Gandhi,Obama and African-Americans

By Satya Narayana Sahu | PUBLISHED: 05, Nov 2010, 23:06 pm IST | UPDATED: 06, Nov 2010, 10:56 am IST

Shri Barack Obama, the President of United States of America is visiting India. The first African-
American ever to have been elected as the President of that country he is one of the foremost
admirers of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation. His assumption of office of the President of
United States of America affirms the ideal of equality enshrined in the Constitution of that country
and in defence of which Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King laid down their lives. Standing
under the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in the Central of Indian Parliament he is going to address its
distinguished Members.

When Mahatma Gandhi reached South Africa in 1893 he faced racial discrimination and was thrown
out of the first class compartment, in spite of possessing a valid ticket to travel, because of the colour
of his skin. In the face of such ill treatment by the white settlers in South Africa an African American
came forward to help him. As he reached the Pretoria Railway Station, the designated person to
receive him was nowhere to be seen. Fearing that he might be yet again insulted on racial grounds
he was hesitant to seek assistance from anybody else. In spite of the apprehensions, he made some
enquiries with the ticket collector at the station who was courteous enough to answer his
queries. However Mahatma Gandhi realized that he would not be of much assistance.

An African American standing close by voluntarily came forward to extend help to him and offered to
take him to hotel owned by an American. He assured him that the hotel owner would accept him.

The insult he suffered in Pietermaritzburg station was heavily weighing on his head. Therefore, he
was quite hesitant to accept the offer of the African-American. Realizing that there was no other
alternative he followed the instructions of the African-American and went to the hotel. He was told
that he would get dinner only in his room and would not be permitted to come to the dining hall to take
food along with other guests belonging to the white community. Mahatma Gandhi agreed to the
proposal. As he was spending time in his room all alone the American hotel owner came to meet him
and said, “I was ashamed of having asked you to have your dinner here. So I spoke to the other
guests about you, and asked them if they would mind having your dinner in the dining room. They
said they had no objection, and that they did not mind your staying here as long as you liked. Please,
therefore, come to the dining room, if you will, stay here as long as you wish.” Mahatma Gandhi
referred to those developments of his life in the chapter “In Pretoria” of his autobiography The Story of
My Experiments with Truth.

Thus, one African-American and an American rendered valuable assistance to Mahatma Gandhi in
South Africa where he faced violent racial discrimination. These thoughts come to my mind when an
African-American President is in India and who respects Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest
leaders of humanity, and cites him as an example to the rest of world to follow.
 It is instructive to note that many African-Americans became ardent admirer of Mahatma Gandhi
during our freedom struggle. Dr. DuBois, one of the celebrated African-American intellectuals and
leader of the African-American struggle for equality and of the Pan-African movement , held Mahatma
Gandhi in high esteem and extended support to India’s struggle for independence. He edited a
journal titled ‘The Crisis’, which was the mouthpiece of the National Association for the Advancement
of the Coloured People. In 1929, Dr. DuBois requested Mahatma Gandhi for an article for the
aforementioned journal. However, Gandhiji could not contribute an article and instead sent a goodwill
message. The meaning embodied in the words of the message bear significance for the African
Americans. He stated that “Let not the 12 million Negroes be ashamed of the fact that they are
grandchildren of slaves. There is no dishonour in being slaves. There is dishonour in being slave
owners…The future is with those who would be truthful, pure and loving.”

In 1936, Mahatma Gandhi gave an interview to the American Negro delegation. During the course
of interview the delegates wanted Gandhiji to come to America for solving the problems they
confronted. They fervently said, “We want you not for white America but for the Negroes; We have
many a problem that cries for solution and we need you badly.” Mahatma Gandhi’s reply was equally
significant and full of concerns for their sufferings. He wanted to achieve some degree of perfection
within himself and translate his ideals to action in India before actuated by his inner voice to reach out
to them. He said, “How I wish I could, but I would have nothing to give you unless I had given an
ocular demonstration here of all that I have been saying. I must make good the message here before
I bring it to you. I do not say that I am defeated, but I have still to perfect myself. You may be sure
that the moment I feel the call within me, I shall not hesitate.” The African-Americans told Gandhiji
that the spiritual path followed by many of them and based on Christianity bears resemblance with
numerous activities of Mahatma Gandhi. In response to that Gandhiji prophetically said “Well, if it
comes true it may be through the negroes that the unadulterated message of non-violence will be
delivered to the world.”

Less than three decades after that prophetic statement it was Martin Luther King, a celebrated
African-American, followed the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi and truly gave to the world the
unadulterated message of non-violence. Barack Obama in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech
respectfully acknowledged that he was a direct consequence of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life’s work
and living testimony to the moral force of non-violence.

As he addresses the Members of Parliament on 8th November, 2010 standing under the portrait of
Mahatma Gandhi in the Central Hall of Parliament, one humbly recalls those lines of Gandhiji and the
deep connection he had with African-Americans. It is Martin Luther King’s son who recently said that
the alternative to non-violence is non-existence. As the world passes through the century of fear due
to terrorism and global warming, we need to uphold the message of non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi
and Martin Luther King. It is an enormous challenge for Mr. Barrack Obama to live up to that
message. But he is the author of ‘Audacity of Hope’. Hope eternally springs in human breast. Once
Mahatma Gandhi had said that if Americans could adopt spinning wheel, they could get free time to
think and that will enable them to forget the atom bomb. Can the first African-American President live
up to this grand vision of Mahatma Gandhi to usher in peace in the world? When his name was
announced for the Nobel Prize for Peace, he had famously said that it was a call for action. Let him
rededicate to that call and give a blueprint for action for universal disarmament under the leadership
of United States of America. This vision remained central to the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin
Luther King and let him strive to achieve this lofty objective.
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The author was OSD and Press Secretary to the late President of India Shri K.R.Narayanan and
served as Director in the Prime Minister's Office. He is currently Joint Secretary in the Rajya Sabha
Secretariat. The views expressed by the author are his personal views.

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