be easy

"O King of the

Raghukul Dynasty, Lord Ram"

"You are the One who purifies

all evil, Sita Ram"

"Your name is God

in any form"

"Bless us all, O Lord"

Gandhi-bhai, we have heard that

Kasturba Devi and other friends...

in Phoenix are in jail. We would

also like to offer satyagraha

Yes, of course

But they might not arrest you

If they don't, you go to

the miners and persuade them...

to strike against the poll tax.

They may not strike...

but you will get arrested

for inciting them

The government has gone back

on its word. It promised...

to abolish the poll tax but you

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