XLIII. HOMEWARD
Mr. Kallenbach had accompained me to England with a
view to going to India. We were staying together and of
course wanted to sail by the same boat. Germans, however,
were under such strict surveillance that we had our
doubts about Mr. Kallenbach getting a passport. I did my
best to get it, and Mr. Roberts, who was in favour of his
getting his passport, sent a cable to the Viceroy in this
behalf. But straight came Lord Hardinge's reply: 'Regret
Government of India not prepared to take any such risk.'
All of us understood the force of the reply.
It was a great wrench for me to part from Mr.
Kallenbach, but I could see that his pang was greater.
Could he have come to India, he would have been leading
today the simple happy life of a farmer and weaver. Now
he is in South Africa, leading his old life and doing
brisk business as an architect.
We wanted a third class passage, but as there was none
available on P. and O. boats, we had to go second.
We took with us the dried fruit we had carried from
South Africa, as most of it would not be procurable on
the boat, where fresh fruit was easily available.
Dr. Jivraj Mehta had bandaged my ribs with 'Mede's
Plaster' and had asked me not to remove it till we
reached the Red Sea. For two days I put up with the
discomfort, but finally it became too much for me. It was
with considerable difficulty that I managed to undo the
plaster and regain the liberty of having a proper wash
and bath.
My diet consisted mostly of nuts and fruits. I found
that I was improving every day and felt very much better
by the time we entered the Suez Canal. I was weak, but
felt entirely out of danger, and I gradually went on
increasing my exercise. The improvement I attributed
largely to the pure air of the temperate zone.
Whether it was due to past experience or to any other
reason, I do not know, but the kind of distance I noticed
between the English and Indian passengers on the boat was
something I had not observed even on my voyage from South
Africa. I did talk to a few Englishmen, but the talk was
mostly formal. There were hardly any cordial
conversations such as had certainly taken place on the
South African boats. The reason for this was, I think, to
be found in the conscious or unconscious feeling at the
back of the Englishman's mind that he belonged to the
ruling race, and the feeling at the back of the Indian's
mind that he belonged to the subject race.
I was eager to reach home and get free from this
atmosphere.
On arriving at Aden we already began to feel somewhat
at home. We knew the Adenwallas very well, having met Mr.
Kekobad Kavasji Dinshaw in Durban and come in close
contact with him and his wife.
A few days more and we reached Bombay. It was such a
joy to get back to the homeland after an exile of ten
years.
Gokhale had inspired a reception for me in Bombay,
where he had come in spite of his delicate health. I had
approached India in the ardent hope of merging myself in
him, and thereby feeling free. But fate had willed it
otherwise.
|
