Kasturba Memorial Address

 KASTURBA GANDHI MEMORIAL ADDRESS

 

From Phoenix to Aga Khan Palace: The Political Trajectory of ‘Ba’

By 

Siby K. Joseph

The lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba are so profoundly intertwined that they are often viewed as a single entity. However, at critical junctures of the freedom struggle, Kasturba emerged from the Mahatma’s side to display extraordinary grit and determination, especially when he was away from the scene due to imprisonment. Despite this, her independent contributions across various fields have rarely been given the proper evaluation they deserve.

This memorial lecture on eve of 81 st anniversary of her martyrdom  is a modest attempt to redress this imbalance by examining Kasturba Gandhi’s unique role as a political activist—from the foundational years at the Phoenix Settlement in South Africa to her final sacrifice at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. Kasturba was never a mere shadow of her husband; she was a woman of independent political will and fierce resolve. Her journey—marked by defiance and self-sacrifice—ultimately led her to become a martyr in India’s struggle for liberation from British rule.

Kasturba and Mohandas Gandhi were married in Porbandar in 1882. A decade later, in 1893, Mohandas accepted an offer from Dada Abdulla and Company, a Porbandar-based Memon firm with extensive business interests in South Africa. By January 1897, Kasturba and their children joined him, settling into the Beach Grove villa, a prominent residence in Durban.

The trajectory of their lives changed significantly in 1903 when Gandhi founded the journal Indian Opinion to consolidate the Indian community and provide a platform for their grievances. During this period, a train journey and the subsequent reading of John Ruskin’s Unto This Last sparked an "instantaneous and practical transformation" in Gandhi’s philosophy of life. In order to live by the principles of simplicity, self-reliance, and the dignity of labour, he established the Phoenix Settlement in 1904.

While Gandhi remained absorbed in his legal practice and burgeoning political activism, it was Kasturba who managed the daily affairs of Phoenix. Her leadership in the settlement provided the essential stability required for Gandhi’s experiments and struggles for the Indian community to flourish, marking her emergence as a silent but formidable pillar of the movement for human dignity on foreign soil.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kasturba's political awakening occurred on March 14, 1913, when Justice Searle of the Cape Supreme Court ruled that all non-Christian marriages were invalid in South Africa. This de-legitimation of Hindu, Muslim, and Parsi unions became a turning point, revealing to Gandhi the hidden political potential of women—and especially that of his wife, Kasturba.

While Gandhi initially hesitated to expose women to the hardships of activism, Kasturba viewed the judgment as an intolerable insult to womanhood. Rejecting any thought of retreat, she led a mission of solidarity from the Phoenix Settlement. On September 15, 1913, she led a group—including Kashi Gandhi and Santok Gandhi—across the Transvaal border without permits. They were arrested and sentenced to three months of imprisonment with hard labour.

This act of defiance stirred the conscience of India. Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, previously a critic of the movement, hailed Kasturba at a 1913 Bombay Town Hall meeting as one of the "foremost heroines in the world." Under immense pressure, the South African government was forced to appoint the Solomon Commission to investigate Indian grievances. Following an intervention by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Gandhi was released on December 18, and Kasturba and her party were freed on December 22, 1913.

This act of defiance stands as a crucial political intervention, marking the moment Kasturba transitioned from a supportive companion to a front-line leader. By challenging the 1913 marriage law, she did more than defend her personal status; she transformed a legal grievance into a moral crusade that galvanised women across the diaspora.

Gandhi and Kasturba landed in Bombay on January 9, 1915. Shortly after, on May 25, 1915, Gandhi established the Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. It was here that Gandhi first came face-to-face with the deep-seated challenges of untouchability. When Thakkar Bapa requested that an "untouchable" family—consisting of Dudabhai, his wife Danibehn, and their young daughter Lakshmi—be admitted to the ashram, it sparked a significant internal crisis.

Initially, many inmates, including Kasturba, were deeply uncomfortable with this decision. However, Kochrab became the site of a profound personal transformation for her. Her journey from the citadels of orthodoxy to becoming a liberator alongside her husband marked her first major step in the fight against the "curse of untouchability."

This internal growth prepared her for the Champaran Mission of 1917, related to the forced cultivation of indigo by peasants, where Kasturba proved her mettle through her active involvement in constructive work. Despite having no formal education, she proved remarkably effective at entering the hearts of village women. She taught them the basics of health, hygiene, and sanitation, bridging a gap that political leaders often could not reach. By surveying the dire conditions of rural life, she helped Gandhi understand the harsh realities prevailing in Indian villages. This period fundamentally expanded the scope of Kasturba’s work, moving her from routine ashram management into large-scale socio-political action.

Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement on August 1, 1920, calling for a comprehensive boycott to sever ties between the government and the people. Following the tragic events at Chauri Chaura in February 1922, Gandhi withdrew the movement and was subsequently arrested. On the midnight of March 20, he was moved from Sabarmati Jail to Yerwada Central Prison; for two days, his whereabouts remained unknown to the ashram inmates.

At this critical juncture, Kasturba displayed extraordinary firmness and bravery. Rather than being subdued by her husband’s six-year sentence, she issued a clarion call in Young India on March 23, 1922. In her appeal, she stated:

"My dear husband has been sentenced to-day to six years simple imprisonment. While I cannot deny that this heavy sentence has to some extent told upon me, I have consoled myself with the thought that it is not beyond our powers to reduce that sentence and release him by our own exertions, long before his term of imprisonment is over... The remedy, therefore, lies with us. If we fail, the fault will be ours."

She urged the nation to avoid the "slough of despair" and focus on the Constructive Programme, specifically highlighting the role of the spinning wheel and Khaddar:

"Among all the items of the programme, he laid the greatest emphasis on the spinning wheel and khaddar... India's first answer, then, to Mr. Gandhi's conviction should be that:—

(a) All men and women give up their foreign cloth and adopt khaddar and persuade others to do so.

(b) All women make it a religious duty to spin and produce yarn every day and persuade others to do so.

(c) All merchants cease trading in foreign piece-goods."

It is pertinent to note that while Gandhi was imprisoned, Kasturba became increasingly active, demonstrating her capacity for independent leadership. In October 1922, she travelled to Rajasthan to preside over the Ajmer District Political Conference. During the proceedings, she addressed the assembly, pointedly reminding the people of Ajmer of their pledge: that they would only invite Gandhi to their city once the entire community had committed to wearing Khadi. Although her son, Ramdas Gandhi, read the speech aloud, the message was distinctively hers.

During this period, Kasturba also visited the Rajasthan Seva Sangh, where she inspired local leaders and workers. Furthermore, she addressed a significant women's gathering organised by Gulab Devi, the founder of the Kanya Pathshala, who had devoted her life to the service of women. Despite the common perception that her personality was merely an extension of Gandhi's, Kasturba consistently acted on her own initiative whenever he was absent from the political scene. Her work in Rajasthan serves as an illustrative case of her independent political action. Here, we see an image of a highly empowered woman, capable of navigating difficult situations and inspiring the nation to follow the path of the Satyagraha struggle.

Similarly she demonstrated her independent leadership during the Borsad Satyagraha (1922–1923). The movement was a protest against the "Haidiya," a punitive tax imposed by the British government on the entire population of Borsad. In 1922, while resting in the village of Maroli, Kasturba received a frantic telegram from the women of Borsad in the Kaira district. Having endured a brutal police lathi charge, they sent a desperate appeal: “We want Ba with us... to inspire confidence in the town.”

Despite suffering from severe anaemia and being urged by her hostess, Mithuben Petit, to rest, Kasturba refused to remain sidelined. She resolutely stated:

"I must see those women who have so bravely faced the lathi charge of the police. I must be with them to give support. Bapu would have been with them today. But he is not free."

Demonstrating the efficiency of a seasoned leader, she immediately dictated a message for the press and boarded the next available train—travelling third class—to join the struggle. Her swift response to the Borsad Satyagraha not only provided moral courage to the distressed women but also proved her capacity to act independently on political matters in the absence of the Mahatma.

It is a gross misconception that Kasturba Gandhi was merely orthodox or supported untouchability. Her role as a reformer was defined by bold, independent actions that shattered centuries-old traditions.

During a 1925 visit to the Sabari Ashram in Palakkad with Gandhi, Kasturba performed a historic act of defiance. She reached the Kalmadam Sree Bala Ayyappa Temple and personally opened its doors to "Harijans." This was the first time in Indian history that a woman leader had opened a temple to the oppressed classes—a radical move in a region then considered the "madhouse" of caste discrimination.

Kasturba was also a driving force behind the Guruvayur Satyagraha. She viewed the struggle not merely as political, but as a "sacred battle." In a stirring appeal to the "Brave Daughters of Kerala," she urged women to join their husbands and sons in the arena of struggle, stating: "Follow them with saffron robes and share their sorrows... My heart is with you in this great struggle." In December 1932, she led the Guruvayur Referendum campaign, staying in Ponnani for a week to mobilise women, which resulted in a historic 77% vote in favour of temple entry.

Her activism extended across the Madras Presidency and Rajputana. Presiding over the Political Council in Mirwada (1931), she delivered a sharp critique of rural orthodoxy, warning that God’s blessings would follow only the immediate solution of the "Harijan problem." At Triplicane, under the auspices of the Madras Harijan Sevak Sangh, she made powerful public appeals to dismantle all forms of caste discrimination.

During the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, following Gandhi’s arrest, Kasturba refused to remain a silent spectator. Instead, she embarked on whirlwind tours across India to sustain the movement’s momentum. From supervising Satyagraha camps in Bardoli to addressing gatherings of over 25,000 people in Delhi and Amritsar, she became the face of the resistance. Her leadership was instrumental in mobilising women; she personally blessed the volunteers at Dharasana and later met Gandhi in Yerwada Jail to secure his formal approval for women to join the struggle in a "big way." By leading massive processions of Khadi-clad women and advocating for the boycott of foreign cloth and liquor, her efforts contributed to a 70% decline in government revenue.

Kasturba’s role was deeply strategic and organisational. She fearlessly called for the revival of the Panchayati system to bypass British courts and urged the public to embrace the "war of truth and peace" through communal harmony and economic self-reliance. Whether presiding over the bonfire of foreign clothes in Navasari or leading a mile-long procession to Jallianwala Bagh, her heartfelt appeals in Hindustani left a deep imprint on the national psyche. By leading a final procession of 7,000 women in Gujarat, she proved capable of managing a revolutionary movement while expanding its social base.

The Rajkot Satyagraha of 1939 was another testament to her independent political intervention. When the ruler reneged on a reform agreement brokered by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kasturba insisted on intervening despite her failing health. Patel admitted he yielded only to her persistence, and Gandhi remained neutral, allowing her to follow her own conscience. Upon her arrival in Rajkot on February 3, 1939, she was arrested and placed in inhospitable custody at Tramba. Even when Gandhi later launched a fast in protest, Kasturba displayed remarkable spiritual stoicism, initially refusing release by stating that God would protect him, before eventually being freed on March 5 to support him.

When the Quit India Movement was launched on August 8, 1942, Gandhi was arrested before he could address a scheduled public meeting at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. In a bold act of leadership, Kasturba announced she would take his place. She too was arrested and interned at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. Her parting message to the women of India was a stirring call to action: "The women of India have to prove their mettle. They should all join in this struggle... Truth and non-violence must be our watchwords."

Her internment became a final ordeal of physical and emotional suffering. The death of Mahadev Desai in custody and Gandhi’s 21-day fast at age 73 dealt her a "mortal blow" of anxiety. Despite her deteriorating health and heart attacks, the British government rejected proposals for her release. Kasturba remained steadfast until her martyrdom in British custody on February 22, 1944, at the Aga Khan Palace.

Subhas Chandra Bose, paying tribute from abroad, underlined her sacrifice as a profound loss, paying a "humble tribute to the memory of that great lady who was a mother to the Indian people." He summarized her legacy by stating: "She was the ideal of Indian womanhood — strong, patient, silent, self-sufficient... an outstanding example to India’s daughters." Bose framed her passing as the ultimate act of defiance: "Kasturba has died a martyr’s death... She and her noble consort would rather die in prison than come out free in an enslaved India."

Kasturba’s journey, from the resistance in South Africa to her final leadership during the Quit India Movement, confirms that she was never a mere shadow of the Mahatma, but a highly dedicated leader who embraced a martyr’s death for the nation.

Acknowledgment

This is a revised version of Memorial Address delivered by the author in an online gathering organised by Gandhi Darshan Samity on February 22, 2026 coinciding with 81 st anniversary  of Kasturba Gandhi’s martyrdom. It was inaugurated by Shri V. C. Kabeer Master, President , Gandhi Darshan Samity, Kerala.

 

 Dr. Siby K. Joseph is  Director of Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and Research Centre for Gandhian Studies,Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Sevagram,Wardha- 442102,  Maharashtra  (INDIA.He is the author of the book Kasturba Gandhi: An Embodiment of Empowerment . 

Email: directorjbmlrc@gmail.com