Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/132

 in England who do not take even milk and butter, they being animal products. Before describing the food that can be had for 9s per week, there are one or two points still remaining to be cleared. Whether you would cook the food yourself or whether you would have it cooked by your landlady, from a religious point of view, if you are a strict Hindu, you would of course cook your own food. In this case, your expenses would be much cheaper. Here let me remark, in spite of all that is said to the contrary, that given all the resources at your command, there is nothing to prevent you from leading a purely Hindu life. To say that there are no cooking arrangements to be had in London is humbug and a mere bagatelle. It would be true to say that there are very few who have the mind to do it. Again, to perform the everyday ceremonies, to dine bare-bodied, to sit in contemplation bare-bodied for hours together would be impossible for a poor man, but a rich man who is prepared to spend any amount of money can perform each and every religious ceremony that can be performed in India. If he does not want to cook his own food, he can even take a cook with him. But, then, an ordinary student would not be able to command money and time for such things. I should like to know how many students are there who find time or have the mind to perform all the ceremonies even in India. If they are not performed here, some of them may well be left out in London without shocking the pious and elderly persons, as even our scriptures make certain exemptions in favour of travellers and students. A distinguished yogi told me that he forwent most of the usual ceremonies while travelling. For an ordinary Indian who is not overscrupulous in his religious views and who is not much of a believer in caste restrictions, it would be advisable to cook partly himself and get a part of his food ready made. Of course, he can have all his things cooked by his landlady which, by a previous arrangement, she engages to do for 7s that are paid for the rent. But, this would be found to be inconvenient in certain cases. The landlady may not know the vegetarian cookery. She may not be honest; she may be very unclean. She may cook vegetables in utensils used for cooking meat without first cleaning them. The first two difficulties can be surmounted: she may be given a cookery book and she would cook the required food by the help of the book. By a strict watch, she may not be given an opportunity for being dishonest, but if she is not clean, there is no help for the poor lodger if he has to be at her mercy.