Madhusudan_Das

APPENDIX : 2
MADHUSUDAN DAS
(Letters and comments)
MAHATMA GANDHI
[After a successful fight against apartheid in South Africa
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi arrived in India during the first world
war. At that time Madhusudan was an old man of sixty seven years
and had earned a name as a successful legal practitioner, industrialise
etc. He had also established himself as the uncrowned king of Orissan
people. Though a liberal like Mr. Gandhi in his political leanings,
during that period he had done enough experiment in cottage-industry
and swadeshi enterprise; had fought for the empowerment of women
and emacipation of the depressed classes. Though Mr. Gandhi was
known to Mr. Das as a leader, there was no direct communication
between them for a long time
The year 1919-20 is a watershed in Indian history when Mr.
M.K. Gandhi emerged as the unchallenged leader of Indian masses
and became their beloved and revered Mahatma. Non-Cooperation,
boycott and swadeshi were adopted as his major slogans. In his own
words from a staunch loyalist he became a non-co-operator because
of the compulsions of the British rule in India. But Mr. Das remained
a loyalist as before and accepted ministership under the Raj. Therefore,
the followers of Gandhi and Congressmen were his worst critics. In
the year 1923, he resigned from the ministership which brought him
close to the Congress and his relation with Non-cooperators became
friendly. Late Harekrushna Mahatab described these happenings in his
book 'Gandhi O Odisa' (In Oriya) in the following words —
"Though a class of people, who in the first instance, cooperated
with and participated in British administration during the non-cooperation
movement; later on, some of them became disillusioned with
Raj after seeing its naked form. Mr. Madhusudan Das was first among
those disillusioned people. . . After he resigned from ministership his
prestige was enhanced a lot among the people." (p. 24-25)
Mr. Das came in direct contact with Mahatma Gandhi in the
year 1924. To salvage his sinking Utkal Tannery from financial ruin