ALS in Gujurati, signed “Bapu’s blessings,” on a 5.5 x 3.5 postcard, March 11, 1929. Letter to his friend Dr. Behram Navroji Khambatta. In full (translated): “There is a case in Calcutta, on 24th. Only after the case, I would know. So do not expect me to give you an advance notice. Send me a telegram in Calcutta on the 25th. If you want me only to handle the matter, I suggest you take it easy for the time being. Strength does not grow out of physical force - but from indomitable will.” Come light central horizontal creases, a bit of light soiling, a small ink blot to opening line of text, otherwise fine condition.
The “case in Calcutta” involved Gandhi’s famed arrest for burning foreign cloth in Calcutta earlier in the month. As far back as January 1929, Gandhi had called not only for a boycott of foreign cloth, but also for its burning. He equated imported cloth to a ‘plague’ that had devastated India’s economy. On March 4, Gandhi staged a dramatic protest in Calcutta—one reflected in his statement of “strength does not grow out of physical force - but from indomitable will”—in which Indians threw their foreign-made clothing onto a bonfire. The peaceful demonstration ended with police beating several participants and arresting Gandhi, who was later released on his own recognizance. At the March 26 trial reference here, Gandhi pleaded his case before Calcutta’s Chief Presidency Magistrate and was eventually fined for the act. A fantastic reference to the Mahatma’s famed protest against British cloth. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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