Mahatma Gandhi 18 - A Vegetarian Vow Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

For most Indians,
Who travel to western countries,
Specially, for the first time,
Food becomes a major problem!
The palate habituated to
Delicious Indian cuisine,
Spicy red chilly hot dishes,
Sweet savouries, piquant pickles,
Rice with a variety of vegetables
Marinated with turmeric, cumin and coriander,
Pulses, grains galore,
And a whole lot of tangy delicacies!

Gandhiji was like any other normal Indian,
Who enjoyed home cooked food,
And hailing from a place famed for the classic
Vegetarian 'Thali' of unbelievable variety of dishes,
Of sumptuous mouth watering food!
It is no surprise that Gandhi found it irksome
To eat bread day in and day out,
Slices that never really filled
Or ever satisfied the hungry stomach!
'Though a good eater possessing a capacious stomach,
Gandhiji felt it would go against etiquette
To ask for additional slices of bread!

Gandhiji had taken the ‘vegetarian vow'
Before his beloved mother;
It was even harder to sustain himself
Just with a single or two slices of bread.
Oatmeal porridge was manageable for breakfast,
But for lunch -just spinach
Again with two slices of bread,
Rather inadequate,
Meagre, scanty,
Least appetizing!
The monotony of eating same bland food,
Unappealing and unsatisfying!

Gandhiji shifted to West Kensington as a paying guest
With a landlady and her two daughters
Who had stayed in India for years,
Familiar with ways of Indian cooking.
Though Gandhiji managed to eat the vegetarian food
Cooked by them, yet, unfortunately, he could
Not relish the food as they could
Neither satisfy his palate,
Nor fill his stomach. Gandhiji wrote:
'But little did they know that nothing less
Than a loaf would have filled me'
And that he was too shy to ask for more bread!

Shukla - a family friend tried his very best
To rescue Gandhiji from the ‘vegetarian vow',
But the nineteen year old Mohandas was firm
And resisted every move or pressure that
Contradicted his ‘vegetarian vow'!
The more Shukla argued in favour of non-vegetarianism
The more uncompromising Gandhiji became.
Gandhiji even prayed to God for protection
To stick to his resolutions!
He felt a higher power was giving him strength.
Though Shukla persuaded Gandhiji to the best of his ability,
He completely failed in his mission to break his vows.

During one of the wanderings of Gandhiji
In the winter of 1988, far from West Kensington,
He chanced upon a vegetarian restaurant
In Farringdon street named ‘Central'.
The sight of the vegetarian restaurant
Filled him with much joy,
'Like a child feels on getting a thing after its own heart.'
At the Central, Gandhiji ate his first hearty meal
Since his arrival in England.
He relished his dinner,
With a feeling of deep gratitude
That at last! God had come to his aid!

While dining, Gandhiji's eyes fell
On a book displayed for sale entitled
'Plea for Vegetarianism' authored by Henry Salt.
He Purchased the book just for a shilling.
Thrilled to read it from cover to cover,
Delighted by its content,
Impressed by the author,
Fully convinced to become
A vegetarian by choice!
Gandhiji was so inspired by Salt's book,
He was determined to make it a mission and
To spread vegetarianism as a healthy way of life!

Later in life,
Gandhiji made several dietetic experiments,
Of which ‘Naturopathy'-
Healing the body in a natural way
Became a fundamental way of living!
Simple living,
Serene habits,
Sensible spending,
Sincere study
Serious reading,
Made Gandhiji a stickler for perfection
Monitoring a disciplined way of life!