Frustrated at being unable to make professional headway, Mohandas Gandhi hopes to obtain a job – a prime ministership or a judgeship. For that, he would need powerful political backing. 

But, Mohan is about to discover that life changes on unexpected moments, moments that seem not that important at the time but which determine the course of your entire life. He is about to take the first step in a journey that would lead to him becoming the ‘father of the nation’.

Mohan’s brother hears from a Memon firm in Porbandar that has built a vast business in South Africa. They need a barrister for a year in a case in which £40,000 is at stake. Mohan’s fee is £105 with all expenses and a first-class return voyage paid for.

To tell us the story of Mohandas Gandhi in South Africa, we have again Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of the Mahatma, an author and peace activist. He is in conversation with Ashraf Engineer, host of the All Indians Matter podcast.

September 4, 1888. There is the usual pandemonium on the ‘SS Clyde’ as it weighs anchor at 5 pm in Bombay and sets sail for England. Mohandas Gandhi leans against the rail, eyes fixed on the land as it grows more and more distant and finally disappears. He turns around and retires to his cabin, his mind home to a hundred conflicting emotions.

Overcome by acute embarrassment because he cannot handle a knife and fork properly and because he isn’t as fluent in English as he’d like to be, Mohan withdraws to his cabin, eating alone there for days and not even coming out for tea. 

Finally, the ‘SS Clyde’ reaches Southampton on October 27, 1888.

Mohandas’ stay in England would have a profound effect on his life as well as his family’s. 

Welcome to this conversation between Ashraf Engineer, host of the All Indians Matter podcast, and Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of the Mahatma, author and peace activist.

We pick up the story just after Mohandas and Kastur’s wedding. As Gandhi’s father, Karamchand Bapa, rushed to make it to the ceremony, his carriage met with an accident. He suffered serious injuries and Mohandas took over as chief caregiver. Mohan’s academic journey continued alongside this service of his father. It was also a time of great learnings about life, which would be seen later in his leadership of the Freedom Struggle too.

These incidents left a deep impression on Mohan’s mind, showing him that a man of truth must also be a man of care. Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of the Mahatma, author and peace activist, retraces these moments of self-realisation with Ashraf Engineer, host of the All Indians Matter podcast.

Mahatma Gandhi’s story begins in Kathiawar, also known as Saurashtra, a land steeped in mythology and history. It is said that Lord Krishna settled here after his flight from Mathura and established the city of Dwarka, which is today a pilgrimage centre. 

According to the Mahabharata, the Yadavas ruled the entire region between Prabha Patan, home to the famous Somnath temple, and the Girnar Hill just beyond Porbandar. At some stage, they earned the wrath and curse of Lord Krishna, eventually killing themselves in a drunken brawl. From this, we get the term ‘yadavi’ which means fratricidal strife. Gandhi often used to tell this tale in his final days, warning that this is what would happen to India if ethnic fires were not doused.

Muslim, Zoroastrianism, Christian and Sufi influences intermingled to form a culture of tolerance in Kathiawar. In Porbandar, for instance, there used to be a haveli in which the name of Allah was chanted along with that of Ishwar and Rama with Rahim’s. It is in this melting pot that the Gandhis lived and thrived, and where an infant named Mohandas came into the world on October 2, 1869.

Welcome to this conversation between Ashraf Engineer, host our of the All Indians Matter podcast, and Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of the Mahatma, author and peace activist.

Welcome to our special series, "Gandhi: The Beginning", a compelling podcast that delves into the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi, long before he became the leader who shaped India's freedom struggle.

In this special series by All Indians Matter, Ashraf Engineer sits down with the great grandson of the Mahatma, Tushar Gandhi as they explore his experiences in South Africa, his evolution as a lawyer, and the personal challenges that influenced his philosophy of non-violence.

Join us on this journey to understand the man behind the Mahatma. Stay tuned for the full episodes coming soon!

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