Gandhi’s Aphorism: “Much misunderstanding arises from ignorance, pure and simple.”

An increasingly scarce letter of Gandhi, in English and with his full signature  

Because he was felt that the terms civil disobedience and passive resistance “failed to convey the full meaning of the struggle”, Gandhi developed and used the term “satyagraha” in the Indian Independence Movement. “Satyagraha,” wrote Gandhi in explaining the difference, “is a weapon of the strong; it admits of no violence under any circumstance whatsoever; and it ever insists upon truth."  This theory influenced Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and many others in social justice and similar movements around the globe.

The outbreak of World War II in 1939 saw Indian opinion divided on which side to support, if any. The Congress Party passed a resolution conditionally supporting the British fight against fascism, but were rebuffed when they asked for independence in return. Gandhi did not support this initiative, as he could not reconcile an endorsement for war with Satyagraha. However, he did state his support for the fight against racism and of the British war effort, saying he did not seek to raise a free India from the ashes of Britain. Other Indians outright supported the Axis, hoping that the defeat of Britain would pave the way for Indian independence.

On August 8, 1940, during the Battle of Britain, as that nation fought for its life, the Viceroy of India made the so-called 'August Offer’, a fresh proposal promising the expansion of the Executive Council to include more Indians, the establishment of an advisory war council, giving full weight to minority opinion, and the recognition of Indians' right to frame their own constitution after the end of the war). In return, it was hoped that all parties and communities in India would cooperate in Britain's war effort. But Indians were divided on the appropriate response, and the Congress ended up rejecting it and insisting on independence. Indian radicals and leftists wanted to launch a mass Civil Disobedience Movement, but here Gandhi insisted on what he called “Individual Satyagraha”. The Individual Satyagraha was not to seek independence but to affirm the right of speech. Two reasons contributed to Gandhi launching this movement: one was that a mass movement might turn violent, and the other was that he did not want to risk the violence nor embarrass the British at that exact moment. So non-violence was set as the centerpiece of Individual Satyagraha. This was done by carefully selecting the Satyagrahis. The first Satyagrahi selected was Acharya Vinoba Bhave, who was sent to jail when he spoke against the war. The second Satyagrahi was future Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The third was Brahma Datt, one of the residents of Gandhi's Sevagram Ashram. Though this was followed by numerous other people, this was not a mass movement, and it attracted little enthusiasm. In December 1940, Gandhi briefly suspended it. However, the movement was resurrected in January 1941, and this time thousands of people joined in. This brought out the police in force, and there was violence. In 1941-1942, some 20,000 people were arrested for protesting the war, demanding Indian independence, and opposing police crowd control tactics. Many were Satyagrahis, while others were leftists who shared interests and tactics with the Satyagrahis.

One of those imprisoned in 1941 was Shri R. Achutan, General Secretary of the Madras students, who had spoken out against what he called “police terrorism,” and would serve for one year in prisons at Vellore and Rajahmundry. He was a Marxist, but in late 1941, after coming into close contact with Bhave and others during his detention, came under the influence of Gandhi’s philosophy. He began a correspondence with Gandhi in October that led to his becoming a Gandhian, so much so that he later wrote the books, “Relevance of Gandhi to Our Times” and “Gandhi and Social Change”. His first letter apparently sought to reconcile his waning Communist ideology with his rising Gandhian beliefs, and apparently cited a realization that he had misunderstood something Gandhi had advocated.

Gandhi replied with an aphorism, a basic principle that runs through his work. Autograph letter signed, on a postcard, Sevagram ashram, October 4, 1941, to Achuthan at the Rajahmundry jail. “I was glad to receive your frank letter. Much misunderstanding arises from ignorance, pure and simple. Give my regards to all. Yours, Bapu (M.K. Gandhi)”. The versa, the postcard is addressed to “Shri R. Achuthan, Student Detenu [detainee], Central Jail, Rajamundry, Andhra” and is stamped as received by the jail’s superintendent two days later. Gandhi often signed his name “Bapu”, which means father and leader. This is the first time we have seen him sign with both this and his actual name. In the Gandhi Papers, the surname is spelled Achyuthan.

In 1942, the Individual Satyagraha movement came to an end, and was supplanted by the massive Quit India Movement, which the British suppressed, making over 100,000 arrests. However, the British had only five years left in India. In 1944, Achuthan became co-founder of the Indian Student’s Congress. After independence, he was a Member of Parliament, and Chief Whip of the Congress Party from 1949—52. His great interests were education and increasing the rights of the Untouchable caste.

Letters of Gandhi have become very scarce, as interest in him increases and the supply dwindles.