Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, played a pivotal role in India's fight for independence against the Britishers. Whether we talk about his non-violent resistance, the iconic Dandi Salt March or the Quit India Movement, Mahatma Gandhi indeed left an indelible mark on India's freedom struggle. Due to his immense contribution to India's fight for freedom, he is remembered as the 'father of the nation'.
Mahatma Gandhi died on January 30, 1948, after a person named Nathuram Godse assassinated him by firing gunshots at him. It was an unfortunate end to the story of a freedom fighter who sacrificed his personal life in order to lead India's freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi's wife, Kasturba Gandhi also played an integral role in the freedom struggle, just like her husband.
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Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi got married in May 1883, and at that time, Gandhi was just 13, and Kasturba was 14. They embraced parenthood for the first time in 1886, but unfortunately, the child couldn't survive and died after a few days. In the coming years, Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi welcomed four sons, Harilal (1888), Manilal (1892), Ramdas (1897), and Devdas (1900).
Everyone is aware of the freedom movements started by Mahatma Gandhi and a few controversial decisions that he took, but people hardly remember the price he paid for India's independence. The price of not being able to take care of his wife, Kasturba Gandhi or the pain of staying away from his four sons, the sacrifices Mahatma Gandhi made in his personal life never got the due it deserved. Today, we are going to unfold some pages from Mahatma Gandhi's troubled bond with his eldest son, Harilal, which is full of painful moments.
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It was in 1888 when Mahatma Gandhi left his family in South Africa to become a barrister in London. It was a tough but necessary decision for him. At that time, he was 18, and their first son, Harilal, was just six months old. During his son's growing years, he was in London, and when he returned to South Africa as a barrister, he was very successful and rich.
According to the book, Gandhi: The Man, His People and the Empire, written by renowned historian and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi, Harilal was the only son of Mahatma Gandhi, who saw and lived a good and financially stable life before the latter left everything for India's struggle for freedom. When Mahatma Gandhi told his wife, Kasturba and his four sons about his decision to take the vow of celibacy and poverty, it was a shock for his eldest son, Harilal, who couldn't come to terms with his father's decision to live in poverty almost like beggars despite having so much. It was reportedly the point from where a gap started developing between Mahatma Gandhi and Harilal.
Mahatma Gandhi was an intelligent man and also had the veins to pay the price of being a good leader. However, in many people's eyes, more than him, it was his wife, Kasturba Gandhi and their four sons, Harilal, Manilal, Ramlal, and Devdas, who paid the price and never got their due. For instance, once, a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi told him that he could send one of his sons to London on scholarship. It was a great opportunity, and any parent would've grabbed it, but Mahatma Gandhi set an example by saying 'No' to the opportunity.
Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi, mentioned in his book, Gandhi: The Man, His People and the Empire, that in his grandfather's eyes, his eldest son, Harilal wasn't a deserving candidate for the scholarship. However, as per the book, Gandhi: The Man, His People and the Empire, Gandhi didn't send his son, Harilal abroad because he knew that he wouldn't be able to convince Indians to fight against the Britishers for their freedom when his own son was studying in foreign. Not only this, but he also gave the names of deserving kids to his friend and told his sons to study in India.
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Mahatma Gandhi's wife, Kasturba Gandhi complained about his decision and told him, "You want to make saints out of my boys before they are men". However, Gandhi stood his ground and stated that he and his family should become the ideal symbols of the new India, which he was trying to build. No doubt, Mahatma Gandhi's intentions were right, but Harilal couldn't handle the pressure of his father's righteousness. Hence, he decided to build a separate identity for himself.
After sacrificing his dreams of becoming a barrister just like his father, Harilal does normal-wage jobs. In the coming years, he got married to a woman named Gulab, but unfortunately, she passed away due to the influenza pandemic in 1918. While on one side, Harilal was struggling to find a stable job, his wife's death broke him completely. As per the biography of Harilal Gandhi, titled Harilal Gandhi: A Life by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal, Mahatma Gandhi was aware of his son's terrible life, but he never used his name to get him a stable job as he was a man of principles. Soon, Harilal went into alcoholism and distanced himself from his kids due to his self-destructive behaviour.
However, there was a time when Harilal told his father that he wanted to marry again, but Mahatma Gandhi clearly told him that if he wanted to have a second marriage, he should consider himself out of the Gandhi family. Things got heated between the father-son duo, and despite Kasturba Gandhi's multiple efforts to mend the ways, it all came to a tragic end. Although there are no records of Harilal's second marriage, but it is reported that after his father turned down his idea of a second marriage, he converted his religion to Islam.
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Harilal named himself Abdullah Gandhi, and when the news reached his father, Mahatma Gandhi, the latter accepted his decision. The freedom fighter told his son that he had no problem with the fact that his son had converted to Islam because, in his eyes, all religions are the same. However, he also added that if the motive behind Harilal's decision to convert to Islam is to have multiple marriages, then he is highly disappointed with him.
Despite everything that had happened between Harilal and his father, Mahatma Gandhi, when the freedom fighter was assassinated, his son came to attend his funeral. Not everyone was able to recognise him, and as per the biography of Harilal Gandhi, titled Harilal Gandhi: A Life by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal, months after Mahatma Gandhi's death, Harilal passed away on June 18, 1948. Once, in an old interview, Mahatma Gandhi stated that his life's biggest regret was not being able to convince two people, the first was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the second was his son, Harilal. It's unfortunate how things unfolded in Mahatma Gandhi's personal life, but it's undoubtedly the epitome of the popular saying that goes like "A baker's son always goes hungry".
What are your thoughts on the tragic bond between the father-son duo, Mahatma Gandhi and Harilal? Let us know.
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