APPENDIX—I
BRUTE FORCE WILL NOT SUSTAIN UNTOUCHABILITY
—MAHATMA GANDHI
This is the article that appeared in Young India regarding the Mahad Satyagraha.
“UNTOUCHABILITY AND UNREASON
A correspondent from Mahad writes :
It gives me much sorrow to let you know that there was riot on the 20th of March last between touchables and Untouchables at Mahad. There was held a conference of the Colaba District Depressed Classes on the 19th and 20th ultimo. The meeting was quite successful. But whilst the crowd was dispersing, Mr. A. V. Chitre of the Social Service League of Bombay told the people as they were thirsty and as the sun was very hot that they could go to the public tank and drink water. There were some who tried to dissuade the men from going to the tank. But Dr. Ambedkar, the President decided to march the men to the tank. Even the police inspector could not feel the gravity of the situation, and instead of stopping the crowd from proceeding to the tank, went with them. The tank is situated in the midst of the Brahmin locality. As however no one was aware that the Untouchables were going to the tank there was no disturbance, and hundreds of them quenched their thirst at the tank with cries of “ Hara Hara Mahadev ”. Meanwhile the touchables came to the scene and they watched the incident with rage. The crowd of Untouchables then went back to the pandal for their meals. Within an hour of this the Mahad public was suddenly awakened by the wild cry of Gurava and they were told that the Untouchables were thinking of entering the temple of Vireshwar.
It was a false cry; but in no time the temple was filled by an infuriated mob of touchables who had sticks in their hands. The poor Untouchables had no intention whatsoever of going to the temple. But the touchables finding no