Letter 7

My dear brother,
I expected to hear from you as soon as you reached Bombay and so I waited longer than usual. But as I have not heard from you uptil now I have decided not to wait further in writing to you. Ever since my last letter to you my health has been just as it was when you saw me. After your going back for a week or so it continued to be well and then again either a malarious fever or an attack of Dysentry upsets it and takes a toll of lb. or so causing my weight to fall yet more :and again it continues well for a week or a fortnight further. Thus have I been going on and on and consequently my weight which last year when I wrote to you was on the average at 99 lbs. has for the last couple of months been at 96 lbs. and 95 lbs. In fact my health would have been worse but for the little better food and little better cell that have been allowed to me though too late, and although my weight is rapidly going down yet on the whole my appetite is improved and my stomach causes less complaints owing to the Hospital diet that I have been getting for the last 10 months or so. Moreover in consideration of my weakness and chronic malarious inroads I have been treated as a hospital patient and have been exempted from rigorous work. So far as this jail life is concerned I gladly state that the Superintendent has been trying to put things as straight as he can after I wrote to you about the rapid breaking down of my health. But it is therefore all the more necessary and is all the more forcibly demonstrated how necessary it is to remove me from this unhealthy and malarious climate where in spite of much attention of the jail superintendent, my health and my weight are ever on the decline, and not a fortnight passes without a fever or some attack of stomach complaints. I can assure you that the climate of this place is acknowledged as a very unhealthy one and the life in a cellular jail in such a climate as doubly dangerous to the health of even a strongly built man used to hard labour throughout his life –by the medical authorities themselves.

I do not know whether you in India know anything about the order that was read out here on the day of the peace celebration in England, concerning the Amnesty of prisoners. On that day or owing to the remission granted on that day –some convicts have up to this time been released from this convict colony. But so far as the political prisoners are concerned nothing beyond the vaguest promises was done, not a single day’s remission has been as yet positively granted to any of them barring a couple of Bengali P.P.s An order was read out in the name of the Secretary of state and the Government that so far as the political prisoners were concerned the Government was considering the question of granting some remission to them. The above consideration being guided by the opinion of the respective provincial Governments in the first instance and secondly by the local recommendations of the jail authorities based on the jail conduct of the prisoners. Moreover the personal opinions of the individual prisoner would be carefully weighed before any decision is arrived! Now this language may mean much or what is more likely may mean nothing . No time is mentioned as to when the decision would be arrived at. And when in addition to that one remembers that four years ago the Indian Government had been pleased to assure me that they were even then having the question of Amnesty ‘under consideration’ one hardly can help suspecting that this reiteration of the same words may be asking for another four years hence. Again the clause referring to the personal opinions is very likely to be the curse of almost any one who falls under the head of P.P.s for if personal opinions means the opinions of the individual about the political situation in India-then of course that is quite sensible and natural-but how the Government is going to know them? If by the statements of the individual concerned then there could be no objection to that at all. But if –as is more likely to happen –by hearsay or secret reports then it would be better if the Government and the public would be frankly telling that they do neither wish nor want to consider this question at all. For being forced to live amongst such distinguished company such as thieves, robbers and habitual convicts and in such a company alone –what chance is there that these would be reporting only truth about our opinions on politics when these neither understand a bit of what opinions on politics mean nor are ever wanting in the gift of instinctively hating any one who is spotted out to them by the authorities as one whose opinions they are required to report. No sooner does an officer ask these ‘gentlemen’ in the jail to know and inform about A or B than do these people come to the conclusion that a report against that individual would be more likely to increase their importance in the eyes of the authorities. And even the highest officers in an institution like jail cannot but depend on the reports of these men who have themselves been convicts and criminals and raised to higher posts in the jail through sheer double dealing and in general this is the case. So I think that unless the public makes all these matters clear to the Indian Government in time and even now, even with the best of intentions on the part of the Secretary of State little or nothing will come out of the promise that the Government has made.

Do you know anything about this promise ? Is it made public? If so are the provincial Governments already approached and have they submitted their opinion? Has any one attempted to get the time fixed or at any rate approximately but definitely indicated by the Government? I again submit that unless the public makes it quite clear and that not spasmodically but systematically that there is an unanimous, hearty and determined desire in the hearts of our countrymen to effect an Amnesty of the political prisoners before this opportunity of the Peace celebration passes by, the Indian Government can neither be in a mood and even if in a mood yet not in a position to do much in this direction. The promise, vague as it is, is made to feel the public pulse, and if the people do not before hand express their will and sympathy with this projected Amnesty, I for one could not find much cause to blame the Government for not having granted it.

If the charge of 109, 302 is true against me it is truer against all. And if for that I am not going to be released as a political prisoner then there is no political prisoner in India at all! I simply indicate the line of argument knowing pretty well that you would fill it in much better way than I can do it here. Secondly ‘jail conduct.’ Well for the last 5 years there had been no occasion of being cased even once. I am sure the authorities here would not have anything particular against me on that score to say.

Thirdly so far as my personal opinions are concerned-well I had definitely and clearly stating them to all concerned-the Government itself not expected. So early as 1915 and again in1918 I had sent and sent voluntarily a clear statement of my thought knowing full well that misunderstood, they were quite likely to deprive me of any chance of release. The statement sent to the Government is exactly like what I wrote to you in my letter last year and which had already been before the public eye. So neither the public nor the Government can be in any way unacquainted with my opinions. I believe that as soon as the reforms are effected and if they be soon effected and at least the Viceregal Councils are made to represent the voice of the people then there would be no hesitation on my part-infinitestibly humble though it be –to make the beginning of such a constitutional development a success, to stand by Law and Order which is the very foundation and basis of Society in general and Hindu polity in particular. Do not the Scotch or ever the Majorities of the Boers choose to maintain a partnership in the Empire when that Empire –opens better facilities for their respective developments than otherwise? India too and for the matter of that any other people ought to and naturally will join in forming a Common Wealth and an Empire. Why should they be against it? When such a common life promises to be more fruitful than divided petty and lonely individuality? As man is Social animal so is also state. And Empires had been and would be as natural a development of the inherent tendencies of the social nature of man as nations and families had been.

Well my dear Bal, I have been getting fever for the last two days as I have caught a cold and so find it necessary to leave much that I meant to write to you. Please to take care of your health, and do not worry on our account or any other account. Take things easy. Please not to forget what I told you about our family affairs when you met me. Try to save a little and spend less. Dear Yamuna promised me to send a very very big parcel of almonds and candy and sweets and what not at an early date. But being very very big it is quite natural that it is taking months to pack it up. It was indeed a pleasure to see her and know how she is as courageous and as sweet as ever. But poor Vahini! Half the joy of any release fades into apthy at the thought of my going back to a home where she is not likely to come to welcome me! My earliest friend, my sister, my mother and my comrade-in one, all at once, she really died as dies a suttee! Did she not immolate her silent soul and even at the alter of our Mother-land? Ah! As truly as martyr dies for his Land or Religion do these Indian girls of to-day die panting, withering, watching for the return of their lovers who are not destined to meet them; suffering in silence, serving though unknown, paying though unacknowledged, -do these Hindu girls pine away and die for their Motherland, for their religion. Woman in general is sweet beyond measure ! But a Hindu girl-good, good good. She inflames not but soothes, remembers though forgotten each and an ever newly published edition of the Immortal Story of Sita! Dear Baba asks me to tell you to console Mathutai especially on his behalf; he feels more for her than our dear Vahini herself . Nothing pleased me so much as to find you quite healthy and bubling over with life when I saw you here. Always try to be as healthy and more. I am totally unable both owing to the intensity of my feeling and the circumstances under which I have to pen this letter to express faithfully my and our thanks and sense of gratefulness to all those who through a personal or public concern had felt such deep Sympathy for me and for us and tried to bring some relief or other to us. To tell you the truth I honestly believe that this consciousness alone had been the only medicine that has enabled me to pull on without being worse and in fact made me live throughout this year in spite of dysentery, malaria and jail-this consciousness that there are so many men in my Bharatvarsha who are ready to share my sadness and lighten my burden –friends that enquire and papers that wrote –those who are moved through personal friendship or acquaintance and much more than that those who felt out of a genuine and simple humanity. How is my dear Shanta? Don’t you trouble her much for any reading or writing. But do trouble as much as you can my friend Yamuna on that score –she has promised me to act as a typewriter and a clerk –of course without any pay and out of sheer patriotic favour!-when and if I ever come back and my love to dear Babu, Anna, and all my brothers-in-law.