FIRST CONTACTS: THE BEGINNING OF GANDHI’S CORRESPONDENCE WITH ANAND HINGORANI, 1926–1930
A group of two letters from Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani, comprising:
Letter to Anand T Hingorani, The Ashram, Sabarmati, 3 June 1926.
Typed postcard signed in pencil, "M. K. Gandhi"; postcard format; addressed in manuscript to Anand T Hingorani, Larkana, Sindh; in English. Acknowledging receipt of Anand's correspondence and inviting him to resubmit questions contained in an earlier missing letter.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 35, Letter No. 404, p. 312.
Letter to Anand T Hingorani, Satyagraha Ashram, Sabarmati, 22 February 1930.
Autograph letter signed "Bapu" in black ink on paper; in English. Discussing Anand's domestic circumstances, his relationship with Vidya, and the need for patience, restraint and reconciliation within the family.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 48, Letter No. 349, pp. 336–337.
Preserved within its original Hingorani archival envelope, annotated by Anand T. Hingorani together these two letters were written between 1926 and 1930, constituting the earliest surviving correspondence between Mahatma Gandhi and Anand T Hingorani and documenting the beginning of a relationship that would continue until the final years of Gandhi's life.
The Making of a Disciple: Gandhi’s Earliest Letters to Anand T Hingorani
These letters preserve the earliest surviving stage of the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and Anand T Hingorani, one that would develop over the following two decades into a substantial personal correspondence encompassing family life, spiritual discipline, illness, bereavement, public service, and moral self-cultivation.
The first letter, written from Sabarmati Ashram on 3 June 1926, records Gandhi's response to a young correspondent from Sindh who had evidently sought guidance through a series of questions. Though brief, the letter reveals Gandhi's willingness to engage thoughtfully with individuals beyond the immediate circle of the Ashram. Inviting Anand to rewrite the contents of a misplaced letter, Gandhi assures him that he will endeavour to answer the questions raised, establishing at the outset a relationship founded on dialogue, inquiry, and personal guidance.
By February 1930, the correspondence had assumed a more personal character. Writing only weeks before the launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the historic Salt March, Gandhi addresses Anand's domestic concerns and offers counsel regarding his marriage to Vidya. The letter reflects a recurring theme that would characterise much of the subsequent correspondence: Gandhi's belief that personal relationships should rest upon patience, self-restraint, and respect for individual conscience. Advising Anand not to pressure his wife into any course of action, he insists that her decisions must arise from her own free will, a principle that mirrored his wider commitment to moral persuasion rather than coercion.
The letters also introduce Gandhi in a role often overshadowed by his public stature—that of counsellor, mentor, and trusted adviser. Throughout the Hingorani correspondence, he would repeatedly guide Anand and his family through questions of marriage, livelihood, health, service, faith, and personal conduct, bringing the principles he advocated in public life into the sphere of everyday experience.
“Take no hasty step and do not try to coax your wife to come. If she comes she must do so of her own absolutely free will.”
Viewed in retrospect, these letters mark the beginning of a correspondence that continued until the final months of Gandhi's life and grew into one of the most substantial personal Gandhi archives to survive in private hands. They document the development of a relationship of unusual trust, through which Gandhi became an important mentor and adviser to Anand T Hingorani. As the opening chapter of the archive, the letters provide valuable insight into the origins of a correspondence that would span more than 20 years and illuminate the personal dimensions of Gandhi's relationships with those in his close circle.
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 two letters from Mahatma Gandhi to Anand T Hingorani, comprising:
Letter to Anand T Hingorani, The Ashram, Sabarmati, 3 June 1926.
Typed postcard signed in pencil, "M. K. Gandhi"; postcard format; addressed in manuscript to Anand T Hingorani, Larkana, Sindh; in English. Acknowledging receipt of Anand's correspondence and inviting him to resubmit questions contained in an earlier missing letter.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 35, Letter No. 404, p. 312.
Letter to Anand T Hingorani, Satyagraha Ashram, Sabarmati, 22 February 1930.
Autograph letter signed "Bapu" in black ink on paper; in English. Discussing Anand's domestic circumstances, his relationship with Vidya, and the need for patience, restraint and reconciliation within the family.
Published in Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 48, Letter No. 349, pp. 336–337.
Preserved within its original Hingorani archival envelope, annotated by Anand T. Hingorani together these two letters were written between 1926 and 1930, constituting the earliest surviving correspondence between Mahatma Gandhi and Anand T Hingorani and documenting the beginning of a relationship that would continue until the final years of Gandhi's life.
The Making of a Disciple: Gandhi’s Earliest Letters to Anand T Hingorani
These letters preserve the earliest surviving stage of the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and Anand T Hingorani, one that would develop over the following two decades into a substantial personal correspondence encompassing family life, spiritual discipline, illness, bereavement, public service, and moral self-cultivation.
The first letter, written from Sabarmati Ashram on 3 June 1926, records Gandhi's response to a young correspondent from Sindh who had evidently sought guidance through a series of questions. Though brief, the letter reveals Gandhi's willingness to engage thoughtfully with individuals beyond the immediate circle of the Ashram. Inviting Anand to rewrite the contents of a misplaced letter, Gandhi assures him that he will endeavour to answer the questions raised, establishing at the outset a relationship founded on dialogue, inquiry, and personal guidance.
By February 1930, the correspondence had assumed a more personal character. Writing only weeks before the launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the historic Salt March, Gandhi addresses Anand's domestic concerns and offers counsel regarding his marriage to Vidya. The letter reflects a recurring theme that would characterise much of the subsequent correspondence: Gandhi's belief that personal relationships should rest upon patience, self-restraint, and respect for individual conscience. Advising Anand not to pressure his wife into any course of action, he insists that her decisions must arise from her own free will, a principle that mirrored his wider commitment to moral persuasion rather than coercion.
The letters also introduce Gandhi in a role often overshadowed by his public stature—that of counsellor, mentor, and trusted adviser. Throughout the Hingorani correspondence, he would repeatedly guide Anand and his family through questions of marriage, livelihood, health, service, faith, and personal conduct, bringing the principles he advocated in public life into the sphere of everyday experience.
“Take no hasty step and do not try to coax your wife to come. If she comes she must do so of her own absolutely free will.”
Viewed in retrospect, these letters mark the beginning of a correspondence that continued until the final months of Gandhi's life and grew into one of the most substantial personal Gandhi archives to survive in private hands. They document the development of a relationship of unusual trust, through which Gandhi became an important mentor and adviser to Anand T Hingorani. As the opening chapter of the archive, the letters provide valuable insight into the origins of a correspondence that would span more than 20 years and illuminate the personal dimensions of Gandhi's relationships with those in his close circle.
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.