Unto Death

Five times in the past, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has announced that he was going to "fast unto death" unless political opponents gave way on some point or other. Five times he has lost a few pounds, won all his points, lived on. At high noon one day last week the skinny, 80-pound, 69-year-old Mahatma sat down before a crowd of sympathetic spectators and ate a meal of brown bread, cooked vegetables, oranges and a cup of hot goat's milk. Then he retired to a rustic cot in a room as bare as a Sing Sing cell and began his sixth fast until victory or death.

Facts have shown that Saint Gandhi's hunger pain is mightier than the sword; native riflemen have not got a fraction of the concessions from Britain that Saint Gandhi's torturing fasts have. But last week's fast was more serious than previous ones because Saint Gandhi's blood pressure was higher than it ever had been before and he was consequently more likely to die than ever before.

Also, this fast was different. No longer the kingpin of the Indian National Congress, the Mahatma was out to gain new prestige or martyrdom, or even to test his own power. As an issue he picked on the Thakore Saheb (petty chief) Shri Dharmendrasinhji, ruler of Rajkot, who, like almost any other Indian prince, bears down with a heavily jeweled hand on the 75,540 people in his piddling little State of 282 square miles. It was there that Saint Gandhi got his political start.

The Saint's first move was to warn the Thakore Saheb to reform his autocratic government. Ignored, the Saint sent his wife to start a civil disobedience campaign. She was thrown in jail. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress voted down Gandhi's Rightist candidate for President, elected instead Subhas Chander Bose, a prominent Leftist. Last week Saint Gandhi decided to stop eating. Doctors warned against the fast, but he replied that he was not worth much in insurance. He quickly lost two pounds. His feet puffed up with dropsical swelling. Early this week he was in a desperate condition.

Meanwhile, the Thakore Saheb stalled for time. The 29-year-old ruler certainly did not want to be responsible for the Mahatma's death. In no less a pickle was the British Government. Congress Governments made what political capital they could by wiring New Delhi that if Gandhi died, Britain would have to answer for the consequences. Britain did not want to have a dead Gandhi on its hands, but, if Britain gave in on this point and forced the Thakore Saheb to reform his government, a bad precedent would be set. Then Congress leaders could attack other Indian States and force many a maharaja to give in to an Indian national movement.

At week's end the Thakore Saheb finally made a move. He released Gandhi's wife from jail and told her: "You should be with Gandhi all the time he is in Rajkot." Answered Mrs. Gandhi: "Since you ask me, I will go and inquire of Gandhi what he would have me do." The Mahatma quickly sent her back to jail.

The Bombay stock exchange closed, there were dire predictions of a great mass uprising in India if the beloved Mahatma died. Then this week the Marquess of Linlithgow, India's viceroy, sent a message to him. Immediately thereafter news came that the sick saint had broken his fast. His apparent inducement: an emergency meeting of the British Cabinet called that night at No. 10 Downing Street to appease Mahatma Gandhi.

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