Mahatma Gandhi 17 -A Habit Of Reading And Walking Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Mohandas who had never read newspapers
In his native town of Rajkot,
Cultivated the habit of reading
English newspapers during his stay in England!
He spent an hour reading three newspapers -
'The conservative Daily Telegraph,
The liberal Daily News and
The audacious Pall Mall Gazette.'

The newspapers carried different stories
With varied perspectives;
Like the tensions and issues
Between the boss and workers,
Between England and Ireland,
Many other political news and views!
Gandhi's vision opened out
Into an arena of public affairs!

Perhaps, a potential seed of interest
In Politics was ignited at this point in his life!
Nonetheless, a definite improvement
In English language was made!
When he boarded the ship to England
He had struggled to speak in English.
Gandhiji wrote: 'I had to frame every sentence
In my mind before I could bring it out.'

Another remarkable habit
Cultivated by Gandhiji during this period,
Besides reading books,
Magazines and newspapers was
To walk long distances!
He kept a strict watch over his living
And kept an account as well
Of every farthing that he spent!

He rented a suite,
Began to live
A life of rigid economy!
Initially, Gandhiji began to walk
To save fares!
But later, this habit of walking
Miles and miles became
A strong, determined way of life!

Gandhiji began enjoying his walks,
Reading, imbibing,
Slowly but steadily gaining confidence,
Closely observing the life around him.
Rajmohan Gandhi observes:
'He was enjoying the newspapers, and also
Alfred Harmsworth's ‘Answers to Correspondents',
Finding it ‘smutty but witty and very readable always.'