Chapters 14-16
But orders from Gandhi never arrive. News of the holy man’s arrest creates a crisis within Moorthy’s Congress, leaving them unsure how to act. They deliberate and decide that the following week, they will begin to put into place Moorthy’s concept of Don’t-Touch-the-Government—that is, how to protest without bringing down the full wrath of the British-run government.
To do so, they will stop paying taxes. They will picket the dozens of toddy bars that operate around the coffee estates, cheap dives that serve cheap fermented coconut wine. Workers spend most of their off time drinking toddy. Moorthy sees the bars as “ways to exploit the poor and the unhappy.”
Although some dismiss Moorthy’s plan as quixotic because no one can stop a man from drinking, the consensus is to target the palm wine and those who sell it. Most dramatically, the Congress will establish a kind of parallel government made up of their own people who will in effect run the town. “The Congress is the people.”
Moorthy cautions his followers not to give in to hate or attack government officials, even if they taunt them or even beat them. “Send out love where there is hatred, and a smile against brute force.” He reminds them the path they follow is not simply for political or economic power but rather it is “the path of the spirit.” Theirs is a fight for truth and harmony.
As such, it is not in their best interests to demonize the British occupation forces themselves. Rather, Moorthy preaches, it is most important to target the corruption in their hearts. Before they disband, Moorthy, in a sobering moment, advises them to return home and bury their valuables in their yards in case they are arrested and the government attempts to confiscate their property. Without exception, they all pledge their devotion to Moorthy’s campaign.
Two days later Moorthy and his followers—139 strong—head to the toddy shops. As they near the first rows of the bars, they are intercepted by government soldiers who tell them they are not permitted in the toddy grove. Moorthy assures them calmly they are following the orders of the Congress, not the government.
Chanting Gandhi slogans, Moorthy’s followers head to the toddy shops. The government soldiers ride their horses into the group and begin to beat them to their knees. Moorthy’s followers do not fight back but calmly maintain their march, even crawling along the street. “We rush and we crawl, and swaying and bending and crouching, and rising, we move on and on.”
The followers make it to the line of palm trees. They then begin to climb the trees and machete the fronds and fruit. Branch after branch, the toddy trees came down. The more the Gandhians are beaten, the more they maintain their focus. When they return to the village, bloodied but triumphant, they plant the trophies of their offensive against the toddy booths, proudly revealing the twigs and seedlings they carved from the palm trees.
The following Tuesday, Moorthy and his followers again depart the village to target the toddy shops. Tuesday is payday for the plantation coolies, and the plan is to intercept them before they throw away their wages on wine. Along the way, small business owners and farmers give the marchers food and water to show support.
When the protesters arrive and the gates of the plantation facility open at the close of the work day, they are surprised to see government agents escorting the coolies directly to the toddy shops. They are unsure now what to do.
Moorthy orders them to squat around the...
(This entire section contains 906 words.)
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toddy shop, effectively blocking the entrance. Moorthy instructs them to lie down on the road to stop the parade. The government thugs begin to beat them with their lathis. But Moorthy’s followers are committed not to fight back. The intensity of the passion in Moorthy’s followers—how they continue to take the beatings while all the time chanting pro-Gandhian slogans—surprises the government agents. Moorthy himself, as he chants along with the others, sustains a hard blow to his mouth.
The coolies are caught in the middle, unable (or, perhaps, unwilling) to decide which side they should be on. From their position on the road, Moorthy’s followers urge them not to give in to alcohol. Enraged, the government agents throw pots of water on the protesters to discourage them, even at one point actually pouring water down their throats to stop them from chanting.
When they return to Kanthapura, Moorthy’s followers find that several dozen coolies, many from the cities, are now ready to join their protests. As Moorthy says: “The army of the Mahatma is an increasing garland.”
Word arrives in the village that across India, Gandhi’s followers have successfully targeted toddy booths and have begun discouraging careless alcohol consumption as evidence of moral weakness. The beatings these followers suffer become emblems of courage and heroic determination.
As tax deadlines approach, these followers renew their call not to pay the government a cent. Government agents parade through the streets banging a drum and yelling a warning: If the tax bills are not settled, the tax bills will triple. That night, Moorthy, accompanied by Rangamma, goes house to house and quietly assures each resident that the “fight has really begun” and to be of good courage.
