Mahatma Gandhi, his life, writings and speeches/Gandhi's Reply (2)
Mr. GANDHI'S REPLY
Mr. Gandhi, who was received with cheers, said that his wife and himself were returning to the motherland with their work unaccomplished and with broken health, but he wished nevertheless, to use the language of hope. When the Ambulance corps was formed, it had been a matter of great joy to him that so many students and others came forward willingly and offered their services. Men such as Colonel Kanta prasad and Mr. Turkhud and Mr. Parikh were none of them expected to do the service of hospital orderlies at Netley, but nevertheless they had cheerfully done it. Indians had shown themselves thereby capable of doing their duty, if they received the recognition of their rights and privilegs. The whole idea of the corps arose because he felt that there should be some outlet for the anxiety of the Indians to help in the crisis which had come upon the Empire. (Hear, hear). He had himself pleaded hard with Mr. Roberts that someplace should be found for him; but his health had not permitted and the doctors had been obdurate. He had not resigned from the corps. If in his own motherland he should be restored to strength, and hostilities were still continuing, he intended to come back, directly the summons reached him. (Cheers). As for his work in South Africa, they had been purely a matter of duty and carried no merit with it and his only aspiration on his return to his motherland was to do his duty as he found it day by day. He had been practically an exile for 25 years and his friend and master Mr. Gokhale had warned him not to speak of Indian questions, as India was a foreign land to him. (Laughter) But the India of his imagination was in India unrivalled in the world and India where the most spiritual treasures were to be found, and it was his dream and hope that the connection between India and England might be a source of spiritual comfort and uplifting to the whole world. He could not conclude without expressing his warmest appreciation of the great kindness which the Lady Cecilia Roberts had shown to his wife and himself in their illness. They had landed in England as strangers but they had speedily fallen among friends. There must be something good in the connection between India and England if it produces such unsolicitude and generous kindness from Englishmen and women to Indians.