Breaking the silence
February 6, 2024
When Gandhi returned to India in 1915 after two decades in South Africa, his political mentor made him promise that he’d wait a year before speaking out on any issues in India. The year of silence came to an end on February 6, 1916, with a public speech at Banaras Hindu University. There were some who wished he’d stayed quiet.
The theosophist Annie Besant was born in London, but had a great interest in India. In 1916, she was a co-founder of the Indian Home Rule league; in 1917 Besant was elected the first woman president of the Indian National Congress—quite a feat since she wasn’t even Indian! But before that, she pushed for the creation of a modern university in Banaras, which “was probably the oldest and certainly the most storied of Indian cities.”1
The founding ceremonies for Banaras Hindu University brought many wealthy and influential people: princes, maharajas, and even the British Viceroy. Thousands gathered to hear speeches and participate in other social gatherings. On the third day, February 6, 1916, Annie Besant’s lecture was immediately followed by Gandhi’s. He had arrived without a prepared speech and spoke extemporaneously until the uproar brought an abrupt end to the evening’s program.
Although he began peaceably enough, Gandhi soon began to criticize the unsanitary habits of the Indian people; spitting and such everywhere. From there he addressed the exclusive use of English in the speeches. Perhaps 1 in 300 Indians spoke it fluently. Spurring India to freedom would require speaking in the language of the common people, not the elites.
And who were those elites? Gandhi shared the stage with princes covered in jewels and other finery. “I feel like saying to to these noblemen,” Gandhi confessed to the audience of students enraptured by his words, “‘There is no salvation for India unless you strip yourselves of this jewelry and hold it in trust for your countrymen in India.’”
When he began to praise the bravery of anarchists and bomb-throwers, Annie Besant called for him to stop. (She claimed afterward it was because a nearby policeman say Gandhi’s words would be reported.) Gandhi was allowed to continue speaking, claiming “I myself am an anarchist, but of a different type.” The British empire should be based on “mutual love and mutual trust.” But before long, he was announcing that “we shall have to take [self-government]” and urging the students to learn from the Boer War—those who took up arms against the British were now running South Africa! With this, princes began to walk off the stage, and the chairman declared the meeting closed.
There would be many more speeches critical of the status quo in the decades to come.
Have you ever given an impromptu speech that didn’t go well?
Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World (Ramachandra Guha, 2018) p. 27