At the age of 18, Gandhi set off for London after saying goodbye to his teenage wife and their son. Over the next three years, he received his formal legal education at the Inner Temple. On June 11, 1891, Gandhi registered as a barrister in the High Court and prepared to return to India the next day.
The Inner Temple (on land formerly owned by the Knights Templar) was “the most expensive and most prestigious” of the four law schools that made up the Inns of the Court.1 The school had an excellent library, but no dormitories; students were given a course of study and expected to learn on their own. Gandhi purchased the necessary books, and read them thoroughly, but did spend many of his days in the library “to save the expense of coal to heat his room.”2
Indian students were a minority but not uncommon; many Indian politicians were lawyers, like M.A. Jinnah. Gandhi’s political heir, Jawaharalal Nehru, attended the Inner Temple years later. In January 1891, Gandhi passed his exams and notified his family back in India, but he wasn’t yet able to practice law.
Besides passing exams, students had to “keep terms.” This referred to attending formal dinners at least six times per term. In theory, these dinners were a way for students to interact with practicing barristers, but by Gandhi’s time, the groups had separate tables, rendering the educational aspects near meaningless.
Being present was the only requirement for the dinners; eating was optional. Gandhi had made a vow to his mother to abstain from women, meat, and alcohol. Eventually he learned he could request meatless meals, but before that, he made do with what he could eat.
The vow actually made him a popular guy at these dinners. It wasn’t that he was an amazing conversationalist, but that alcohol was served. Each table of four was given two bottles of wine, and many students preferred to split the booze three ways instead of four. Each term also had a “grand night” when extra alcohol, like champagne, port, and sherry were served. Gandhi writes in his autobiography that he was “specially requested to attend” and his dinner companionship was “in great demand” on these occasions.
When he’d eaten enough dinners, Gandhi was called to the bar and enrolled in the High Court on June 11, 1891. This formal procedure allowed him to officially start practicing as a barrister. It was a crucial milestone in Gandhi's life, marking his transition from student to lawyer. The ability to use the courts as he strove to be a steward of justice served him for many (lucrative) years, but in 1922, he was disbarred after a conviction for civil disobedience. Gandhi accepted it cheerfully.
What is a transitional milestone in your life?
Gandhi in London (James D. Hunt, 2012 edition) p. 15
Gandhi in London (James D. Hunt, 2012 edition) p. 16