Page 82 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

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Many leaders of the Congress were not happy with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Nor

were the British Officers who were against Irwin's effort at compromise. There

were differences in the interpretation of the Pact. It looked as though it would
break down. Meanwhile, the British Government decided to hold another Round

Table Conference with Indian Leaders to evolve agreement on further

constitutional reform. The First Round Table Conference was a failure. The
Congress was not there. It could not, therefore, be presented as being

representative. There were serious objections to the way the Government had

selected participants. Yet, the Congress decided to attend. It also decided that

Gandhi would be its sole representative at the Conference. This was a very
heavy responsibility, especially because there were some differences within the

Congress itself. Another reason that made the task difficult was the

composition of the Conference. The Government had packed it with Rulers and

people selected from many groups from which the Government expected
support. On the eve of his departure to attend the Conference at London,

Gandhi, therefore, warned the nation that he might return empty handed.

He sailed from Bombay with his personal entourage that included his

Secretaries, Mahadev Desai and Pyarelal, Miraben an English disciple, and

Devdas Gandhi. Miraben was the daughter of an English admiral, but had

become Gandhi's disciple and co-worker, and taken the Indian name, Mira.
Gandhi travelled by the second class and spent most of his time on the deck.

He spent the day as he would have done in his Ashram with prayer, spinning,

reading, talking to visitors. He was very popular with the children on the ship.

Many fellow passengers attended the prayer or talked to him on matters of
religion, human problems and politics. He radiated warmth and love.

In London, he decided to stay in the East End, where the poor and the families
of the working class lived. He did not want to stay in luxurious hotels or areas

where the rich and privileged lived. Every day he went to the St. James Palace

where the Conference met, worked till late into the evening, and returned to

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