Gandhis Teachers Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta

Author(s): Satish Sharma
Publisher: Gujarat Vidyapith Ahmedabad

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Chapter 4
Gandhi and Rajchandra : Questions and Answers
This chapter presents Gandhi's posed questions to Rajchandra from South Africa and Rajchandra's responses to them from India. The context was Gandhi's extreme bewilderment when some of Gandhi's Christian and Muslim friends tried to convert him respectively to Christianity and Islam. Here is what transpired.
After finishing his studies in England, Gandhi returned to India in order to practice law and settle in the Gujarat province of India. Gandhi had little knowledge of Hindu and Muslim laws and the judicial system in India was corrupt. On these counts, Gandhi failed at practicing law. A Meman firm from Porbandar, Gujarat offered Gandhi the job of a legal assistant for one year at that time to help in their longstanding case in South Africa. Gandhi accepted the offer and soon started for South Africa.
Upon arrival in South Africa, Gandhi was received by Abdulla Dada, also known as Abdulla Seth. Abdulla Dada was a rich merchant and owner of Abdulla Dada and Co. He had retained a White attorney, Mr. A. W. Baker, to take care of the legal affairs of his firm. It was Mr. Baker who first tried to convert Gandhi to Christianity by emphasizing that it was impossible for anyone to find salvation unless one accepted Jesus as "the only son of God" and "the Savior of mankind."! Mr. Baker recommended that Gandhi should abandon his Vaishnava? Hindu religion and become a Christian. Later, Mr. Coates and the Plymouth Brethren, other Christian friends of Gandhi, also tried to convince Gandhi that salvation for him would be impossible unless he accepted Christianity and that
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