Maia Ramnath - Decolonizing Anarchism.pdf - Libcom

136 I Ramnath
Hindustan. He began to recruit writers, including a young
Fabian socialist lawyer named Narshinhadas Vibhakar.
Taking Vibhakar's advice, Lotvala visited London in 1913,
where "he began to devour l the Fabian Society's literature 1
with a new born zeal" and "cultivate personal relations"
with leading Fabians. He returned home fortified with a
fresh interpretation of his old concerns: now he had the
language to articulate that "the grinding poverty of the vast
masses, the root cause of their hunger, malnutrition, bad
housing and high death-rate . .. were . .. the direct result of
this exploitation oflabour by those who had monopolised
land, factories and banks-all the instruments of production,
distribution and exchange." This could not be solved
through any "crumbs of charity, private or GovernmentaL"
The only solution was expropriating the means of production,
and "vesting these in Government or local
authorities." He now began to interpret caste through the
lens of class, not to mention the social position of women,
on whose freedom the "innumerable restrictions" could be
"easily traced to the latter day growth of the joint family
system which enshrined the economic and phyiC:ll mastery
ofman."26
Hindustan's circulation continued to expand throughout
the war years. Although the paper initially endorsed
Gandhi on his return from South Africa, it soon turned
to condemn his "reactionary social ideas;' particularly his
"stale views in favour of idolatry and caste." Instead, Lotvala
anointed Vithalbhai Patel for his demonstrated commitment
to fighting untouchability, audacity in spurning
all manner of orthodoxies, and "irreverence toward all