Gandhiji and the grammar of his ideas

IN PERSPECTIVE

Gandhiji found in the Sabarmati Ashram the diction for a new grammar he had invented. He had found the spellings and grammar, as it were, of a new way of life with his experiments on himself in England and the struggles he had in South Africa. The spellings and the grammar went into the making of a new language that he articulated at the ashram sprawled on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad. The government now seems to want to polish the language, brighten it up and edit it, to make it a “world class” expression of Gandhiji’s idea. What is lost in meaning may be gained in money, and the man who hardly wore clothes may be given a makeover with monogrammed suits and Maybach glasses.

Many are worried about the impending changes at Sabarmati Ashram. But this is about the spellings and grammar in another place which is also associated with Gandhiji. That is the house in Porbandar where he was born. It is now part of a museum that is thronged by thousands of visitors. At the entrance to the house and inside it, there are display boards that give information about Gandhiji and the house. There are photographs of events and persons associated with his life, and captions are provided for them.

It is the spellings and the grammar of these descriptions that worry me: Some samples: 1) “Gandhiji and Kasturba with follow settlers at Phoenix, Natal’’ (follow settlers or fellow settlers?); 2) “Gandhiji, (Third from left) outside of his office at JohannesVburg with his colleagues’’ (What is the V doing in the middle of Johannesburg? And “outside of”?); 3) Then there is a complicated sentence that challenges the reader with its spellings, grammar, punctuations, spacing between words and missing words. Lest it be forgotten, it also reminds the reader that Gandhiji was born in the Christian era, and not before Christ.

“‘The house where the Mahatma Gandhiji was born’ was purchased in 1777 A.D. by his great grand father Harjivanji Rahidasji Gandhi from local lady Manbai-Gandhiji grand father Uttamchandji carried out some changes and made it a two storey building course of time one more storey was added to the main building and by the time Gandhiji was born (2nd.October 1869 A.D.) T was a three floor building now consists of 22 rooms including passage the walls of some of the rooms are decorate whith paintings’’’ (All in Capital letters).

Generations of Gandhiji’s followers and admirers, students and statesmen and tourists and travellers may have seen these descriptions, and many may have smiled to themselves. Gandhiji, who had a high sense of humour and wrote good English, may also smile at them if he sees them. But can’t we keep the knowing smiles for better things and keep the language correct at the most iconic of the nation’s heritage buildings?

The descriptions are given in Hindi and Gujarati, too. Even the little Hindi that I know tells me that there are mistakes in the Hindi version, errors related to spelling, punctuations and spacing. I have counted at least five of them and leave it to those who know Hindi better to find them and others. I do not know Gujarati and so do not have any comment on the Gujarati text. I lost some photographs, and so I am not sure that these three make up the full complement of errors.

Sarojini Nadu famously said that it cost the nation a lot to keep Gandhiji in poverty. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which maintains Gandhiji’s house, is spending a lot to keep the house, not in poverty, but in the state in which it was when he grew up there. It is perhaps doing a good job of it as far as the brick and mortar and paint are concerned, but it is certainly keeping the state of language there poor. Spellings and grammar make the language, and clothe the meaning. It is the spellings and grammar at Porbandar, not at Sabarmati, that need urgent change.

The place where Sudama, arguably the most famous poor man in the Puranas, lived is a stone’s throw from Gandhiji’s house. On a visit there in 2018, I wondered whether Gandhiji was inspired by his illustrious predecessor in town and borrowed his language of poverty from him. But he never miswrote his language.