FAITH DOES NOT COME FROM REASON
A group of four letters addressed to Anand T Hingorani between November 1930 and July 1931, concerning economic self-sufficiency, faith, personal discipline, pessimism, health, nature-cure treatment, family reconciliation, and the care of Vidya Hingorani.
Comprising:
Letter No. 364, to Anand T Hingorani, Yeravda Mandir, 22 November 1930.
Paper; front and back; English; handwritten in black ink; autograph letter signed "Bapu".
A substantial philosophical letter addressing Hingorani's continuing concern that he was not truly supporting himself. Gandhi rejects this view, insisting that honest labour performed in service constitutes an earned livelihood and not charity. The letter develops into a wider reflection on humility, faith, and the cultivation of a proper relationship with God. Gandhi also urges Anand to maintain respectful correspondence with his father despite signs of coldness or estrangement.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 50, Letter No. 364, p. 255.
Letter No. 437, to Anand T Hingorani, Yeravda Mandir, 11 December 1930.
Paper; front and back; English; handwritten in black ink; autograph letter signed "Bapu"; concerning treatment for constipation.
Gandhi responds to Hingorani's concerns regarding health and recommends dietary remedies, including leafy vegetables, tomatoes and stewed French plums. The letter reflects Gandhi's early preference for dietary and natural methods of treatment.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 50, Letter No. 437, p. 311.
Letter No. 475, to Anand T Hingorani, Borsad, 17 June 1931.
Paper; two pages; English; typed letter signed in black ink "Bapu"; concerning Vidya Hingorani's health and family relations.
One of the most important letters in the lot. Gandhi discusses Anand's relationship with his father, reflects on economic independence and family obligations, comments extensively upon Vidya's health, and strongly recommends treatment under a nature-cure specialist. He also rebukes Anand's recurring pessimism, describing it as ingratitude towards the opportunities that life has provided.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 52, Letter No. 475, pp. 347–348.
Letter No. 16, to Anand T Hingorani, Borsad, 4 July 1931.
Paper; English; dictated letter signed in black ink, "Bapu"; concerning nature-cure treatment for Vidya Hingorani.
Gandhi urges immediate attention to Vidya's worsening condition and recommends treatment under a Poona-based nature cure practitioner. Referring to the successful treatment of Dr Behramji Khambatta, Gandhi expresses confidence in natural healing methods and advises Anand not to delay medical intervention.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 53, Letter No. 16, p. 16.
Four letters signed "Bapu", comprising autograph and dictated correspondence in English written between November 1930 and July 1931, documenting Gandhi's guidance on economic self-reliance, faith, family relationships, health, and the increasingly serious illness of Vidya Hingorani.
What You Are Getting Is Not a Donation: Gandhi on Work, Self-Reliance and Faith
This group of four letters illustrates Gandhi's role as mentor, counsellor and moral guide within the circle of associates who surrounded him during the Civil Disobedience movement. Written between November 1930 and July 1931, the correspondence shows how questions of family life, financial responsibility, health and personal conduct became occasions for ethical reflection and practical advice.
At the centre of the exchange is Anand T Hingorani, a young nationalist whose correspondence with Gandhi frequently addressed family life, financial responsibility, health and spiritual development. Gandhi presents these concerns as integral to a life of service.
The earliest letter in the group addresses Anand’s continuing anxiety regarding self-support and dependence upon others. Gandhi rejects what he regards as excessive sensitivity on the subject and emphasises humility, faith and trust in divine purpose. In one of the passages of the correspondence, he reminds Anand that faith arises through belief and experience, urging him to recognise both human frailty and the divine presence within.
The second letter shifts to physical health, illustrating Gandhi’s lifelong interest in diet and natural methods of treatment. Practical advice concerning food, digestion and bodily discipline appears alongside expressions of personal affection, reflecting Gandhi’s conviction that care of the body formed part of a broader programme of self-mastery.
Particularly significant are the letters of June and July 1931, which concern Vidya Hingorani’s health and Anand’s recurring tendency towards pessimism. Gandhi discusses nature-cure treatment, dietary regimes and recovery, while encouraging Anand to reject feelings of misfortune and inadequacy. He reminds him that self-pity is incompatible with gratitude and that those who have been given opportunities for service carry an obligation to cultivate hope.
These letters reveal Gandhi's role as mentor and moral guide within his personal circle. They show that he regarded the formation of character as inseparable from the pursuit of national freedom, treating faith, health, discipline and family relationships as integral to the constructive programme he sought to build. Although they lack the dramatic political context of some later letters in the archive, they offer a rare insight into Gandhi's efforts to shape the lives of those closest to him in accordance with the principles he advocated publicly.
“What you are getting is not a donation; it is what you earn.”
These letters illuminate Gandhi's sustained effort to cultivate character among those closest to him. For Gandhi, the path to swaraj began with the mastery of fear, the discipline of the body, the acceptance of responsibility and the strengthening of faith. The concerns addressed here—health, family, self-reliance, gratitude and service—formed part of the ethical discipline he believed essential to both personal and public life.
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as a reference for the condition of each lot.
A group of four letters addressed to Anand T Hingorani between November 1930 and July 1931, concerning economic self-sufficiency, faith, personal discipline, pessimism, health, nature-cure treatment, family reconciliation, and the care of Vidya Hingorani.
Comprising:
Letter No. 364, to Anand T Hingorani, Yeravda Mandir, 22 November 1930.
Paper; front and back; English; handwritten in black ink; autograph letter signed "Bapu".
A substantial philosophical letter addressing Hingorani's continuing concern that he was not truly supporting himself. Gandhi rejects this view, insisting that honest labour performed in service constitutes an earned livelihood and not charity. The letter develops into a wider reflection on humility, faith, and the cultivation of a proper relationship with God. Gandhi also urges Anand to maintain respectful correspondence with his father despite signs of coldness or estrangement.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 50, Letter No. 364, p. 255.
Letter No. 437, to Anand T Hingorani, Yeravda Mandir, 11 December 1930.
Paper; front and back; English; handwritten in black ink; autograph letter signed "Bapu"; concerning treatment for constipation.
Gandhi responds to Hingorani's concerns regarding health and recommends dietary remedies, including leafy vegetables, tomatoes and stewed French plums. The letter reflects Gandhi's early preference for dietary and natural methods of treatment.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 50, Letter No. 437, p. 311.
Letter No. 475, to Anand T Hingorani, Borsad, 17 June 1931.
Paper; two pages; English; typed letter signed in black ink "Bapu"; concerning Vidya Hingorani's health and family relations.
One of the most important letters in the lot. Gandhi discusses Anand's relationship with his father, reflects on economic independence and family obligations, comments extensively upon Vidya's health, and strongly recommends treatment under a nature-cure specialist. He also rebukes Anand's recurring pessimism, describing it as ingratitude towards the opportunities that life has provided.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 52, Letter No. 475, pp. 347–348.
Letter No. 16, to Anand T Hingorani, Borsad, 4 July 1931.
Paper; English; dictated letter signed in black ink, "Bapu"; concerning nature-cure treatment for Vidya Hingorani.
Gandhi urges immediate attention to Vidya's worsening condition and recommends treatment under a Poona-based nature cure practitioner. Referring to the successful treatment of Dr Behramji Khambatta, Gandhi expresses confidence in natural healing methods and advises Anand not to delay medical intervention.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 53, Letter No. 16, p. 16.
Four letters signed "Bapu", comprising autograph and dictated correspondence in English written between November 1930 and July 1931, documenting Gandhi's guidance on economic self-reliance, faith, family relationships, health, and the increasingly serious illness of Vidya Hingorani.
What You Are Getting Is Not a Donation: Gandhi on Work, Self-Reliance and Faith
This group of four letters illustrates Gandhi's role as mentor, counsellor and moral guide within the circle of associates who surrounded him during the Civil Disobedience movement. Written between November 1930 and July 1931, the correspondence shows how questions of family life, financial responsibility, health and personal conduct became occasions for ethical reflection and practical advice.
At the centre of the exchange is Anand T Hingorani, a young nationalist whose correspondence with Gandhi frequently addressed family life, financial responsibility, health and spiritual development. Gandhi presents these concerns as integral to a life of service.
The earliest letter in the group addresses Anand’s continuing anxiety regarding self-support and dependence upon others. Gandhi rejects what he regards as excessive sensitivity on the subject and emphasises humility, faith and trust in divine purpose. In one of the passages of the correspondence, he reminds Anand that faith arises through belief and experience, urging him to recognise both human frailty and the divine presence within.
The second letter shifts to physical health, illustrating Gandhi’s lifelong interest in diet and natural methods of treatment. Practical advice concerning food, digestion and bodily discipline appears alongside expressions of personal affection, reflecting Gandhi’s conviction that care of the body formed part of a broader programme of self-mastery.
Particularly significant are the letters of June and July 1931, which concern Vidya Hingorani’s health and Anand’s recurring tendency towards pessimism. Gandhi discusses nature-cure treatment, dietary regimes and recovery, while encouraging Anand to reject feelings of misfortune and inadequacy. He reminds him that self-pity is incompatible with gratitude and that those who have been given opportunities for service carry an obligation to cultivate hope.
These letters reveal Gandhi's role as mentor and moral guide within his personal circle. They show that he regarded the formation of character as inseparable from the pursuit of national freedom, treating faith, health, discipline and family relationships as integral to the constructive programme he sought to build. Although they lack the dramatic political context of some later letters in the archive, they offer a rare insight into Gandhi's efforts to shape the lives of those closest to him in accordance with the principles he advocated publicly.
“What you are getting is not a donation; it is what you earn.”
These letters illuminate Gandhi's sustained effort to cultivate character among those closest to him. For Gandhi, the path to swaraj began with the mastery of fear, the discipline of the body, the acceptance of responsibility and the strengthening of faith. The concerns addressed here—health, family, self-reliance, gratitude and service—formed part of the ethical discipline he believed essential to both personal and public life.
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as a reference for the condition of each lot.