The Second Son of Mahatma

The second of Gandhi's offspring, Manilal, like his father left behind a rich legacy in South Africa which most of us do not know and like most of Gandhi's sons, he is often lost in the pages of his own father's legacy.

Manilal Gandhi - the lost page of History; Source: Public Domain

At 13, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was tied into a wed-lock with Kasturba Gandhi by holy traditions and rituals. Beyond the struggles of freedom, the tiresome rounds to foreign countries, Satyagrahas and ideas that later came to be known as Gandhism, the complicated life of Mahatma and his wife also included the hey-dey of everyday life, like any usual couple. Together, they built an amazing family and gave birth to five sons. This story is about the second in line - Manilal Gandhi.

Parents play the most prominent role in a growing child and so does their involvements. Born in Rajkot, Manilal went to South Africa with his father along with the rest of his family, when Senior Gandhi got a job there. He grew up in the Phoenix Settlement, doing his chores on his own, at the behest of his father. The looming figure that Mahatma had been over the world, was reflected in his family, he was the tree in whose shade the plants bloomed to life.

Given Gandhi's apprehensions of formal education, Manilal was home-schooled along with his other siblings.

The life that Gandhi lived was strongly inculcated in his sons. Manilal spent his childhood doing laborious tasks, tending to the sick and elderly and working in the press. This, in short, defined his whole life. His childhood and the impression of his father can be seen in every aspect of him.

When Manilal turned 20, he did come to India for a brief period, but went back to SA and started printing the Indian Opinion, a weekly magazine. Soon he also started editing the magazine. Like father, like son; he travelled to jails various times in his life given his stance against the colonial government and their atrocious laws.

During a trip to India, Manilal accompanied his father on the Dandi March and went to jail for the same.

While the work of senior Gandhi in Africa was long done, Manilal devoted his life towards greater freedom and harmony in the Africa country fighting against the segregation laws. He took a solid stand against the apartheid laws and became a prominent figure of the African Movement. He adopted the method devised by his father - the Satyagraha, to fight his fight.

He walked in the footsteps of his father and held close to the ideas of truth and non-violence. Till the end, he kept editing his magazine. On 4th April 1956, he went on a final rest from a stroke.