Hunting the Lion–An eyewitness record of 1922 trial of Mahatma Gandhiji

An eyewitness record of 1922 trial of Mahatma Gandhiji Author: Late “Kalaguru” Ravishankar Raval (1892-1977)* -adapted in English by Dr. Kanak Raval, Portland, OR. USA from the original Gujarati text.

This is adapted from the original text in Gujarati published in “Gujaratma Kalana Pagaran” -an autobiography of Shri Ravishankar Raval. In 1922, the British Raj sued Mahatma Gandhiji for sedition. History has recorded it as “The Great Trial” and it is well documented elsewhere. Amongst the few chosen ones in the audience, Ravishankar Raval had witnessed that closed doors trial. Sometime in 1950’s he documented the whole event in his autobiography.

What is interesting is that he recreated the only picture of the trial (shown on the right) as the press photographers were strictly prohibited from covering the event.This oil painting of the court scene was based on the original pencil sketch done surreptitiously by him under the very eyes of the court. Here follows Ravishankar Raval’s own account of the Gandhi Trial of 1922 in his own words. “As many as 22 policemen were burnt alive by a rampaging mob after the police fired on a procession of Satyagrahis (Activists) in Chauri Chaura near Gorakhpur, India on February 4, 1922. Mahatma Gandhi was shaken by the violence of Chauri Chaura and abruptly called off the non-co-operation movement in 1922 when the movement was at its peak.

Gandhiji while at Bardoli, Gujarat, on hearing about the Chauri Chaura massacre said:

“Chauri Chaura was a 'divine warning' that the masses were not yet prepared for launching a non-violent struggle to gain freedom for the country.”

In turn, he directed the people to carry out ‘Rachanatmak Karyakram’ (Constructive activities). He considered himself fully responsible for the massacre and went on fasting as atonement. On completion of his fasting, he went to Delhi and got the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to pass a resolution to cancel the proposed Satyagrah (nonviolent resistance) with a provision for any individual person to practice Satyagrah as guided by one’s conscience.

However even after the AICC resolution to withdraw the Satyagrah, India’s British Raj continued to arrest people on a large scale though it was less so in Gujarat. Gandhiji advised people to maintain peace but added that he would consider the individual requests for Satyagrah. He cautioned, “Do not go on strike if the Government arrests me. It would be my greatest honor if my compatriots maintain exemplary peace while I am behind the bars”.

Hunting the Lion

Now the Raj had resolved to crush the freedom movement completely. On March 10, 1922, Gandhiji and Shankarlal Banker as an editor-producer of NAV JIVAN-YOUNG INDIA were accused for treason and arrested.

On March 11, Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel wrote under the title ‘Hunting the Lion’:

“British Raj has finally dared to imprison the supreme leader of India for his novel and miraculous experiment in the history of the world for liberty and protection of Dharma(Justice). But sooner or later Raj will surrender to the will power of this greatman”

Gandhiji and Banker did not submit any appeal in their defense so magistrate Brown intended to file a bill of indictment with the court of inquiry. The case was to be conducted in a room of the newly built Circuit House at Ahmadabad. As per the advice of Gandhiji, the local Congress leaders directed the populace to stay away from that area. Even then, the authorities declared the daylong curfew in the city of Ahmadabad and the security forces heavily guarded the Circuit House. Only the individuals with special permits were allowed to enter the premises.

Lucky Me!

It was my connection with Shri. Ambalal Sarabhai’s special school for the Sarabhai children that I had the good fortune to attend firsthand the historic trial. Ambalalbhai had a good connection with the District Collector Mr. Chadfield so he pro-cured passes for his whole family including us the group of teachers to attend the trial. We entered the courtroom from the backside of the Circuit House and occupied the row of the vacant chairs at the back of the room. Mr. Standing the Principal of the Sarabhai School set next to me. Only Ambalalbhai and his wife Sarala Devi sat in the front row. A table and chair were placed on the other side of the long room.

Exactly at 11:45 am, Police Superintendent Mr.Hili escorted Gandhiji and Shankalal Banker in a special one First Class carriage pulled by a steam engine from the Sabarmati Jail up to the railway crossing and then onward in a car. Everyone in the court rose to his or her feet out of respect as Gandhiji entered the courtroom. Gandhiji was dressed in his proverbial loincloth but his face projected a saintly aura.

As the clock struck 12 noon, Mr. C. N. Broomfield, I.C.S., District and Sessions Judge appointed specially by the Bombay Presidency entered the courtroom and took his seat behind the table. Immediately, the District Magistrate read aloud the indictment. He defined the charges of causing civil unrest and sedition and asked Gandhiji,

“Are you accepting the charges as stated or do you wish to have the court proceedings against you?”

Gandhiji stood up and stated in a steady tone in the quiet room,

“I accept the accusation”.

Shankarlal Banker also did the same thing. The Bombay Government as the prosecution attorney sent the Advocate General Mr. Armstrong. He stated:

“Due process of law should be carried out not for proving the crime but to determine the magnitude of penalty”.

Having heard his arguments, the judge did not change his decision of not conducting the trial further and declared:

“Only item left now is to announce the punishment but I am prepared to listen if the defendant has something to say about the punishment”.

No Camera!

At that moment, I got the inspiration!

I mused,

“There is no cameraman present to capture this historic event!

There is strict police security.”

I looked around. A couple of reporters were taking notes. My friend Mr. Standing had jotted down few points.

I asked myself, ”Am I just going to nurse these memorable moments? What good are my sketching skills as an artist?”

I immediately took out my permanent companion -a small pocket sketchbook. Hiding the sketchbook by one hand to keep unseen by others, I neatly sketched down the facial features of Gandhiji and his wife KasturBaa. I sketched out the surrounding court scenario and the important characters of this high drama.

I was mentally in a high state of excitement and slightly worried that police may confiscate my sketchbook! However, the trial did not continue longer and the presiding judge had already asked Gandhiji if he wished to make a statement.

The Defendant’s Response

In response, Gandhiji expressed his wish to read out his statement. There was pin drop silence in the courtroom. That long confession is now a well-known historical document. I am just quoting some of them here:

“Even when I am released I would repeat whatever I have done”

“I am here, therefore, to invite and submit cheerfully to the highest penalty that can be inflicted upon me for what in law is a deliberate crime, and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen.”

“I do not have any enmity with any official or an administrator so I cannot have anything against the punishment. But to bear enmity to the disservice that the British Raj has meted out to India compared to other rulers is a virtue for me.”

Gandhiji’s confession was the severest accusation against the British Raj. Thousands of years ago, virtuous So-crates had welcomed the cup of poison as a punishment. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself on cross for holding on to his own life philosophy.

On completion of Gandhiji’s statement, the Judge sighted the court trial of Lokmanya Tilak as precedence and based on the same ruling announced six years of imprisonment to Gandhiji and added,

“Nobody would be happier than me the day the Government releases you from the prison”.

Gandhiji accepted the judgment.

As soon as the legal proceedings were over, all the officials left. Ashram members and the other well-wishers paid their respects to Gandhiji and returned home. The same waiting train took Gandhiji away to Yaravada Central Prison near Pune, Maharashtra. City of Ahmadabad was left under a cover of sadness!

My diary of that day noted:

“British Raj has meted out six years of imprisonment to Gandhiji, the Soul Incarnate of India. Broomfield and General Armstrong adoring the throne of Justice looked like Lilliputians in presence of a Man Lion. It appears that God has created this situation to be a ray of hope for Mother India. Destiny is recreating a new history for India that had become an object of pity and curiosity by the world for thousands of years. This one man’s high character will remain as the foundation stone of character for future men and women of India. Known historical ideals remain pale before this man. How fortunate I am to see alive this unique example of humanity!”

Then!

The British rulers speculated that once Gandhiji was behind bars, the entire freedom fight would just evaporate. On the contrary, who knew that it was the beginning of new age for India’s freedom from the British masters! The next day when Mr. Standing met me at the school, with great interest he asked me to show him my previous day’s artwork at the court trial. I had my sketchbook with me. He was so impressed with those historic images. He had already penned down a detailed account of the court trial for dispatching it to England‘s renowned news paper MANCHESTER GUARDIAN so he requested my sketches for including in the article. I was overjoyed for such an instant recognition of my sketches and immediately took out the pages for him. After about a month, to my great surprise he put in my hands an April 8, 1922 copy of the MANCHESTER GUARDIAN. It had his entire Gandhi Trial report with all my sketches in their original sizes printed at the top. Although they were pencil sketches, images were sharp with my signature mark as an artist. Additionally he placed in my hands a 10 Rupees bill (One Rupee of 1922 equivalent of probably purchasing power of today’s 1000 Rupees in 2008!-Editor) as an artist’s honorarium sent by the editors. I have no recall of any fees paid to me for my published pictures in India! Most important matter to me was that an overseas newspaper had published my artwork.

This was followed by amazing news. That issue of MANCHESTER GUARDIAN also found its way to Gandhiji’s personal secretary Mahadevbhai Desai who also was in prison at Agra. He was so excited by seeing the images of Gandhiji and Kastur Baa that he specially mentioned it in his letter to his close colleague Jugatarambhai Dave as follows:

“A few weeks back, MANCHESTER GUARDIAN published an excellent report on Bapu’s (Gandhiji’s familiar address by those close to him) court trial. It is a very lucidly written news report. Its translation should have been published in NAV JIVAN. SWARAJ from Madras did publish it. This report is more valuable since it contains sketches of Bapu, Baa (KasturBaa familiar address by those close to her), Giradharlal Shah (prosecuting lawyer) done by Ravishankar Raval. These images would remain immortal. I did not realize what a great artist Ravishankar Raval is! The best sketch is of Baa. Baa reminds us of St.Medonna. Her face radiates indescribable peace and compassion. You should have shared those images to the readers of NAV JIVAN. But we have ways to go in journalism otherwise how come Raval’s sketches are published in MANCHESTER GUARDIAN but not in NAVJIVAN?”

Today after 50 years (as of 1972-Editor), that Circuit House has been declared as a memorial to Gandhiji’s trial but in there only the framed news paper reports have been exhibited. Luckily, by that time I had some contact with Mr. Standing. He had put to gather his memoirs of his stay in India in a bound volume titled “Letters from India”. He had included in there my Gandhiji sketches along with a number of sketches of the events of the past. I had requested those sketches back but for some reason that did not happen. Eventually, my young friend Vinayak Pandya settled in London visited the editors at MANCHESTER GUARDIAN, gave them the details of the Gandhiji’s 1922 trial, and requested for a Photostat copy of the original published report. Within four days, he airmailed to me the copies.

Based on those sketches, I recreated a full size oil painting (Sometimes in 1950s-Editor). I offered it to the Government of Gujarat then but there was no interest! During the same time the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, Nanubhai G. Shelat unearthed from the court arc-hives, the original judgment hand written by the judge Mr. C. N. Broomfield and published a special document in which he included my sketches considered by him of important value. Eventually “MAHATMA GANDHI LEKH SANGRAH PRAKASHAN SANSTHA” of New Delhi and the Gujarat Government (in a calendar) published it.

Postscript by the Editor: "'“Long Live the Lion in eternity, Hunter is now a part of antiquity!”Or, shall we say?

"Long Live the Lion, Hunter is dead!"'

References

*This is adapted from the original text in Gujarati published in “Gujaratma Kalana Pagaran”-an autobiography of Shri Ravishankar Raval. -adapted in English by Dr. Kanak Raval, Portland, OR. USA from the original Gujarati text.
*For Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval’s life and art Visit on internet, “http://ravishankarmraval.org/”