Page:Mahatma Gandhi, his life, writings and speeches.djvu/161



REPLY TO MADRAS PUBLIC RECEPTION

[''The following is the speech delivered by Mr. M. K. Gandhi on the occasion of his visit to Madras in 1915. Sir S. Suhratnania Aiyar presided on the occasion'']:—

,—On behalf of my wife and myself I am deeply grateful for the honour that you here, and Madras, and, may I say, this presidency, have done to us and the affection that has been lavished upon us in this great and enlightened, not benighted. Presidency. If there is anything that we have deserved, as has been stated in this beautiful address, I can only say I lay it at the feet of my Master under whose inspiration I have been working all this time under exile in South Africa. In so far as the sentiments expressed in this address are merely prophetic, sir, I accept them as a blessing and as a prayer from you and from this great meeting, that both my wife and I myself may possess the power, the inclination, and the life to dedicate 45