Gandhi in Bombay

Book excerpt: This book is a tribute to the symbiotic relation between Gandhi and Bombay, a relation that spanned and strengthened over decades. The city had welcomed him warmly on his return from South Africa in 1915 and this warmth never receded. Bombay has earned a special place in the history of India's freedom struggle under Gandhi's leadership. In 1919, it was Gandhi's first nationwide protest, the Satyagraha against the unjust Rowlatt Act in Bombay that propelled him to the position of an undisputed leader. Bombay was also the site for the launch of the Non-cooperation movement in 1920. The response of the city to Gandhi's Salt March in 1930 and his call for the Quit India movement in 1942 was unprecedented. It was in Bombay that Gandhi gave the historic mantra of 'Do or Die'. Protests, processions, meetings, picketing, and strikes organized under his name drew people from all sections of the society. Gandhi's important movements were intertwined with the life of this city and its people. Gandhi was full of determination and the city with vibrancy; this amalgam resulted in the powerful synergy that made history. Bombay became the nerve centre of Gandhi's political activities and agitations. Drawing on primary sources from the Maharashtra State Archives as well as archival materials and photographs, and using Bombay as a focal point, this volume narrates the story of the man and his struggle for the nation's independence.