1. A CONFESSION[1]
[1884]
I wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to him myself. In this note not only did I confess my guilt, but I asked adequate punishment for it, and closed with a request to him not to punish himself for my offence. I also pledged myself never to steal in future.[2]
An Autobiography, Pt. I, Ch. VIII
2. SPEECH AT ALFRED HIGH SCHOOL, RAJKOT[3]
July 4, 1888
I hope that some of you will .follow in my footsteps, and after you return from England you will work wholeheartedly for big reforms in India.
[From Gujarati]
Kathiawar Times, 12-7-1888
- ↑ When Gandhiji was 15, he had removed a bit of gold from his brother’s armlet to clear a small debt of the latter. He felt so mortified about his act that he decided to make a confession to his father. Parental forgiveness was granted him in the form of silent tears. The incident left a lasting mark on his mind. In his own words, it was an object-lesson to him tn the power of ahimsa.
The original not being available; his own report of it, as found in An Autobiography, is reproduced here. - ↑ According to Mahatma Gandhi; Tht Early Phase, p. 212, one of the sentences in the confession was: “So, father, your son is now, in your eyes, no better than a common thief.’’
- ↑ Gandhiji was given a send-off by his fellow-students of the Alfred High School, Rajkot, when he was leaving for England to study for the Bar. In An Autobiography, Pt. I, Gh. XI, he says: “I had written out a few words of thanks. But I could scarcely stammer them out. I remember how my head reeled and how my whole frame shook as I stood up to read them."
