The Three Vows

Mulk Raj Anand (1905–2004), a pioneer of Indian English fiction known for championing the poor and oppressed, wrote this autobiographical excerpt as part of his Little Plays of Mahatma Gandhi (from And So He Plays His Part). The scene unfolds on a warm afternoon on the minimalist verandah of Gandhi's cottage at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, where Kasturba spins khadi and applies a cooling mud-pack to Gandhi's belly while his secretary Mahadev Desai waits with pen and paper. Into this disciplined atmosphere steps the young, London-returned Krishan Chander Azad.

The costume clash: corduroy vs. khadi

Azad feels deep unease in his heavy corduroy suit, unsuitable for the scorching heat, and struggles to sit cross-legged on the straw mat in his tight trousers. Gandhi, looking at him over his bi-focal glasses, immediately asks, 'Don't you feel hot in the corduroy suit?' When Azad says it is his only suit and that they can afford new clothes, Gandhi teases, 'why do you want to look like a monkey?'

Controlling his temper, Azad retorts that Gandhi too 'looked like a monkey' in a frock coat and top hat in London. Gandhi bursts into an amused smile and admits it, then explains his philosophy: foreign clothes physically and psychologically remove leaders from the common masses. He directs Desai to lend Azad a comfortable cotton kurta-pyjama.

Prufrock in the ashram

While Azad changes, Kasturba brings lassi for Gandhi and whey for the guests. An Assistant Editor points out grammatical errors in the galley proofs of Gandhi's weekly journal; Gandhi, sharp despite his relaxed posture, has them read aloud, corrects them and offers the editor lassi. Azad returns in a loose pyjama too big for him and, rolling up the cuffs, quotes T.S. Eliot's Prufrock: 'I shall wear my trousers rolled!'

This sparks a discussion on cultural adaptation. Gandhi quotes 'In Rome, do as the Romans do', arguing Indians should not wear heavy suits in India just as Englishmen do not wear dhotis in London. Azad notes Robert Clive discarded his jacket at the Battle of Plassey, but Gandhi counters that Clive's successors insisted on formal evening dress in their clubs even in the summer heat. Azad repeats 'Mad dogs and Englishmen!', and Gandhi agrees, recalling how he read Punch in London.

The manuscript and the three vows

Gandhi asks what Azad wants; Azad has brought his newly drafted novel about the tragic life of an untouchable sweeper boy named Bakha. Gandhi corrects his terminology: 'You mean Harijan, we don't use the word untouchable here!', and Desai adds that 'Harijan' means 'Son of God'. Azad, wishing to write simply like Gandhi's story about the sweeper boy Uka, a real, respected ashram member who taught inmates to clean latrines and works as a cook, asks to become Uka's assistant, having learned cooking in a London restaurant while practising 'earning while learning'.

Gandhi is pleased but warns Azad he must take three strict vows to stay. First, no lustful thoughts, Azad protests his girlfriend is in an Irish gaol for gunrunning with Maud Gonne, and Gandhi compromises: 'You can dream of her at night, but you must not think of her during the day!' Second, abstinence from liquor, Gandhi says, 'You will find yourself writing without liquor if you become intoxicated with truth!' Third, manual labour, Azad must clean the ashram latrines once a week, alongside everyone including Gandhi, to break caste prejudice. Azad accepts.

Simple words and ashram routine

Gandhi reads the first paragraph of Azad's manuscript and dismisses its style as 'Mocking bird with a vengeance!', criticising the complex vocabulary: 'Harijans sigh, moan, groan... they never talk in such big words! You want to make them into Dr. Johnsons!' Azad admits he was imitating James Joyce's 'stream of consciousness' to prove his mastery of English. Gandhi recalls making the same mistake in London until an English Quaker advised him to write simply, and urges Azad to translate the plain speech of the poor sincerely, like Sarat Babu and Premchand, in whatever language comes to hand.

When the ashram guard Acharya Gorkha is found to have rudely refused Azad entry (for arriving an hour early), Gandhi delivers a swift judgment: 'You are to fast for a day and night to cure yourself of your arrogance!', reminding him the gates are closed only against British CID spies. Desai then reads the strict daily routine, from a 5 a.m. walk on the Sabarmati riverbed and morning prayers to work, a communal meal, a compulsory siesta, evening prayers and lights out at 10 p.m. Azad accepts the rules and leaves with Desai to buy simple khadi clothes.