INDIA

Southland Times, Issue 19657, 6 October 1922, Page 4

INDIA

THE GHANDHI MOVEMENT. Considerable interest has centred around India during the present Eastern crisis, owing to the general unrest among t.be Mohammendan and Hindu sections of the population. During the course of an interview with Miss Salmond, who has recently returned from. India, a Times i>j»orter gathered some interesting information as to the state of that country at the time of her departure. JXTherc is a lull in lhe non co-operativt nmvement just as I left India,” said Mia Salmond, “following the arrest of GarvihiIn our station, Jagadhri, a town of 12,000 inhabitants, the Hindus were little a flee tod by the propaganda, while the Mohammedans were of a |xx>r, backward class and had not progressed. In the larger citiisa, however, feeling ran high, but. situated aa we were in the south-eastern corner of the Punjab we were outside the main line of the movement.” Miss Salmond went on to say that the whole community was affected by the propaganda of the non co-operative movement, and they frequently had agitators coming to a/kiress meetings in Jagadhri, to which both women and men were invited. One of the planks of Gandhi’s platform was the wearing of “khaddar,” a rough hvmespuu native cotton cloth, the object of getting the women to the meetings was to revive the manufacture of that cloth. The natives were to use this cloth solely in their homes and so bring about a more effective boycott of British cotton goods. There was a time when the spinning wheel was common in India, but since the importation of British cotton goods the spinning wheel had fallen into disutv, and Gandhi and his agents endeavoured to revive the ujdustry and so threaten the British trade. He also appealed to the women on religious grounds to make this cloth, saying that they were defiled by attending their religious ceremonies in foreign made goods. The non co-operative movement had a good deal of the spirit of the boycott in it, with British manufactured gooes as the chief object. The effect of the non coo;>erative movement with the stirring up of feeling against everything British, while throughout the country there was a want of confidence in British rule in India. There was ns mistaking the loss of British prestige. The arrest of Gandhi occurred just as Miss Salmond left India. The arrest of the principals of 4he propoganda brought • •about a lull of feeling, which was a contrast to the outbreak which was exjaseted to follow that event. Little constructive effort was being made to restore British prestige, and sound Indian papers were full of criticism of any measures which might be suggested by the British Government. Some of the later papers received by Miss Salmond were full of hostile criticism of Mr LJoyd George on the question of reinforcing the Indian Civil Senice with Europeans. The reforms were looked upon as experiment* only, while the Indians were looking to the more permanent forms of obtaining Swaraj (home rule). Mr Lloyd George would come in for some hostile prem entisni on the Kali fate question as the Mohammedan religious ideas included the maintenance of the Kalifate at Constantinople, a powerful temporal ruler as the head of their religion, and they must view with apprehension the losing of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire. What, the ultimate result would be Miss Salmond was not prepared to forecast, but the Mohammedans all looked to the Kalif as their head. Touching on the non co-operative movement Miss Salmond said that another [dank of the agitators’ platform was the picketing of liquor shops. Thro tight India natives were licensed to sell all sorts of liquor, and Gandhi had launched a boycott against these. He tried to get the natives to give up intoxicants and, when he failed in this, the ships were [deketed in an endeavour to keep the natives away. It was hoped by this to cause a loss of revenue to the Government, which obtained a large amount in duty and license fees. Many of the picketed were arrested without having achieved a great, deal. The leader of the non co-operative movement, Gandhi, she described as a remarkable man. Many years ago he went to South Africa to secure for Indians in that country their rights, and during his stay there came into touch with all clawes of his own countrymen. “He is a Hindu and takes three-quarters of bis inspiration form the Sermon on tire Mount, making no secret of the fact. Caste, the big thing in Hindu religion he ignores, and advocates the abolition of it if the Hindus are to suc- . ceed in their fight for Home Rule. He always preaches the remcn al of ‘untouchability.’ ” After his work in South Africa he went to. England where he mingled freely with all classes of Europeans, and when he returned to India in 1918 he came as an employee of the Government, receiving from it a gold medal in recogni tion of his services. He looked to the Govenunent Io fulfil its pronuaes, but got weary of ■waiting and launched hus non cooperative campaign, in which the four principal questions are as follows: Attainment of Home Rule; boycott, of British goods and a revival of Indian indostty; (ticketing I the liquor shops; removal up “untouchability.” Gandhi was a great adweate of lhe unity of the Hindu and of the community, pointing out that it was only by a strong united effort of these two .sections that they would move steadily forward. He constantly stressed this i>«nt, with which is closely allied the Khablate question. He brought a keen Eastern brain to work on the problems, and, although he was an idealist, he brought practical knowledge to the advocacy of his cause.