Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/980

 42;QPPENDIX IIA, deliberation, I took upon myself the responsibility of advising my countrymen not to submit to the primary obligation imposed by the Act, but still, as law-abiding subjects of the State, to accept its sanctions. Bnghtly or wrongly, in common with other Asiatics, I consider that the Act in question, among other things, offends our conscience, and the only way, I thought, as I still* thn·k, the Asiatics could show their feeling with regard to it was to incur its penalties. And in pursuance of that policy, I. admit that I hate advised the BCOUSGO who have preceded me to refuse submission to the Act, as also the Act 36 of 1908. seeing that in the opinion of British Indians, full relief, that was promised by the Government, has not been granted. I am now before the Court to suner the penalties that may be awarded me." And when he was next sentenced, Mr. Gandhi made the fol- lowing declaration :— " It is my misfortune that I have to appear before the Court for the same offence the second time. I am quite aware that my offence is deliberate and wilful. I have honestly desired to examine my conduct in the light of past experience, and I maintain the conclusion that, no matter what my countrymen do or think, as a citizen of the State and as a man who respects conscience above everything, I must continue to incur the penalties so long as justice, as I conceive it, has not been rendered by the State to a portion of its citizens, I consider myself the greatest onender in the Asiatic struggle, if the conduct that I am pursuing is held to be reprehensible. I, therefore, regret that I am being tried under a clause which does not enable me to ask for a penalty which some cf my fell0W·0bjsctors received, but I ask you to impose on me the lightest penalty." Thus, Mr. Gandhi indicated his willingness to become a passive resister even against his own countrymen, if need bc, and his anxiety, like the Greek hero who rushed into the fray and found death by gathering into his own breast the spears of the enemy, to bring salvation to his people by accepting the fullest responsibility and the heaviest penalties. Even whilst in gaol, he was a passive resister; for he declined to eat the special food pro- vided for him until his Indian fellovwprisoners were given a more suitable diet. and he deliberately starved himself npon one wretch- ed meal a day for six weeks, until the authorities were obliged to promise a modified diet scale for Indian prisoners, a prrmise which they later fulfilled-—for the worse. Mr Gandhi put his thought on the meaning of passive resist- ance concisely and in a direct form, when he addressed the follow- ing exhortation to the Transvaal Tamil community :—- "Remember that we are descendants of Prahlad and Sudhanva, both passive resistors of the purest type. They disregarded the dictates even of their parents when they were asked to deny God.