It was September 1921, and the Non-Cooperation Movement was at its height in India when Mahatma Gandhi visited Visakhapatnam (then Vizagapatam) for the first time. Gandhi and his comrade, Maulana Mahomed Ali (a leader of the Khilafat Movement) were on their way to Madras, when the train halted at Waltair for over 25 minutes. Both stepped out to address a meeting when Maulana was cornered by British police officials and immediately arrested. Waltair rose up in agitation, and Gandhi had to calm the public gathering.
Later, in Young India (his weekly English Journal), he wrote, “Waltair is a beauty spot in Andhra. It is a sanatorium. I envied the Maulana his arrest at such a lovely place.” With that, Visakhapatnam became entwined with Gandhi and his fight for freedom.
Following this moment, he visited the city four more times in the coming years. Here are 10 memorable quotes of Mahatma Gandhi from his speeches at Visakhapatnam:
Public Meeting, Vizagapatam (28 April 1929)
On this day, Gandhi addressed a meeting on the beach promoting the importance of popularizing khaddar (homespun cloth).
He noticed and regretted the continued use of foreign cloth in the district, and asked people to take help from Akhil Bharat Charkha Sangh (All India Spinners’ Association) for the boycott movement. As a token of appreciation, he was presented with ivory boxes and khaddar articles by the people of Visakhapatnam. While we honour the man on Gandhi Jayanti 2024, here are some quotes from his speech in Visakhapatnam:
In the address given to him before the speech, it was expressed that Visakhapatnam would be ready for swaraj, or total freedom, in 1930. In response, Mahatma Gandhi asked the public not to wait till 1930, but to prepare for the present. “If you are sleeping now, you will find no opportunities when you wake up in the year 1930,”
he said.Towards the end of his speech, Gandhi also called for women to contribute to the cause of swaraj. He said:
“A Bengali sister has given me two precious gold bracelets; does not any Andhra sister give me anything? In the struggle for swaraj, women, all women, have an equal share of responsibility with men.”
It has been reported that it was at this historic meeting that 10-year-old K Sarojini, daughter of Gandhian K S Gupta, walked up to Gandhi and gave him her gold bangle as a show of solidarity with the freedom movement.
Public Meeting, Vizagapatam (30 April 1929)
Mahatma Gandhi also gave another speech the same month, from which the next few quotes have been extracted. He was given an address by the Cooperative Spinning and Weaving Society in Vizagapatam. Immensely impressed, he called the Society “an ideal institution” that was “unique of its kind” as it had workers from different walks of life who would share the profits. He also affirmed that he would get their address translated into several languages in the country.
Gandhi urged the audience to practice what they preached, renounce foreign clothing, and work toward economic regeneration, calling the reliance on foreign clothing a national evil and shame that must be removed
Gandhi believed that the widespread consumption of alcohol was a moral and social disgrace for the country. He expressed that the habit of consuming alcohol, alongside the use of foreign clothing was the reason for India’s backwardness and weakness.
Women’s Meeting, Vizagapatam (28 December 1933)
Gandhi’s next visit to Vizagapatam was not until 1933, during which he delivered two speeches. The focus of his message at this time was on abolishing untouchability. The first address Mahatma Gandhi delivered was at a Women’s Meeting, from which the following quotes are taken:
Expressing that the cause of Harijans was essentially for the women of India to tackle, Gandhi addressed the women of Vizagapatam, hoping that those who had the wish and ability would do their duty and surrender their jewellery to help the cause.
He explained that the Harijan cause required work, and encouraged women to drive out the ghost of untouchability from their hearts. “What you gain by giving is merit. What you lose by not giving is your self,” he said.
Gandhi expressed that it was wrong and sinful to consider anyone as inferior to others. In God’s eyes, all people were equal, just as parents see all their children as equal, he said.
Explaining that there was no religious justification for untouchability, he urged people to open their hearts to the Harijan community. He encouraged them to welcome Harijan children into their homes and treat Harijan women as their own sisters.
Starting his speech, Gandhi recounted an experience upon arriving at the Waltair Station, where he was driven past a group of Harijans being fed charitably. While he acknowledged the generosity of the townsman providing the meals, he felt deep shame at the scene.
He reflected on how one would feel if someone drove through while they were eating, highlighting that caste dinners typically prohibited traffic for the diners’ comfort. He stressed that every action connected to the Harijan movement must be guided by heartfelt carefulness and thoughtfulness.
Mahatma Gandhi highlighted the ongoing efforts across India to address the issue of untouchability, firmly believing it to be a profound curse.
He asserted that if the Shastras truly represented God’s will, there would be no justification for untouchability, which is unique to India. He criticized the idea of considering oneself superior to others for selfish reasons, viewing it as a significant injustice to tie such harmful practices to religion.
Public meeting, Visakhapatnam (20 January 1946)
In 1946, Gandhi delivered a speech at a public meeting at the Indian Institute in the then Vizagapatam. He started off his speech strong, asking whether the public had removed untouchability, achieved communal unity, and realised that Adivasis (hill tribes) should also share swaraj.
“We are all of Hindustan, drinking the same water and breathing the same air,” said Gandhi, declaring that swaraj was for everyone of Hindustan. The other parts of his speech in 1946 were aimed at reinforcing the ideals of truth and non-violence.
The visits Gandhi paid to Visakhapatnam were fruitful in keeping the fire of the freedom struggle alive in the city. Even today, his words remain timeless in value and still echo the important ideals of brotherhood, courage, and non-violence. As we celebrate him on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti 2024, may these powerful quotes from his speeches at Visakhapatnam continue to inspire.
Disclaimer: The information in this article has been taken from the ‘Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi’, volumes 24, 45, 62, and 89.
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