The Indian Offer
October 19, 2024
Like all of us, Gandhi’s thoughts and opinions evolved over the course of his life. While he’s fiercely associated with opposition to the British, he wasn’t born that way. During his formative years in South Africa, he was proud to be a subject of the British Empire, and at the end of the 19th century he organized volunteers for the British during the Boer War. I’ll give a brief overview of the geopolitical situation before explaining his effort.
What eventually became the Union of South Africa was four distinct political subdivisions in 1899. Natal and the Cape Colony covered the southern coast, and were controlled by the British. They had once been populated by Dutch farmers (Boer means “farmer” in Dutch) but rather than live under British administration, they retreated northward and inland. There, the Boers displaced the native Africans and formed the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. The situation might have remained stable—the Boers “were a farming people, devout and dogmatic”1 who wanted to be left alone—but in 1886, they did something that attracted international attention.
They discovered one of the richest veins of gold on the planet.
The resulting economic expansion drew many to the Transvaal, including Indian merchants, which created the legal dispute that had summoned Gandhi in 1893. By 1898, more than 25% of the global gold supply was produced there, and the British eyed the wealth with envy. In 1899, they began massing thousands of troops on the border.
Paul Kruger, president of the Transvaal, demanded the troops be withdrawn. When the ultimatum expired, the Boers struck first and invaded Natal on October 12.
Gandhi saw this crisis as an opportunity for the Indian community to demonstrate their value to the British. On October 19, 1899, he sent a letter explaining there were many Indians willing to volunteer and serve without pay.
The motive underlying this humble offer is to endeavor to prove that, in common with other subjects of the Queen-Empress in South Africa, the Indians, too, are ready to do duty for their Sovereign on the battlefield. The offer is meant to be an earnest [expression] of the Indian loyalty.2
Gandhi’s name was the first on the list of thirty volunteers; he explained the number might seem small, but it represented a quarter of the local Indian men who understood English. He was told their services were not currently needed, but “should the occasion arise; the Government will be glad to avail itself” of the help.3
That day arrived in December, and Gandhi would soon find himself on the battlefield. But that’s another story.
Can you think of a time you were motivated by greed?
Gandhi Before India (Guha, 2013) p. 67
Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (October 18, 1899) p. 791-792
Ibid. p. 792f