The Story of My Experiments with Truth: A Study of Cultural Perspective on MK Gandhi’s Migration to South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the diasporic identity of MK Gandhi and explores the cultural perspective on his migration to South Africa in 1893. Gandhi became a significant Indian voice in late nineteenth century and he played a crucial role in confronting the harsh reality of racial discrimination against Indian community living in South Africa. His experiences as a migrant serve as a tool to analyse the nature of racial discrimination, racial hierarchies and diasporic identity. The historical information in the paper is drawn from MK Gandhi’s autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth, and Ramachandra Guha’s Gandhi Before India. MK Gandhi went through the similar kind of ordeals which ordinary Indians immigrants faced, he was also subjected to discrimination and prejudice due to his brown colour and Indian heritage. An examination of Gandhi’s encounter with the Africans, white colonizers, colonial authorities and white South Africans will shed a light on how culture and diasporic social setting served as a ground for his decision to stay there and fight for the rights of Indian communities in Africa. The Natal Indian Congress formed in 1894 provided him the platform to articulate and represent the Indian communities in South Africa. He used writing and speeches to raise awareness among the Indian communities so that they could voice their concerns and grievances. The study will also evaluate and analyse his social interaction with the migrant population and indentured labours. The study will bring forth the impact that the migration and immigration can have on an individual’s life. His migration to South Africa was supposed to be a short term but it lasted for 21 years. This paper aims to analyse how Gandhi’s cultural exchanges in the new country played a significant role in shaping the course of his entire life. As much as the experiences of new country altered him as a person, the new country is also indebted to his contribution in making the social fabric of South Africa more accomodative.