Читать книгу Gandhi and Rajchandra - Uma Majmudar - Страница 11

For the newcomer Gandhi, arriving in London turned out to be anything but “having a cup of tea” (as the English would say)! Out of the three promises given to his mother, “not to eat meat” proved to be the biggest challenge for this totally vegetarian, home-food addict, Vaishnava-Hindu lad. His earliest desperate search for a vegetarian restaurant in the streets of London cannot but make us laugh (or cry in sympathy) for this helpless, herbivorous Hindu chap in a carnivorous Christian land!

Food, which was once a bane, became a boon, however, for the young vegan. When, by chance, Gandhi stumbled upon one vegetarian restaurant on Farringdon Street, he was beside himself with joy! As he entered, he saw some books displayed on the glass shelves near the door. Among them all, one particular pamphlet arrested his attention, titled “A Plea for Vegetarianism” by Henry Salt. Gandhi devoured it there and then; he could scarcely believe that in this flesh-eating foreign country, someone like Henry Salt had not only condoned “vegetarianism” but also written a book arguing logically to prove that vegetarian food is superior to all nonvegetarian foods. For how Gandhi felt at that moment, read what he wrote in his Autobiography (GATB, 67): “I was very much impressed by it. From the date of reading this book, I may claim to have become a vegetarian by choice. . . . the spread of vegetarianism henceforward became my mission.” Gandhi also confessed that though he blessed the day on which he had taken the vow before his mother to abstain from meat, he had secretly wished in his heart to be a meat-eater; he looked forward to eating meat freely and openly someday and also enlist others to do the same. Now, however, he found his raison d’etre, or rational justification, for remaining a vegetarian by choice. His heart was filled with exhilarating feelings of joy and pride of keeping his sacred promise to his mother. No more a vegetarian out of habit, religion, or moral compunction, Gandhi was now a fully convinced “shakahari” (one who eats plant-based foods). This happy resolution of his food complex was Gandhi’s first personal breakthrough; it was also a forerunner of many fresh beginnings, acquaintances, and discoveries.