The Danish Peace Academy

GANDHI AND NORDIC COUNTRIES

Collected by E. S. Reddy - EReddy@aol.com and Holger Terp

Letter, September 6, 1934

September 6, 1934

My dear child,

I held up your letter all these days in the hope of being able to send the answer myself. But I must deny myself that pleasure and dictate this letter if I am to overtake the arrears.

If proof were needed God is proving for me His greatness and goodness every day. You remember the hymn “Count your many blessings.” I think it is in Moody and Sankey’s Hymn Book. I can’t even count the blessings, they are so many. For even the so-called sorrows and pains He sends descend like blessings. If we knew His love, we should know that He has nothing but blessings - and never curses - for His creation.

I hope Tangai is quite free and both the children are flourishing. You must have now received the spinning-wheel. I hope that Menon is well-settled.

I am flourishing.178 My weight has gone up from 94 to 101 lb. I am going through a fair amount of work and taking regular exercise.

Mira is doing good work in London. She expects to be back in October. Andrews was here for over a week and he has now gone to Simla. He will come once more to Wardha before sailing, most probably on the 6th October, for London. He was looking quite well. He has brought a Welsh blacksmith with him from South Africa. Mr. Jones, that is his name, has recently joined the Oxford movement and considers himself a changed man. We all liked him very much. When Andrews goes to England, he will go back to South Africa.

Pyarelal and Mahadev are here. Ba has gone with Ramdas to Sabarmati where Ramdas is to have rest and cure for his ailment. Devdas was here for a few days. He left yesterday for Bombay. He is likely to come back for the Working Committee meeting on the 8th. This, you will admit, is a fair family budget of news. You must write more regularly than you have hitherto done. I don’t expect to move from Wardha yet for some time.179

With love to you all,

Bapu

Mrs. Esther Menon

Tanjore180

Source: My Dear Child, pages 106-07; Collected Works, Volume 58, pages 413-14

178 Gandhi undertook a fast from 7 to 14 August as a “penance for intolerance” when a member of the Harijan uplift movement attacked an opponent with a club.

179 Gandhi left the ashram at Sabarmati after his release from prison and moved to an ashram at Wardha in central India before settling at Segaon (Sevagram) near Wardha.

180 Dr. Menon found employment in the government hospital in Tanjore.

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