The 21st day
March 3, 2024
On the morning of March 3rd, 1943, Mohandas Gandhi was handed six ounces of orange juice by his wife, Kasturba. After six months of being held without charges, Gandhi had begun a fast to protest indefinite detention. It had been 21 days since his last meal, and now he was ready to break his fast.
During his three-week fast, Gandhi’s prestige had invited certain accommodations; one of these was permission for visitors in the detention camp. His two youngest sons, Ramdas and Devadas had been frequent guests, although his fading strength generally only allowed for a few minutes of conversation before he got tired.
The boys were happy to visit with their mother, who had been arrested the same day as Gandhi. Kasturba, 73, had arrived at the detention camp “violently sick,” and would spend the rest of her natural life there. She was supportive of the three-week fast, and made sure her husband was taken care of to the best of her ability.
On the 13th day of his fast, Gandhi had been near death. His skin was cold and clammy, and his pulse was weak. Kasturba prayed to a sacred tulsi plant for his recovery. The British government, aware of India’s reaction if Gandhi were to die, made arrangements for a media blackout so they could control the news. (It was somewhat ironic that they believed that a sudden announcement of his death could lead to widespread unrest, but also believed that the widespread unrest six months earlier was completely and totally unrelated to their sudden announcement of his arrest.) Gandhi pulled through, and his health was stable for the rest of his 21-day fast.
Surrounded solely by fellow inmates and his doctors, Gandhi clutched his glass of orange juice on March 3. (He had been informed that except for his sons, outside guests and relatives would be prohibited from attending this ceremony. Gandhi declined to accept special treatment for them.) After listening to Hindu, Muslim, and Christian readings and songs and observing five minutes of silent meditation, Gandhi weakly thanked the doctors, and said, “I do not know why Providence has saved me on this occasion. Possibly, it is because He has some more missions for me to fulfill.” With that, he sipped his juice.
Fasting can be seen as delayed gratification. When have you demonstrated this quality?