Chapter 93 Chapter 14 Coolie area or "Gap"?

Some classes who have made the greatest contribution to our society and are considered "untouchable" by us Hindus are all driven to live in a distant town or village. This place is called "Deva" in Gujarati degree" (dhedvado), connoting contempt.Even in Christian Europe the Jews were at one time considered "untouchables," and the districts allotted to them had the unsavory name of "ghettoes."Likewise, today we are also untouchables in South Africa.What sacrifices have been made by Andrew's and Shaster's wands for our revival will be seen later on.

The ancient Jews considered themselves God's chosen people, different from all other nations. As a result, their descendants suffered a strange and even unfair revenge.In much the same way the Hindus consider themselves Aryans, i.e. civilized beings, and part of their countrymen as non-Aryans, i.e. untouchables, with the result that not only the Hindus in South Africa suffer from a strange Even Muslims and Persians are discriminated against in the same way because they belong to the same country and have the same skin color as their Hindu brethren. The reader can now more or less understand what the title of this chapter means.We have acquired a notorious reputation in South Africa as "coolies". The word "coolie" is used in India to refer to porters or hired laborers, but in South Africa it has the connotation of contempt, as we mean untouchables, and the place designated for "coolies" is called " Coolie Zone".There is such an area in Johannesburg, but unlike the situation where Indians in other places have leasehold rights, in this area of ​​Johannesburg, Indians lease for a period of ninety-nine years.In this area, the population is extremely crowded, but the area of ​​​​the area has not expanded with the increase of the population.Apart from a sloppy cleaning of toilets, the municipality has done little to sanitize the area, let alone build roads and supply lights.Given this indifference to the welfare of the inhabitants, the municipality can hardly be expected to care for the public health of the district.And without the help and supervision of the municipality, the rules of municipal sanitation are less heeded.It would be different if all the people who lived there had the spirit of Robinson Crusoe.However, we don't know that there have been Robinson's colonies in this world.Generally people go abroad in search of wealth and trade, but the Indians who go to South Africa are mostly ignorant, poor farmers who need all the care and protection they can afford.Few merchants and educated Indians followed them.

This criminal indifference of the municipality and the ignorance of the inhabitants of India have combined to render the area extremely unsanitary.Instead of improving the situation, the municipalities have abolished the district on the pretext of the dirt caused by their own negligence, and for this purpose they have taken from the local legislature the power of expulsion.This is what it was like when I settled down in Johannesburg. Since Indians have land ownership in this area, of course they have the right to demand compensation.A special court was appointed to deal with estate matters.If the renter does not intend to accept the compensation given by the municipality, he has the right to sue this court. If the amount awarded by the court exceeds the amount proposed by the municipality, the municipality has to bear the compensation awarded by the court.

Most of the residents use me as their legal counsel.I didn't intend to make money on such cases, so I told them that I would be happy with whatever the court decided as long as they won, and whatever the outcome, I would only charge £10 a case.I also told them that I was going to give half of the money I got to build a hospital or something like that for the poor.Of course, they are all happy about this. Of the approximately 70 cases, only one was lost.So the attorney fees came up to a pretty big number.The Indian Opinion, however, was often in need of money, and as far as I can remember it took £1,600.I'm very busy with these cases.I was always surrounded by clients, originally mostly indentured workers from Bihar and its vicinity, and from South India.To relieve their peculiar misery, they formed an association of their own, separate from the free Indian traders.Some of them are unbiased, liberal, and of high character.Their leader is Mr. Cai Langxin, who is the chairman; and Mr. Padley, who is as good as the chairman.Now both of them are dead.

They have been of great help to me.Mr. Badley was in close contact with me and played a major role in the civil resistance movement.Through these and other friends, I have come into close contact with countless diasporas from North and South India.I have become their brother, not mere counsel, and share with them all their sorrows and woes, public and private. It's funny how these Indians call me.Abdullah Sai would not call me Gandhi.Fortunately, no one called me "Sahib" insultingly.Abdulla Sai used a good title - "brother".Others followed him and called me "bro" until I left South Africa.To be called "brother" by those Indians who have worked as indentured workers is a sweet feeling in my heart.