Page 29 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners
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GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners
Quite unexpectedly, he received an offer from a Muslim firm of Kathiawar that
had an established business in South Africa. They had a legal dispute with
another Indian Muslim's firm. They wanted Gandhi to go to South Africa and
help their Chief Counsel. They offered terms that appeared quite attractive.
Gandhi decided to accept the offer and go to South Africa to try his luck and to
make some money through the practice of law.
Gandhi landed at Durban in May 1893. Abdullah Seth, who was the head of the
firm that had engaged his services, was there to receive him. Gandhi had
landed on an unknown continent. He had no idea of what was in store for him.
But he did not have to wait for long to discover that he was going to face the
severest ordeals of his life.
Gandhi was very conscious of his status as a barrister and had insisted on
travelling by first class in the ship. He had to be accommodated in the Captain's
Cabin since there were no berths available in the first class.
Within two or three days of his arrival at Durban, Sheth Abdullah took him to
the Court. Gandhi was wearing an Indian turban as he sat in the Court. The
Magistrate stared at him, and ordered him to remove his turban. Gandhi
considered that an insult. He declined to remove his turban and left the Court.
This was his first personal experience of the insults and discrimination that
Indians had to face in South Africa.
Both South Africa and India were part of the British Empire in the 19th Century.
The white population of South Africa wanted to develop their plantations. They
wanted labourers who would do hard work for nominal wages. They did not
want to use black African labour. So they decided to recruit labour from India.
These labourers were recruited on a system that came to be known as the
Indenture System. Under it, Indians were recruited to work for a few shillings in
the year. They had to sign a bond that they would serve for five years. They
would not be permitted to return earlier. At the end of five years, they could
renew their contract to work for five more years or return to India. The South
African Government did not want them to stay back as free citizens. They were
afraid of the industriousness and enterprise and frugal ways of Indians. They
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