Our October talk

Gandhi and the Sisters – a talk by Peter Popham

We knew a bit about Gandhi. We have Kingsley Hall on our doorstep, where he stayed. But in this talk by Peter Popham, author and former foreign correspondent at The Independent, we heard of connections and complexities that we'd had no idea existed.

Gandhi was, of course, hugely famous – so famous that Charlie Chaplin wanted to meet him to discuss fame. Except that Gandhi didn't watch films so he had no idea who he was...

Born on the coast of Gujarat to the shopkeeping caste and married to Kasturba, he left for London to study law, becoming a suited and booted figure very different from the images we recognise now. His wife had been reluctant to let him go, worried about moral pollution, and made him vow that he would remain celibate, vegetarian and steer clear of alcohol.

Three years here changed him. He was influenced by Emmeline Pankhurst, Annie Besant (who was an active campaigner for Indian home rule), poet Sarojini Naidu, later Governor of Uttar Pradesh, and other female thinkers, their work remarkable here but unthinkable in India at the time. He remained a devout Hindu but fused it with Victorian liberalism.

On graduation, unable to get work in India, he answered the call of a friend in South Africa who needed a Gujarati and English speaking lawyer to settle a dispute. His experiences there made him determined to fight with non-violence the discrimination he experienced. He became Secretary of the British-Indian Association of Transvaal and convinced that empowering women was a way to change society, among his closest associates were women, including a fellow lawyer and a woman who would become his personal doctor and later, Minister of Health. 

Back in India, there followed the Salt March, against a tax on what had been a free resource. Only at the end of the march did the Viceroy have him arrested and jailed. His followers on the march included Sarojini Naidu. 

Gandhi was invited to Lancashire by mill owners keen to show him that a boycott he had organised had created hardship there. In a photograph from that trip was another influential British woman, the daughter of an admiral and one of his closest disciples for 20 years.

More ambiguous was his relationship after the death of his wife with young Manuben Gandhi, who he and his wife had brought up as a granddaughter. She travelled with him as his organiser, attendant and letter-writer and she kept a diary chronicling her life and Gandhi's last years. They also shared a bed, about which Gandhi was open. The nature of this was unclear but there was widespread disapproval at the time.

Gandhi's route to non-violent independence for India was far from straightforward and partition broke his heart. He was shot dead on his way to his daily prayer meeting. There was a huge funeral procession.

It was a thought-provoking talk and there was a lively Q&A. Peter also told us about his book, India be Damned, a thriller based on these events.

A big thank you to Peter for a fascinating talk. 

Our October Coffee Morning: Friday 27th October at 10.30 am

Continuing the book theme, this month we're meeting at Root/25, a coffee house with books, arts and community space where all profits go to Restless Beings' charity projects. 

Root/25, 116B Bow Rd, Bow, London E3 3AA.

News of Middlesex Federation's craft workshops

Also at our meeting, member Christine showed some silk painting she'd been doing at a Middlesex Federation workshop. To find out more about their upcoming workshops, head here.

Interested to join us? Look out for our next Coming up post for news of November's walk, meeting and coffee morning.