FREE ESSAY ON AHMEDABAD SATYAGRAHA

AHMEDABAD SATYAGRAHA

Ahmedabad Satyagraha
Sharon Mail Kanichy
History 470
March 31, 1998
DEFINITIONS
Ahimsa Usually translated as non-violence. 'Action based on the refusal to do harm.'
Himsa means to wish to kill. A in front of himsa negates the word, therefore making it
the renunciation of the will to kill or damage. 
Tapasya Self-suffering. Suffering injury in one's own person. 
Satya Truth which implies love and firmness. Combined with Agraha is the title of the
Indian movement Satyagraha, a force that is born of Truth and Love or non-violence. 
Sarvodaya Uplift of all. The ideal society in which Gandhi worked towards. This was the
primary objective of the satyagraha and the Gandhian movement. 
***
The above-defined concepts were evident in the Ahmedabad Satyagraha. The Ahmedabad
Satyagraha began in the winter of 1917 in India. To give a brief overview of the dispute
that led to the satyagraha, this occurred between Ahmedabad millowners and workers. In
1917, the plague struck Ahmedabad, and the millowners were fearful of decreased
production. The millowners gave those workers, who worked during the plague a bonus,
however, once the plague ended, the millowners withdrew the bonus. As soon as the crisis
passed, wages returned to the pre-plague bonus level. The workers believed that the wages
were too low to begin with and wanted the increase in wages to be permanent. The workers
stated that the increase was needed because of the increase in the cost of living. The
millowners disagreed and the workers went on strike.
The satyagraha was carefully planned. The demonstration was based on the concept of
ahimsa, which means non-violence or the refusal to do harm. This was important because in
order for the workers to get their demands met, they needed the millowners to understand
their circumstances, and to not reluctantly give into the workers' demands.
The employers are afraid that if the workers are given what they demand they would become
insolent... The employers feel that conceding the workers' demand would enhance the
influence of their advisors on them...After all what will they get by defeating the
workers? The reply is that they will get nothing but the workers' discontent. The
employers will always look with suspicion on the suppressed workers. 
In order for the satyagraha to remain non-violent, it was important to keep the ten
thousand millworkers busy. If they remained idle, they might have got into mischief. The
workers were not allowed to gamble, sleep during the day, talk about the employers and
the lockout, frequent teashops, or go to the mills during the lockout. They could not go
to teashops because it was feared that they would spend their time gossiping and eating
unnecessarily. This was not the image that the workers needed to portray to the
millowners. Arbitrators for the workers, Mahatma Gandhi, Shri Shankerlal Banker and Shri
Vallabhbhai Patel stated to the workers what they must do during satyagraha. If work
needed to be done on their dwellings, they must do it. Those who are literate should
spend their time reading books and expanding their knowledge. Those who have a different
skill should find work, and those who do not have another skill should learn one. These
recommendations were made to the workers for the sake of keeping the movement
non-violent.
The workers also had to agree to the satyagraha voluntarily. No workers must be coerced
into the movement.
Rumours are afloat that many workers are willing to resume work, but that others prevent
them by coercion and by threats of physical assault... In this struggle he alone will
succeed who [sic] keeps to his pledge voluntarily. No one can be forced to keep his
honour inviolate. It is essentially a voluntary matter. 
Tapasya was demonstrated through the workers' self-sacrifice and suffering during the
satyagraha. The workers knew that they could starve to death or lose their homes or other
belongings during the satyagraha.
It is hardly a fortnight since the lockout commenced, and yet some say they have no food,
others that they cannot pay even house rent. The condition of the houses of most workmen
is very bad; there is not sufficient light or ventilation in them. 
The workers' arbitrators explained that they must suffer hardship in order to make the
satyagraha pure. In order to demonstrate this to the workers, the arbitrators gave
examples of other people who suffered for their cause. Some paid with their lives; others
endured jail sentences or impoverishment. As long as the Ahmedabad Satyagraha remained
non-violent, jail time was not a threat. The arbitrators hoped that such extreme
hardships would not have to be suffered during the Ahmedabad Satyagraha, but the workers
had to be prepared for anything.
Part of self-sacrifice was to overcome temptation. The millowners announced they would
give a twenty-percent increase to those who wished to come back to work, therefore,
ending the lockout. The workers decided that they would not accept anything below a
thirty-five percent increase. Due to the millowners refusal to give a thirty-five percent
increase, and the refusal of the workers to accept the temptation of the millowners
twenty-percent increase, the situation changed from a lockout to an official strike.
To add to temptation, the millowners stated that those workers who bring back with him
five other workers would receive a reward. The workers took an oath not to accept
anything less than 35 percent and they would encourage other workers to keep to their
pledge, short of coercion. Under these circumstances, a worker cannot go back without
compromising his pledge, his honor, and his manliness. 
In order to help the workers keep to their oath and resist the temptations of the
employers, a meeting was held at the time of the mill re-opening. The workers were
encouraged to bring with them workers who had not attended previous meeting, voluntarily
of course, in order to help the workers keep their resolve.
Satya is combined with graha to make the word satyagraha which is the title of the
Gandhian non-violent movement. Satya means love and firmness, and this was demonstrated
in the Ahmedabad Satyagraha by the workers keeping to their oath.
It is, therefore, our hope that every worker will work to maintain himself and keep to
his oath and remain firm. If the struggle lengthens it will be due to our weakness...
When however, they feel certain that the workers will not give up their resolve under any
circumstance, then they are sure to become compassionate and to welcome back the workers.
Today the employers believe that the workers are not going to do any work, and so are
bound to succumb very shortly. 
Gandhi began a fast during the satyagraha. This may be categorized under tapasya, but he
took this action because he saw that some workers were ready to give up their oath. He
wanted them to keep firm to their oath. 'Starve but keep your vow' was Gandhi's message
to them. In order to show the workers that he sympathized with them, and in order to
express his oath to them, he fasted. This was seen as a type of coercion on Gandhi's part
to force the employers to give in, because they did not want to be responsible for
Gandhi's death. However, Gandhi explained that he did not fast for those reasons, and
even though the fast could have had those consequences, it could not be helped.
Sarvodaya is a Gandhian concept that describes the ideal society that is worked toward.
Sarvodaya is the overall and ultimate objective. Even though the strike had resulted in
the workers receiving their 35 percent increase, sarvodaya was not yet achieved.
Contemporary Gandhian followers in Indian are still working towards this.
The Ahmedabad satyagraha's major strengths were that the workers kept their pledge and
followed the rules that their arbitrators set for them. The workers stayed unified and
kept firm throughout. The workers arbitrators were concise about their expectations of
the workers, the millowners, and themselves throughout the satyagraha. They carefully
calculated the 35 percent increase that the workers were requesting. They had
documentation to back up the need for a 35 percent increase in wages and made sure that
it was a just amount.
The weaknesses of this movement was that it could not be settled directly between the
millowners and the workers, the assistance of a third party arbitrator was needed. One of
the goals of the satyagraha was to make the millowners understand the needs of the
workers, regardless of how long it took through firmness and persistence. The millowners
did not get to the point to where they had compassion for the workers plight. Therefore
this objective was not reached.
Another weakness of the satyagraha was the misunderstanding of the reason for Gandhi's
fast. He needed to keep the workers strong and to keep to their vow. He felt the only way
to do this was to show that he was suffering right along with them. The millowners
understandably took this as a move on Gandhi's part to coerce them into giving the
workers the increase, which goes against the objective of a non-violent movement. Gandhi
explained that this was a consequence that could not be helped but was necessary to
regain the workers faith in him.
Bibliography
Bondurant, Joan V., Conquest of Violence (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1988)
Desai, Mahadev Haribhai. Translated by Somnath P. Dave. Edited by Bharatan Kumarappa. A
Righteous Struggle. (Ahmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House, 1951),