I do get your letters and read them. It is a great surprise to me how you could stand the strain of five days of touring. When two devoted workers come together, it becomes hard for both. Sometimes two weak persons can easily work together. And even a strong man will have some pity for his weak companion, and the two, therefore, can work together. But you two were like two tigers neither of whom would yield to the other. Your joint tour, therefore, must have been interesting to watch. Very well. Since you have contributed your share towards the Kamala Memorial, what does it matter? The amount collected also was quite satisfactory, considering the times. Did the (Ahmedabad) mill-owners pay handsomely?
I understand what you say about the Kathiawar Parishad.
Forget the Nariman episode. You have entrusted your problem to me and I have passed it on to Bahadurji. He is a hard worker. He spares time regularly every day and reads every paper and makes notes. He will take two weeks for just reading all the papers. He spares time from the pile of cases with him and reads the papers as if this also was one of his cases. Don't mind the delay, therefore, and let things take their own course.
Don't read the attacks in the newspapers at all. Read the accompanying letter and return it. Where did you deliver such a speech?
If the Congress session becomes expensive, according to me it will only signify our [moral] bankruptcy. I see our doom in the abundance of our resources. Such glory will be borrowed glory. It will not bring out of the volunteers' hard labour. Please don't read in this any reflection on you. I am only foreseeing our future. It is a pathetic picture of our condition. I have already written, five or six days ago, a letter to Ramdas expressing these views but in a different manner. Whatever happens, please don't interpret this letter to mean that you should take no interest in that work and let it suffer. Go on with it according to your lights and as best as you can. All this I have dictated because I have sat down to dictate this letter specially to you.
Mahadev has been sent to Dhulia. . . .
I started dictating this letter in connection with the Durbar case. What I have dictated above was only by way of preface. Don't put up a Congress town. Make it a village so that the village arts can be poured into it. But art requires talent and heart, never money. Don't, therefore, permit anybody to spend even a pie on decoration. 1 think that in the confectionery shops and tea-stalls, we can permit the use of only cow's ghee and cow's milk. In other words, the owners should buy their stores from us or under our supervision, and to help us meet the expenditure on such supervision we should issue licences against payment of a fee. But I do believe that we should provide facilities for such shops and stalls. Only, they should abide by our rules.
And now about Durbar. We must get his village restored not for his sake but for the sake of our honour. In exchange for Dhasa he has acquired Kaira as his capital. Nobody knew the Durbar of Dhasa, but everybody knows the Durbar of Kaira. Raojibhai's letter, therefore, has had no effect on me. On the contrary, it makes me angry. But in my old age now I must not yield to anger. And moreover he is far away. I, therefore, restrain my anger. We are likely to worry, and do worry, about Dhasa more than he is likely to do. Besides, he worries because of his friendship with Durbar. We should have had to worry about Durbar even if he had not been a friend and was only a national worker. If we did not, nobody would have cared for us in the Congress. All this, however, is mere prattle. From the information that Raojibhai has given, it seems we should start taking steps immediately. I had thought that we would start after the new Ministry has had some breathing time. I feel now that you as President of the Gujarat Congress Committee or the Secretary of the Committee should write to the Premier suggesting that for the sake of the prestige of the Congress he should take up Durbar's case and advise the Governor to recommend the return of Dhasa to him. I think the request will be granted and that I shall not have to do anything in the matter.
