Chapter 56 Chapter 29 "Quick Return"

From Madras I traveled to Calcutta, where I encountered many difficulties.I don't know anyone there.So I took a room at the Dadong Hotel, and later I made the acquaintance of Mr. Yeletobe, the representative of the "Daily Telegraph".He invited me to the Bengal Club, where he lived.He didn't know at the time that an Indian was not to be taken into the drawing-room of the club; discovering the prohibition, he took me to his bedroom.He expressed his distress at the prejudice of the native English, and apologized to me for not being able to invite me into the drawing-room. Of course I should go and meet the "Idol of Bengal" Surendronas Banerzi.When I saw him, he was surrounded by a group of friends.He said: "I'm afraid people won't be interested in your work. You know, we have a lot of difficulties here. But you can try your best. You must have the sympathy of the princes, and you must see the Anglo-Indian Association." Delegate. You'd better speak to Sir Robin Piari Muhan Mukchi and Siharawan Tagore. Both men care about liberty and are often involved in public work."

I went to call on these two gentlemen one by one, but without any result.They treated me coldly, saying that it was not easy to hold a public meeting in Calcutta, and that if anything was to be done, it really depended on Surendronas Banerjee. I understand that my task is getting more and more difficult.I went to the Kahlua Market, and the gentleman who received me took me for a wandering Jew. The Bengalis was worse, the editor kept me waiting for an hour.He obviously had a lot of people to meet, but he didn't even bother to look at me, even though everyone else was gone.When I ventured to explain my purpose to him after waiting, he said, "Don't you see that we are all reluctant to let go? There is never an end to guests like you. You'd better go, I don't have time to listen." Yours." I felt insulted at the time, but quickly forgave the status of the chief writer.I had heard the name of The Bengali long ago, and I knew that there was a steady stream of visitors there, and they were all people he knew.

His newspaper was not afraid of running out of things to talk about, and South African issues were little known at the time. No matter how severe his sufferings were, he seemed to the subject to be but one of countless people, each with their own suffering, who had invaded the chief writer's office.How could the chief writer talk to each of them one by one?What's more, the suffering people always think that the editor of the newspaper is the most powerful person in the locality.Only the author himself understands that it is really difficult for his power to cross the threshold of his office.However, I was not discouraged, and I continued to look at the chief writers of other newspapers.As in the past, I also went to the Anglo-Indian lead writer. The Statesman and the Englishman recognized the importance of the subject; I spoke to them at length and they published the full text.

Mr. Sounders, the chief writer of The Englishman, regards me as one of his own.He put his office and newspapers at my disposal.He even gave me permission to revise his editorial on the subject at will, sending me the proofs first.It would not be an exaggeration to say that a deep friendship developed between us.He promised to do everything in his power to help me with my work, and he kept up with me until he became seriously ill. I have enjoyed many such friendships in my life, and they have all arisen under rather unexpected circumstances.Mr. Saunders loves me because of my unvarnished freedom and my love of truth.He questioned me thoroughly before he felt any sympathy for my cause; Made an evaluation.

My experience has taught me that if you do justice to others, you will get justice very quickly.The unexpected help given me by Mr. Saunders was beginning to give me courage to conceive that a public meeting in Calcutta might be successful; when I received a telegram from Durban : "Parliament meets in January, return soon". I therefore wrote a letter to the newspaper explaining the reasons for my leaving Calcutta in such haste, and setting off for Bombay.Before I set off, I sent a telegram to the Bombay agent of Dada Abdullah & Co. asking them to arrange for me on the first steamer bound for South Africa.Dada Abdullah just bought a "Koran" steamer at that time, insisted on taking me on that ship, and promised to treat me and my family members free of charge.I gratefully accepted the offer and traveled to South Africa for the second time in early December, taking my wife, two sons and my sister-in-law's only son.There is also a boat "Nardelli" also sailing from Durban at the same time.The agency of this shipping company is Dada Abdullah & Company.There were about eight hundred passengers in the two ships, half of whom were bound for the Transvaal.