Chapter 77 Chapter 21 Settle in Mumbai?

Gokhli was very anxious for me to settle in Bombay, to practice law and assist him in his public work.At that time, the so-called public work refers to the work of the National Congress Party, and the main work he helped to carry out was the administrative affairs of the Congress. I like Gokhley's opinion, but I have little confidence in whether the lawyer is a good lawyer.Those unpleasant experiences of past failures are still fresh in my memory, and I still hate poison to do business through flattery. So I decided to start working in Rajkot first.Kewaran Mafuji Dawi is still there, he has always placed high hopes on me, he was the one who advised me to study in England, and he immediately handled three cases for me.Two of them are appeals to the Judicial Assistant to the Katiyawar Political Supervisor and the other is an old case in Jamnagar.This last case is of considerable importance.I said I was not sure about the case, and Curvallon Davy said loudly, "It's none of your business whether you win or lose. You just have to do what you can, and of course I'll help you."

The opposing lawyer is the late Mr. Shamaz.I'm all set.It's not that I know a lot of Indian law, but that I was given very thorough instructions by Kevalan Dawi.Before I went to South Africa, I heard from my friends that Sir Ferozesha Mehta is very familiar with the witness method, and this is the secret of his success.Keeping this in mind, I did a thorough study of the Indian Witness method and its commentaries on my way to South Africa.Of course, the legal experience I gained in South Africa is also very useful. I won this case and gained some confidence.As for the two appeal cases, I was not afraid and won the case.All this aroused in me a hope that even if I opened in Bombay, I would not fail.

But before I describe the circumstances under which I decided to go to Bombay, I would like to say a few words about what I have seen about the disregard of civilian woes by British officials.It turns out that the judicial assistant's court is circuitous.He was always walking around, and lawyers and clients had to follow him around.As soon as the lawyer goes out, the fee increases, and the client will naturally get double the money.The judge was indifferent to the situation. The case of which I have spoken above is to be heard in Veroval, where the plague is in turmoil.As far as I can remember, there were 5,500 people in that place, and there were as many as 50 outbreaks a day.That place is actually very desolate, and I live in a desolate Fusheli far from the city, but where do the litigants live?If they are poor, they are left to their fate.

I have a friend who has several cases in this court. He sent me a telegram asking me to apply to the court to move to another place to hold the court because of the epidemic in Veroire.As soon as I handed in the application, the official asked me, "Are you afraid?" I replied, "It's not a question of whether I'm afraid or not. I can move around by myself, but what about the people in the lawsuit?" "Plagues are commonplace in India," replied the magistrate, "why be afraid of it? The weather in Virowal is fine (the magistrate lives on the seashore far from the city, where he built palace-like tent). People must learn to live in the open air like this.”

It is useless to argue with this philosophy.The lord said to his clerk, "Take note of what Mr. Gandhi said, and tell me if the lawyers and litigants feel any inconvenience." Naturally, the gentleman acted faithfully in accordance with what he thought to be the right opinion.But how could he have thought of any suffering in poor India?How can he understand the needs, habits, idiosyncrasies and customs of the people?How can a person who is accustomed to measure things in gold coins suddenly want to measure in copper coins?As an elephant cannot think of ants, in spite of the best intentions of the world, so an Englishman cannot think of the interests of the Indians, or legislate for the interests of India.

But I have to move on to a story I haven't finished telling.Despite my achievements, I would like to stay in Rajkot a little longer.But one day Kevalan Dawi came to me and said, "Gandhi, we don't want you to be buried here, you have to live in Mumbai." "But who's going to give me a job there?" I asked, "Can you help me with my expenses?" "Of course, of course I can," he said. "We have to bring you back from Bombay sometimes as a barrister, and we'll send you the pleadings there. Whether a lawyer succeeds or fails, It's up to us lawyers. You've shown yourself in Jamnagar and Viroval, so I don't worry about you in the slightest. You're destined for public work, and we won't let you You are buried in Katiawar. Tell me, then, when will you go to Bombay?"

"I'll wait for Natale to send a sum of money, and I'll leave when the money arrives," I replied.After two weeks the money arrived and I set off for Bombay.I'm listed with Penny, Gilbert, and Sayani, and it looks like I'm settled. Although I have rented an office in the Ford area and a house in Zill, God will not let me settle down.Not long after I moved into the new house, my second son, Manilal, fell ill with severe typhoid, accompanied by pneumonia and nocturnal coma. He had also suffered a severe case of smallpox a few years earlier. We called in the doctor.He said that taking medicine has little effect, but giving him eggs and chicken soup is good.

Manilal was only ten years old.It was impossible to ask his opinion.As his guardian, I have to make a decision.This doctor is a good Bosch.I told him that we would all be vegetarians and that it was impossible for me to feed my son these two things.So can he recommend something else? "Your son's life is in danger," said the kind doctor. "We can give him a little milk mixed with water, but he will not get enough nourishment. You know, many Hindus also come to me. Doctors, they don't object to any prescription I prescribe. I think you'd better not be so stubborn with your son."

"You're all right," I said. "As a doctor, that's all you can do. But my responsibility is great. If the child has grown up, I will definitely ask his opinion and respect it." His opinion. But now I have to think about him and make a decision for him. I think only then is a person's faith really tested. Whether it is right or wrong, one cannot eat meat , eating eggs, and the like, is part of my religious beliefs. There should be a limit even to the means of sustaining our lives. There are certain things that we simply refrain from doing even for the sake of life itself. As far as I know Understand, even on this occasion, religion does not allow me or my family members to use meat or eggs for medical treatment, so I have to risk the possibility that you said. But I want you to do one thing. Because I Couldn't be lucky enough to use your cure, I'm going to try water therapy which I happen to know. But I wouldn't check the child's pulse, chest, lungs, etc. If you would bother to check him anytime and tell him how he is I, I would be grateful."

The kind doctor pardoned my difficulty, and accepted my request.Although Manilal was not yet able to make up his mind, I told him what I had said to the doctor, and asked for his advice. "Just try water therapy, please," he said. "I don't eat eggs, and I don't drink chicken soup." It made me happy, although I also knew that if I gave him one of these things, he would be sick too. will eat.I know the Kuhni method and have tried it.I also know there are benefits to fasting.So I began to give Manilal a sitz bath according to Kuhny's method, letting him sit in the basin for no more than three minutes each time, and giving him orange juice mixed with water for three days in a row.

However, his temperature did not drop, reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit.During the night he fell into a coma, and I became uneasy.What will people say about me?What would my brother think of me?Can we find another doctor?Why not find a "Yajur Vedic" doctor?What right do parents have to impose their own whims upon their children? These thoughts haunt me.So a contrary trend of thought arose.God will be pleased to see me treat my son in the same way that I have treated myself.I believe in hydrotherapy and not so much in allopathic medicine.Doctors can't guarantee a cure, they can only experiment at best.The thread of life is in the hands of God.Why not trust God and continue what I believe to be right healing in his name? My heart is tormented by these two conflicting thoughts.It is already night.I lay next to Manilal on his bed. I decided to wrap him in a wet sheet.I got up to soak a sheet, squeezed out the water, and wrapped Manilal so that only his head was exposed, and then covered myself with two blankets.I put a wet towel over his head.His whole body was as hot as iron, and it was very dry and scorched, without any sweat at all. I am exhausted.I handed Manilal to his mother and went for a walk in Chobady to get some fresh air.It was about ten o'clock, and there were very few people walking.I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I seldom looked at passers-by. "Lord, in this time of trial, my honor rests in your hands," I repeated to myself, unable to do without Rama Namma.After a while I came back, my heart was pounding. As soon as I came in, Manilal said, "Are you back, Babu?" "Yes, good boy." "Drag me out, please, I have a terrible fever." "Are you sweating, boy?" "I'm soaked all over, please move me out." I touched his forehead, and it was indeed dripping with sweat.The temperature went down.I thank God. "Manila, your fever must be gone by now. If you sweat a little more, I'll move you out." "No, I beg you. Get me out of this boiler quickly, or wrap me later." I managed to coax him for a few minutes.Sweat trickled down his forehead.I untied the sheet and dried him.The father and son fell asleep on the same bed. And everyone slept like a log, and Manilal didn't burn so much the next morning.He lived thus for forty days on milk and fruit juice mixed with water.Now I am not afraid.It was a stubborn burn, but it was subdued at last. Today Manilal is the healthiest of my children.Who can say whether his recovery was by the grace of God, or by water therapy, or by careful diet and nursing?Let people decide according to their beliefs.For my part, I believed that God saved my honour, and that belief remains unchanged to this day.