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Gandhi had to face many racist insults while he was in South Africa. He
was not alone in this, most Indians were subject to humiliation in that
country but what made him stand apart was his unwillingness to accept
the unfair system.
During his first long journey in South Africa (from Durban to Pretoria)
Gandhi faced at least 3 such incidents. One of them happened while
Gandhi was traveling from Charlestown on a stage-coach to Johannesburg.
The coach halted at Standerton for the night and Gandhi had a confirmed
ticket for the journey. But when he went to board the coach the agent
said, 'your ticket is cancelled.' The reason was not want of
accommodation, but quite another. Passengers had to be accommodated
inside the coach, but as the agent saw Gandhi as a 'coolie'.
Gandhi argued with him and was allowed to board. But when he got to the
coach the 'leader' (as the white man in charge of the coach was called)
stopped him from getting in. He thought it would be proper not to seat
him with the white passengers. There were seats on either side of the
coachbox. The leader sat on one of these as a rule. But that day he
decided to sit inside and gave his seat to Gandhi. Gandhi felt deeply
insulted but kept quiet for the fear that the coach would leave him
behind and he would lose a day. He went and sat next to the coachman.
At about three o'clock the coach reached Pardekoph. The leader wanted to
smoke and get some fresh air. He took a piece of dirty sack-cloth from
the driver, spread it on the footboard and, addressing Gandhi said, 'Sami,
you sit on this, I want to sit near the driver.' The insult was more
than Gandhi could bear. Half afraid and in a trembling tone he spoke
out, "It was you who seated me here, though I should have been
accommodated inside. I put up with the insult. Now that you want to sit
outside and smoke, you would have me sit at your feet. I will not do so,
but I am prepared to sit inside."
Even as Gandhi was struggling through these sentences, the man came down
and began to box his ears. He seized the frail Gandhi by the arm and
tried to drag him down. A desperate Gandhi clung to the brass rails of
the coachbox.
Some of
the passengers were moved by the scene and asked the leader to back off.
"He is right. If he can't stay there, let him come and sit with us" they
said. 'No fear,' cried the leader. He swore at Gandhi for a while, then
asked a servant to sit on the footboard and took the seat so vacated.
The passengers took their seats and, the whistle given, the coach
rattled away. The leader cast an angry look at Gandhi now and then and,
pointing his finger growled: 'Take care, let me once get to Standerton
and I shall show you what I do.' Gandhi sat speechless, praying to God
and wondering whether he would reach his destination alive. Thankfully
he was met with friends at Standerton who offered to take him to a
friend's house for the night.
Gandhi later wrote to the agent of the coach company informing him of
the whole affair. The agent assured him that from Standerton the company
had a bigger coach with different men in charge and that Gandhi would be
given a seat with the other passengers. Gandhi got a good seat and
reached Johannesburg quite safely. |
