Gandhi Jayanti 2020 : 8 women who were close to Mahatma Gandhi, know ‘here’

Pune: Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi once said, till the time women are not able to walk streets alone at night and be independent, India can never achieve independence. Gandhi has always been strong supported of women and always tried to empowered them. Today here are few women who were extremely close to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi because of his views. Gandhi had a profound influence in the lives of these women. They took same path as Mahatma did in their respective lives.

• Madeleine Slade aka Miraben, (1892–1982)

Madeleine was the daughter of the British Admiral Sir Edmund Slade. Being the daughter of an ordained British officer, her life was under discipline. Madeleine was a addict of the German pianist and composer Beethoven. For this reason, she came in contact with writer and French intellectual Romain Rowland. He was the same Romain Rowland who not only wrote on musicians but also wrote biographies of Mahatma Gandhi. Romain’s biography written on Gandhi greatly influenced Madeleine. Gandhi’s influence on Madeleine was such that she decided to follow Gandhi’s path of life. Madeleine was thrilled after reading about Gandhi, wrote to him, shared her experiences and expressed her desire to visit the ashram. From quitting alcohol, starting learning farming to becoming a vegetarian she did everything. Madeleine also started reading Gandhi’s newspaper Young India. In October 1925, she reached Ahmedabad via Mumbai. On her first meeting with Gandhi, Madeleine said something like, ‘When I entered there, a lean man from the front was rising from the white throne and moving towards me. I knew that this man was Bapu. I was filled with joy and reverence, I could see a divine light just in front of me. I sat down at Bapu’s feet. Bapu picks me up and says- You are my daughter. From this day on, a different relationship between Medellin and the Mahatma formed. Medellin was later renamed Meeraben.

• Nila Cram Cook

Nila, who believed herself to be Krishna’s gopi, lived with a swami (religious guru) in Mountabu. US-born Nila fell in love with the prince of Mysore. Nila wrote Gandhi a letter from Bangalore in 1932. In this letter, he told Gandhi about the work being done against untouchability. The sequence of letters between the two started from here. The next year in February 1933, Nila met Mahatma Gandhi in Yerwada jail. Gandhi sends Nila to the Sabarmati Ashram, where after some time she began to feel a special bond with the new members. It was difficult for Nila of liberal views to fit into a secluded environment like Ashram. So she ran away from the ashram one day. She went to America, where she accepted Islam and translated the Quran.

• Sarala Devi Chaudharani (1872–1945)
Sarala Devi, who appeared in higher education, was a keen interest in languages, music and writing. Sarala was also the niece of Rabindranath Tagore. Gandhi stayed at Sarla’s house in Lahore. This was the period when Sarla’s freedom fighter husband Rambhuj Dutt Chaudhary was in jail. Both were very close to each other. Gandhi used to describe Sarla as his ‘spiritual wife’. In later days, Gandhi also believed that due to this relationship his marriage survived. Gandhi and Sarla visited India to promote Khadi. Due to Sarla’s habit of establishing her right over Gandhi bought distance between them. After some time, Sarla died while in exile in the Himalayas.

• Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949)

Sarojini Naidu, the first woman president of the Indian National Congress. After Gandhi’s arrest, the Salt Satyagraha was headed by Sarojini. Sarojini and Gandhi first met in London. Sarojini had said something about this meeting, “a man of short stature, who had no hair on his head.” The man was wearing olive oil-soaked tomatoes covered with blankets on the ground. Seeing the famous leader of the world just like this, I started laughing happily, then he raised his eyes and asked me, ‘You must be Mrs. Naidu. Who else could be so devout? Let’s share food with me. “In response, Sarojini says thankfully, what is this useless way? And thus from there began the relationship between Sarojini and Gandhi.

• Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (1889–1964)
The princess, who belonged to the royal family, was the daughter of King Sir Harnam Singh of Kapurthala, Punjab. Princess Amrit Kaur was educated in England. Princess Amrit Kaur was counted among Gandhi’s closest satyagrahis. In return, the princess, who was respected and engaged, left no stone unturned. Gandhi and Princess Amrit Kaur sent hundreds of letters to each other after their first meeting in 1934.

• Dr. Susheela Nayyar (1914-2001)
Sushila was the sister of Pyarelal. Pyarelal, who became Gandhi’s secretary after Mahadev Desai, was from a Punjabi family. After all the opposition from the mother, these two brothers and sisters could not stop themselves from approaching Gandhi. However, his mother, who later cried to Gandhi, also became a firm supporter of the Mahatma. After studying medicine, Sushila became Mahatma Gandhi’s personal doctor. Apart from Manu and Aura, Sushila was also among those who Gandhi would often resort to by placing her old hands on his shoulder. She was arrested in Mumbai along with Kasturba Gandhi during the Quit India movement. Sushila had been with her during the last days of Kasturba Gandhi in Poona, besides being involved in experiments conducted on Gandhi’s celibacy.

• Abha Gandhi (1927–1995)
Abha was a Bengali by birth. Abha is married to Gandhi’s great-grandson Kanu Gandhi. Abha sang bhajans and Kanu did photography at Gandhi’s prayer meetings. Many photographs of Mahatma Gandhi from the 1940s era are drawn by Kanu. Abha stayed with Gandhi in Noakhali. This was a period when riots were erupting all over the country and Gandhi was trying to establish peace between Hindu and Muslim. When Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi, Aura was also present there.

• Manu Gandhi (1928–1969)
Manu came to Mahatma Gandhi at a very young age. She was a distant relative of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi used to call Manu his granddaughter. Apart from Aura, in the days of Noakhali, it was only Manu, who used to walk by shaking her Bapu’s old body. Apart from Gandhi, Manu and Abha were among those who took the sweep on the paths in which some opponents of Mahatma Gandhi had put feaces and urine. In the last days of Kasturba, Manu’s name also comes at the top of those who serve. If we look at Manu’s diary, then it helps a lot to know how the last few years of Mahatma Gandhi were spent.