During a 1927 visit to Colombo, Mahatma Gandhi’s starkly simple appearance clashed with a small, elite gathering of Sinhalese women. In a tense drawing-room setting, he delivered a blunt appeal: abandon jewellery, reject adornment for male approval, embrace simplicity, and use privilege to aid the poor and oppressed, especially exploited plantation women, through education, hygiene and social welfare work.
In 1927, Mahatma Gandhi visited Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, to raise funds for the promotion of Khadi. Several people from India and Sri Lanka have shared many stories about different incidents that took place during his visit. He was accompanied by many individuals, including Mahadev Desai, Pyarelal Nayyar, C. Rajagopalachari and others. During his visit, Gandhi went to many schools, colleges, and public spaces to address people and interact with them.
When he visited Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Gandhi spoke about Buddhism, the relationship between India and Sri Lanka, and other important topics in educational institutions, which were key centres of modern learning at the time. However, not all the meetings were smooth, and some created awkward situations. One such uncomfortable encounter happened when Gandhi attended a gathering of Sinhalese women in Colombo.
This incident is recorded in the book Colombo: Port of Call by Ajay Kamalakaran, which explores Sri Lanka’s history and its social and political development. The book highlights such moments, where well-known international figures visited the port city, offering insights into how Colombo and the island’s identity evolved over time.
Gandhi expected this meeting to be like his usual ones in South India, where thousands of women attended public gatherings. But unlike his expectations, he found himself in a small, formal drawing-room meeting with only a few well-dressed women from high society. According to Mahadev Desai, the personal secretary of Gandhi, the meeting felt stiff and awkward. Gandhi, dressed in his simple white cotton dhoti, had expected an ordinary gathering but instead found himself in a formal setting with elite women.
Despite this, Gandhi chose not to leave and decided to speak. His speech was direct and intense, which made many of the women uncomfortable. He spoke about history, referring to Ashoka and the spread of Buddhism, and then shifted his focus to present-day issues, highlighting the suffering of many people.
He urged the women present to help the poor and even asked them to donate their jewellery. He also spoke about women’s roles in society, strongly criticising the idea that women need to decorate themselves to please men. He encouraged them to live simply and focus on inner strength and service.
Gandhi further spoke about women’s dignity and independence, saying that women should not be treated as objects. He highlighted the harsh conditions faced by women working on plantations and urged those present to help them by providing support and education, especially in areas like hygiene and social welfare.
At the end of his speech, he said that even if his ideas were difficult to accept, he hoped they would stay with them.
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