A courtroom conflict

May 25, 2023

After his arrival in South Africa, Gandhi worked to demonstrate his usefulness to his employer, Dada Abdulla. On May 25, 1893, the pair attended Durban’s local court, and Gandhi was introduced to several locals, and took a seat next to Abdulla’s white attorney. Having attended the Bombay High Court on multiple occasions, Gandhi followed the rules that he was familiar with. But South Africa had its own way of doing things.

The magistrate looked several times at Gandhi, trying to resolve the paradox of South Africa’s first Indian lawyer. Finally, he ordered Gandhi to remove his head covering in the courtroom. The young man looked to the turbaned Abdulla, unsure of why he was being singled out. Rather than dispute the matter, Gandhi rose and walked out of the room, despite his conviction that he had done nothing wrong.

That afternoon, Abdulla described the categories of Indians in South Africa, which fell largely along religious lines. Muslims such as himself wore turbans and were referred to as “Arabs.” Christians wore English clothes and hats, and were generally employed as waiters. Parsi clerks called themselves “Persians.” Hindus made up the vast majority of the Indian labor pool, generally having arrived as indentured laborers to work the fields. They were called “coolies.”

More embarrassment followed the next day. The Natal Advertiser described the courtroom incident in a paragraph titled “An Unwelcome Visitor.” Gandhi promptly wrote to the editor, explaining that his actions had been respectful, in accordance with Indian court customs. The mild controversy in the paper established Gandhi as the “coolie barrister.”

Determined to demonstrate his worth to Abdulla, Gandhi familiarized himself with the details of the case that had brought him from India. He had never learned accounting, but a book on the subject and conversations with Abdulla’s clerk brought clarity. His quick study impressed Abdulla, and by midweek Gandhi was preparing to travel north to Pretoria to represent his employer’s interests in the case. The journey on May 31 would influence the rest of his life.

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