Fasting for justice, part 2: the twenty-first day

On the morning of March 3rd, 1943, Mohandas Gandhi was handed six ounces of orange juice by his wife, Kasturba. It had been 21 days since his last meal, and now he was ready to break his fast.

Gandhi had been fasting for justice (You can read part one here), upset after six months of detention by the British. In August he had called for them to “Quit India!” The following morning he, and many other members of the Indian National Congress, were arrested, but not charged with any crimes. As Gandhi would protest to the Viceroy, “You say that... I was 'prepared to condone [violence]'... I have see no evidence in support of such a serious charge."

Notably absent at the morning ceremony were his two youngest sons. During his three week fast, Gandhi's prestige had invited certain accommodations; one of these was permission for relatives to visit him in the detention camp. Ramdas and Devdas had been frequent guests, although his fading strength generally only allowed for a few minutes of conversation before he got tired.

The boys were happy to visit with their mother, who had been arrested the same day as Gandhi. Kasturba, 73, had arrived at the detention camp “violently sick,” and would spend the rest of her natural life there. She was supportive of the three-week fast, and made sure her husband was taken care of to the best of her ability.

On the 13th day of his fast, Gandhi had been near death. His skin was cold and clammy, and his pulse was weak. Kasturba prayed to a sacred Tulsi plant for his recovery. The British, concerned for India's reaction if Gandhi were to die in prison, made arrangements for a media blackout so they could control the news. (It was somewhat ironic that they believed that a sudden announcement of his death could lead to widespread unrest, but also believed that the widespread unrest six months earlier was completely unrelated to their sudden announcement of his arrest.) Gandhi pulled through, and his health was stable for the rest of his 21-day fast.

On that Wednesday morning, surrounded by fellow inmates and his doctors, Gandhi clutched his glass of orange juice. (He had been informed that except for his sons, outside guests and relatives would be prohibited from attending this ceremony. Gandhi declined to accept special treatment for his boys.) After listening to Hindu, Muslim, and Christian readings and songs, and observing five minutes of silent meditation, Gandhi weakly thanked the doctors, and said, “I do not know why Providence has saved me on this occasion. Possibly, it is because He has some more missions for me to fulfill.” With that, he sipped his juice and broke his fast.

Sources:

Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World (Fischer, 1954)

Gandhi (Coolidge, 1971)

Gandhi: The Man, his People, and the Empire (Gandhi, 2006)

Gandhi: Naked Ambition (Adams, 2010)

The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (Electronic Book)

An earlier version of this article was published on Reddit as part of the 30-day Gandhi challenge, where participants abstain from alcohol for 30 days (Gandhi didn't drink) and fast for 24 hours on the last day.