Chapter 65 Chapter Nine The Simple Life

I once had a life of ease and comfort, but for a short time.Although I have carefully decorated my house, but it can not make me nostalgia.So not long after I started living this way, I cut my expenses.The laundress's bills were heavy, and as he was never punctual, I could not keep up with two or three dozen shirts and collars, which were changed every day, and shirts, if not once a day, at least every other day. It has to be changed once a day.This means double overhead, which I don't think is necessary.So I bought a washing machine to save on that expense.I bought a book on laundry, studied the art of laundry, and taught my wife, which naturally added to my work, but made the work a joy because of its novelty.

I will never forget the first collar I ever hand washed.I used too much starch and the iron wasn't hot enough and I didn't dare to press too hard for fear of scalding the collar.As a result, although the collar is quite flat, the starch powder on the surface keeps falling off.I wore this collar to the courthouse, and my colleagues laughed at me, but at the time I didn't care. "Well," I said, "it's the first time I've starched my own collar myself, so it's not good. But I don't care, and I've given you so many laughs." "But there's no shortage of laundromats here?" asked a friend.

"It's too expensive," I said. "You can almost buy a new one for the cost of washing a collar, and always have to depend on the laundryman. I'd rather do my own laundry." Yet I have not taught my friends the beauty of self-reliance.Before long, I was an expert in starching as far as my laundry skills were concerned, and I was doing as much as a laundromat.My collar is as straight and shiny as anyone else's. When Gokhli went to South Africa, he brought a shawl, a gift from Mahadou Govind Ranald.He cherished this keepsake very carefully and used it only on special occasions.Once, the Indian expatriate in Johannesburg hosted a banquet to welcome him, but his scarf was too wrinkled and needed ironing.At that time, it was impossible to get it back in time after sending it to the laundromat for ironing, so I volunteered to show off my skills.

"I can trust your talent as a lawyer, but I don't believe you have the talent of a laundryman," Gokhley said. "What if you ruin your ironing? Do you know what this scarf means to me?" So he related the story of this gift with great joy.I still insisted on ironing it for him to ensure that the quality was not bad, and after obtaining his permission, I ironed the scarf and won his appreciation.After that, I don't care if the rest of the world doesn't appreciate it. When I liberated myself from my dependence on the washerman, I also freed myself from my dependence on the barber.Everyone who has been to England has at least learned how to shave, but no one, so far as I know, has ever learned to cut his own hair.I have to learn this skill too.Once, when I was in Pretoria, I went to an English barber's to have my hair cut.

He contemptuously refused to cut my hair.Of course I felt sad, but I immediately took a pair of scissors and cut my hair in front of the mirror.I managed to get a good haircut on the front, but a bad one on the back.The friends in the court saw it and couldn't help laughing. "What's the matter with your hair, Gandhi? Did the rats eat it?" "No, the white barber doesn't care to touch my black hair," I said, "so I'd rather cut it myself, no matter how bad it is." This answer did not surprise my friends.In fact, there is nothing wrong with the barber not cutting my hair.If he cut a black person's hair, he could lose customers any moment.Nor do we permit our barbers to cut the hair of our untouchable brethren.I have had this comeuppance not once in South Africa, but many times.I think this is deserved, so I am not angry.

The extreme forms of my zeal for self-reliance and simplicity will be described elsewhere where appropriate.This seed has been sown long ago, and it only needs to be watered to make it germinate, flower, and bear fruit, and the work of watering is done later.