The fakir's brief
A day before he was assassinated, Mahatma Gandhi wrote what became his last message to the Congress. It came to be known as his last will and testament. Here it is — in full.
NEW DELHI, 29 January 1948
Though split into two, India having attained political independence through means devised by the Indian National Congress, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and Parliamentary machine, has outlived its use.
India has still to attain social, moral and economic independence in terms of its 7,00,000 villages as distinguished from its cities and towns.
The struggle for the ascendency of civil over military power is bound to take place in India’s progress towards its democratic goal.
It must be kept out of unhealthy competition with political parties and communal bodies.
For these and other similar reasons, the AICC resolves to disband the existing Congress organisation and flower into a Lok Sevak Sangh under the following rules with power to alter them as occasion may demand.
Every panchayat of five adult men or women being villagers or village-minded shall form a unit. Two such contiguous panchayats shall form a working party under a leader elected from among themselves.
When there are 100 such panchayats, 50 first-grade leaders shall elect from among themselves a second-grade leader and so on, the first-grade leaders meanwhile working under the second-grade leader.
Parallel groups of panchayats shall continue to be formed till they cover the whole of India, each succeeding group of panchayats electing a second-grade leader after the manner of the first.
All second-grade leaders shall serve jointly for the whole of India and severally for their respective areas.
The second-grade leaders may elect, whenever they deem necessary, from among themselves a chief who will, during pleasure, regulate and command all the groups.
(As the final formation of provinces or districts is still in a state of flux, no attempt has been made to divide this group of servants into provincial or district councils and jurisdiction over the whole of India has been vested in the group or groups that may have been formed at any given time. It should be noted that this body of servants derive their authority or power from service ungrudgingly and wisely done to their master, the whole of India.)
1. Every worker shall be a habitual wearer of khadi made from self-spun yarn or certified by the All India Spinners Association (AISA) and must be a teetotaller. If a Hindu, he must have abjured untouchability in any shape or form in his own person or in his family and must be a believer in the ideal of inter-communal unity, equal respect and regard for all religions and equality of opportunity and status for all irrespective of race, creed or sex.
2. He shall come in personal contact with every villager within his jurisdiction.
3. He shall enrol and train workers from amongst the villagers and keep a register of all these.
4. He shall keep a record of his work from day to day.
5. He shall organise the villages so as to make them self-contained and self-supporting through their agriculture and handicrafts.
6. He shall educate the village folk in sanitation and hygiene and take all measures for prevention of ill health and disease among them.
7. He shall organise the education of the village folk from birth to death along the lines of Nayee Talim, in accordance with the policy laid down by the Hindustani Talimi Sangh.
8. He shall see that those whose names are missing on the statutory voters roll are duly entered therein.
9. He shall encourage those who have not yet acquired the legal qualification, to acquire it for getting the right of franchise.
10. For the above purposes and others to be added from time to time, he shall train and fit himself in accordance with the rules laid down by the Sangh for the due performance of duty.
THE SANGH SHALL AFFILIATE THE FOLLOWING AUTONOMOUS BODIES
1. All India Spinners Association
2. All India Village Industries Association
3. Hindustani Talimi Sangh
4. Harijan Sevak Sangh
5. Goseva Sangh
FINANCE
The Sangh shall raise finances for the fulfillment of its mission from among the villagers and others, special stress being laid on collection of poor man’s pice.
MK GANDHI
[This was published by Tehelka magazine on 25 Dec 2010 with this introduction, which I wrote.
OF ALL the abilities the Mahatma had, one was this: he could walk away from his creations in the larger scheme of things without a shred of emotional logic.
He would start and wind up newspapers when he thought their job was done. He walked away from Sabarmati Ashram and never returned.
And when the time, he thought, was right, he had a plan for the Congress party. Gandhi believed the Congress was an instrument of change, not a party of power.
When Independence was done, Gandhi thought the Congress was done too. The way he looked at it, the primary task was to improve the quality of life in India.
On 29 January 1948, when he couldn’t have known he was to die the next day, Gandhi wrote what he thought.
In his usual style he assumes he is speaking for the Congress, and therefore treats the article as if it were an AICC resolution. The detailing is fascinating.
He says the Congress must ‘flower’ into a Lok Seva Sangh, with 10 broad rules for its members. He lays down specifics of conduct. He tells them how to raise money. He tells them what to record, what to wear, how to be.
Today’s Congressmen mildly follow about two-and-a-half of the 10 suggestions. The consequences are: even at the end of 125 years, the Congress is not free from fear. Its primary concern is power, and most of its life revolves around Parliament.
About a week after he was assassinated, The Harijan printed Gandhi’s piece as his last will and testament. It has since been published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 90, pp 526-528.
The clarity is remarkable; the sense of purpose striking. There are many Congressmen today who say Gandhi’s rules are impossible to live by.
These are the same Congressmen who are surrounded by greed and have thrust fresh disrepute on a party that logically ought to be celebrating its 125th birthday without worry. The Congress is seen as a party that has forgotten where it came from. That is a flaw of character. And Gandhi was all about character.]
A day before he was assassinated, Mahatma Gandhi wrote what became his last message to the Congress. It came to be known as his last will and testament. Here it is — in full.
NEW DELHI, 29 January 1948
Though split into two, India having attained political independence through means devised by the Indian National Congress, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and Parliamentary machine, has outlived its use.
India has still to attain social, moral and economic independence in terms of its 7,00,000 villages as distinguished from its cities and towns.
The struggle for the ascendency of civil over military power is bound to take place in India’s progress towards its democratic goal.
It must be kept out of unhealthy competition with political parties and communal bodies.
For these and other similar reasons, the AICC resolves to disband the existing Congress organisation and flower into a Lok Sevak Sangh under the following rules with power to alter them as occasion may demand.
Every panchayat of five adult men or women being villagers or village-minded shall form a unit. Two such contiguous panchayats shall form a working party under a leader elected from among themselves.
When there are 100 such panchayats, 50 first-grade leaders shall elect from among themselves a second-grade leader and so on, the first-grade leaders meanwhile working under the second-grade leader.
Parallel groups of panchayats shall continue to be formed till they cover the whole of India, each succeeding group of panchayats electing a second-grade leader after the manner of the first.
All second-grade leaders shall serve jointly for the whole of India and severally for their respective areas.
The second-grade leaders may elect, whenever they deem necessary, from among themselves a chief who will, during pleasure, regulate and command all the groups.
(As the final formation of provinces or districts is still in a state of flux, no attempt has been made to divide this group of servants into provincial or district councils and jurisdiction over the whole of India has been vested in the group or groups that may have been formed at any given time. It should be noted that this body of servants derive their authority or power from service ungrudgingly and wisely done to their master, the whole of India.)
1. Every worker shall be a habitual wearer of khadi made from self-spun yarn or certified by the All India Spinners Association (AISA) and must be a teetotaller. If a Hindu, he must have abjured untouchability in any shape or form in his own person or in his family and must be a believer in the ideal of inter-communal unity, equal respect and regard for all religions and equality of opportunity and status for all irrespective of race, creed or sex.
2. He shall come in personal contact with every villager within his jurisdiction.
3. He shall enrol and train workers from amongst the villagers and keep a register of all these.
4. He shall keep a record of his work from day to day.
5. He shall organise the villages so as to make them self-contained and self-supporting through their agriculture and handicrafts.
6. He shall educate the village folk in sanitation and hygiene and take all measures for prevention of ill health and disease among them.
7. He shall organise the education of the village folk from birth to death along the lines of Nayee Talim, in accordance with the policy laid down by the Hindustani Talimi Sangh.
8. He shall see that those whose names are missing on the statutory voters roll are duly entered therein.
9. He shall encourage those who have not yet acquired the legal qualification, to acquire it for getting the right of franchise.
10. For the above purposes and others to be added from time to time, he shall train and fit himself in accordance with the rules laid down by the Sangh for the due performance of duty.
THE SANGH SHALL AFFILIATE THE FOLLOWING AUTONOMOUS BODIES
1. All India Spinners Association
2. All India Village Industries Association
3. Hindustani Talimi Sangh
4. Harijan Sevak Sangh
5. Goseva Sangh
FINANCE
The Sangh shall raise finances for the fulfillment of its mission from among the villagers and others, special stress being laid on collection of poor man’s pice.
MK GANDHI
[This was published by Tehelka magazine on 25 Dec 2010 with this introduction, which I wrote.
OF ALL the abilities the Mahatma had, one was this: he could walk away from his creations in the larger scheme of things without a shred of emotional logic.
He would start and wind up newspapers when he thought their job was done. He walked away from Sabarmati Ashram and never returned.
And when the time, he thought, was right, he had a plan for the Congress party. Gandhi believed the Congress was an instrument of change, not a party of power.
When Independence was done, Gandhi thought the Congress was done too. The way he looked at it, the primary task was to improve the quality of life in India.
On 29 January 1948, when he couldn’t have known he was to die the next day, Gandhi wrote what he thought.
In his usual style he assumes he is speaking for the Congress, and therefore treats the article as if it were an AICC resolution. The detailing is fascinating.
He says the Congress must ‘flower’ into a Lok Seva Sangh, with 10 broad rules for its members. He lays down specifics of conduct. He tells them how to raise money. He tells them what to record, what to wear, how to be.
Today’s Congressmen mildly follow about two-and-a-half of the 10 suggestions. The consequences are: even at the end of 125 years, the Congress is not free from fear. Its primary concern is power, and most of its life revolves around Parliament.
About a week after he was assassinated, The Harijan printed Gandhi’s piece as his last will and testament. It has since been published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 90, pp 526-528.
The clarity is remarkable; the sense of purpose striking. There are many Congressmen today who say Gandhi’s rules are impossible to live by.
These are the same Congressmen who are surrounded by greed and have thrust fresh disrepute on a party that logically ought to be celebrating its 125th birthday without worry. The Congress is seen as a party that has forgotten where it came from. That is a flaw of character. And Gandhi was all about character.]