His View: Gandhi, activist women, and the power of fasting

Last week the world celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi, widely known as the Mahatma, the Great Soul. I would like to take this opportunity to write about Gandhi’s relationship with women, and his praise for their power, courage and general commitment to nonviolence.

In his autobiography Gandhi praised his mother for her saintliness, and one of her practices was long fasts, which sometimes lasted for weeks. Gandhi transformed the Hindu practice of spiritual fasting into a political tool — some have called it a weapon — to convince the British to leave India.

Few people are aware of the fact that British suffragettes were the principal inspiration for Gandhi’s 14 political fasts. He wrote: “The brave women of England are continuing their campaign. Their courage and their capacity for suffering are inexhaustible.” He believed that “women are more self-sacrificing, have greater powers of endurance, and have greater courage.”

When some suffragettes resorted to violence and arson, Gandhi condemned these actions: “If demoralized by suffering they take to extreme measures and resort to violence, they will lose whatever sympathy they have won and set the people against themselves.”

In 1913, inspired by the suffragettes, Gandhi ate only one meal a day for 20 weeks, and he encouraged his followers to do the same. At the time he was engaged in improving conditions for Indian indentured servants in South Africa.

Gandhi organized a long march to the capital Pretoria, and for the first time ever Indian women participated in political action and they, including Gandhi’s wife Kasturba, were imprisoned along with the men.

There are some interesting differences between Gandhi and the suffragettes. Under duress only by his own conscience, he staged his fasts outside of prison and fully on his own terms. When charged with an offense, he shamed judges by admitting that he had broken the law, and he always insisted on taking the maximum jail sentence.

Gandhi appeared to enjoy his many incarcerations, entertaining visitors when allowed, and catching up on his reading and correspondence. He would never have put himself in the humiliating position of being force-fed.

The best-known American activist to employ political fasting was Caesar Chavez, but little known is the 37-day fast by seven brave women to convince the Illinois Legislature to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. It was June 1982, and it was the seventh attempt by pro-ERA legislators, but they failed to attain the necessary three-fifths vote.

The women, dressed in white with purple sashes, sat in in the capitol’s gallery under the banner “Women Hunger for Justice.” They were led by Sonia Johnson, who had been excommunicated from the Mormon Church for her feminist beliefs. As they ended their water-only fast and toasting with grape juice, Johnson declared: “Perhaps we have lost a battle, but we know we are going to win the war.”

Gandhi’s supporters and attending doctors were always concerned for his health (he was near death many times), and the ERA fasters also endured severe suffering. As the Washington Post reported: “Johnson was hospitalized three times and had to use a wheelchair, while her protege Zoe Nicholson temporarily lost her eyesight. Mary Ann Beall was hospitalized with a collapsed lung.”

Illinois finally ratified the ERA in 2018 after Nevada did so in 2017, and only one more state is needed. Idaho ratified the amendment in 1972, but it followed four other states in rescinding their decisions later. Most legal experts believe that these votes are illegal.

The best and most succinct reason for ratification comes from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg: “I would like to be able to take out my pocket Constitution and say that the equal citizenship stature of men and women is a fundamental tenet of our society like free speech.”

UI Professor Emeritus Nick Gier can be reached at ngier006@gmail.com. Read excerpts from his book on Gandhi at webpages.uidaho.edu/ngier/vnv.htm.