Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his Ashram or village community at Sabarmati.

Founded, in co-operation with her sister Miss Doris Lester, Kingsley Hall, named in memory of their brother, for the service of the poorer people of the East End of London. Gandhiji stayed there during his visit to London in 1931. Miss Lester visited India several times since 1926 and has traveled extensively all over the world on lecturing tours and investigation surveys. Works include: ‘My Host the Hindu’, ‘Entertaining Gandhi’, ‘Gandhi-World Citizen’, ‘Gandhi’s Signature’, It Occurred to Me’, ‘It so happened’.It is thirty years since I first met Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his Ashram or village community at Sabarmati. It was his birthday and a thousand others had come from far and near to wish him well. They departed that night. I was lucky enough to stay a month.I had been working since the beginning of the century in the East End of London, one of a strictly disciplined group who held Non-Violence to be an essential part of the Christian programme. You may imagine what it meant to this tiny and much ridiculed minority group when we first heard about Gandhiji. Here was an Indian leader not only convinced, as we were, that Non-Violence was the only means of attaining peace, justice and independence, but whose public pronouncements and practice of the doctrine were becoming front page news in the world’s press.All day long from far and near people would come to him at the Ashram with questions to get a remedy for their ailments (for he loved playing the role of doctor) or to get a renewal of confidence, sometimes perhaps just to relish his ever ready humour.At 4 o’clock each morning we all went to prayer. Of course I could not understand what was said or sung but I used my own familiar forms, and the Spirit of God upheld us all.Can you picture the scene? A tiny silver crescent mounting up from the horizon, behind a serene figure seated on the ground, facing a hundred of us, as we rededicated ourselves to the service of the poorest and the practice of the presence of God.Gandhi’s rule about possessions was quite positive. “If you have more than you need while others have less than they need, you are a thief.” Gandhi only possessed his 5/- watch, his fountain pen and his walking stick. On my last visit to him, shortly before his death, I noticed he was using an ink pot and a cheap pen. “Where’s you fountain pen?” I demanded. Gandhi looked up with that characteristic, quick, interested gesture of his and said rather ruefully, “I’m afraid it was stolen. Of course someone at once gave me another. But when that too disappeared, I realized that having an expensive pen was causing others to do wrong. I find this wooden one perfectly satisfactory.”…This was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi the great, historic figure who gained freedom for India and prepared it to play its new role in world affairs. But I and countless others, remember him as a deeply human, compassionate, humour-loving man, and a dear personal friend.