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VOL. 56 : 16 JUNE, 1932 - 4 SEPTEMBER, 193
1
1. LETTER TO PARASRAM MEHROTRA
[Before June 16, 1932]1
CHI. PARASRAM,

Judging from your letter the children seem to have made good progress. You speed with thetakli is also good. Do give half an hour daily to it; if you can in what time spin 160 rounds, nothing can be better than that. What does kule ki haddi2 mean? The wordKula is not to be found in the Hindi Dictionary. Why did theh a d d i get swollen? Has the swelling subsided now? If it has not, you must take immediate steps to cure it.

The replies to the questions which you have put to Mahadev are:

1. I consider a minimum of half an hour\u2019s walk morning and evening essential for you and others. It is not necessary to sit in one position for more than an hour. One should stand up for a minute at least, or change the posture.

2. It is natural that a mother should desire to see her son, but every mother ought to restrain such a with and, if the son is engaged in some activity of service, he must cure his mother of such attachment.

3. When a son goes abroad and lives in a foreign country for ten years, his mother has no choice but to bear the separation. There are innumerable poor mothers in India who possibly never again see the face of their son after he has gone out to earn a living. One may console the mother through a letter, and cheer her as much as one can by reasoning with her and citing other similar instances.

4. At the moment my heart has become as hard as stone so that the incidents in Bombay may have affected me, if at all, only unconsciously, and I am not aware that they have. I felt sad for a while but I think I have quietened down after that.

BAPU
From a photostat of the Gujarati: G.N. 7481. Also C.W. 4956. Courtesy:
Parasram Mehrotra
1 The date is inferred from the reference to the swelling of the hip-bone;v i d e
\u201cLetter to parasram Mehrotra\u201d, 16-6-1932.
2Hi p - b o n e
2
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI
2. LETTER TO C.F. ANDREWS
June 16, 1932
MY DEAR CHARLIE,

I have your letter and your scribble under Agatha\u2019s letter. I am following your movement in so far as it is reported in the papers here, but even without the assistance of the papers I can picture to myself what you are doing.1 I do hope that your Chinese mission2 will be successful. Do please send our love to the good Dean of Canterbury when you write to him. I wonder how long he is going to be there. Has he any companion with him? How is it we have not yet got your latest book3? I see that the first edition was sold outright.

Love from us all.
MOHAN
From a photostat: G.N. 974
3. LETTER TO MIRABEHN
Unrevised
June 16, 1932
CHI. MIRA,
Your letter4 came in only today.

I am glad you have left Damodardas\u2019s roof. It is ominous that there is no letter from him as yet. Let us hope that he will do nothing shady and that (he) has done nothing of the kind. I have always held a high opinion of him. It will distress me to find otherwise.

I have no doubt you will make sure that Shantabai is not
embarrassed in any way by harbouring you.

Yes, I have been saltless since Sunday. As the doctors removed the splints and found that there was no relief from their use, I immediately thought of you and knew that you would be more at ease if I gave up salt. It was no deprivation to me and so I stopped it at once. It meant giving up the loaf and going to chapati. Whether it was the chapati or the absence of salt, the bowels became looser than I would care. Therefore from yesterday I have been on grapes,

1 The addressee was trying for reconciliation between the Congress leaders and
the British Government by personally interviewing Lord Irwin, Lord Sankey, Sir
Samuel Hoare and Ramsay MacDonald.
2 To the flood-stricken areas of China in company with the Dean of Canterbury
3 What I Owe to Christ
VOL. 56 : 16 JUNE, 1932 - 4 SEPTEMBER, 193
3

mangoes and a vegetable. This at once put the bowels right, though not absolutely. I would, therefore, continue the chapatiless and almondless diet for a little longer and watch the result. I was weighed yesterday and had lost 11/2 Ib., nothing to grumble about. Strength is maintained. The condition of saltless ought not to mean reversion to milk. If I revert to milk and the pain in the elbow disappears, the disappearance will justly be attributed to milk. If in spite of milk, the pain does not leave the elbow and does after giving up salt, the experiment may be claimed to have succeeded. Dr. Mehta is positive that there is nothing organically wrong and that the only thing required is rest for the affected part. This I am giving so far as the wheel is concerned. Anyway, having taken up the saltless, I shall watch its other effects and take to milk if need be. I am watching myself carefully. There is, therefore, not be slightest cause for anxiety. The system is quite good in every other respect. As Vallabhbhai rightly says. if there was anything organically wrong, the mischief should spread to the other parts of the body. I am not repeating all these details in my letter to the Ashram, since you let them see what I write you.

I understand what you say about your activity. I shall see if I
can make use of the information.

I suppose you know that Devdas is down with fever. The telegram received says there is nothing serious. I have wired for more particulars. And Manilal, Sushila, their daughter and Pragji were all down with that deadly malaria. But they seem to have escaped with extreme weakness. There is a splendid passage in Sir James Jeans\u2019 book: \u201cLife is a progress towards Death.\u201d Another reading may be: Life is a preparation for Death! And somehow or other we quail to think of that inevitable and grand event. It is grand even regarded as a preparation for a better life than the past, as it should be for everyone who this to live in the fear of God.

Remember me to Shantabai. Of course, you will be seeing Damodardas often and help him with your advice. Is Keshav1 there? What does he say? Ask him to write to me fully.

Love from us all.
BAPU
[PS.]In the envelope you will admire Vallabhbhai\u2019s art.
From the original: C.W. 6225. Courtesy Mirabehn. Also G.N. 9691
1 Son of Maganlal Gandhi
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