When Gandhiji entered the palace, the leopard welcomed him!

- Oil painting in Parliament prepared by Bhavnagar Raja (above). Neelam Bagh Palace, Bhavnagar State Pet Leopards and the then Shamaldas College.

The costume of that time of young Mohandas and the journey to Kathiawadi

December 10, 1917

Barrister Gandhi, who had hoisted the flag as an advocate and activist in Africa, returned to India. They were moving around to know and understand the country. He had an old and basic relationship with Bhavnagar. If he had seen any big city except Rajkot in his childhood years after his birth in Porbandar, it was Bhavnagar. But he was 19 years old. Now after 3 monsoons, they were setting foot in Bhavnagar again.

They reached Bhavgarh on the seventh day. But on the tenth, Gandhiji along with his old colleague Prabhashankar Pattani reached Bhavnagar to meet Maharaj Bhavsinh II. Bhavsinhji, Gandhiji, Prabhashankar etc. were studying one standard back and forth. So Shamaldas was his introduction to the college days.

Gandhiji returned to Africa-England. Traveling around the globe can be a daunting task. Many had returned, so many had set foot on the threshold. But as soon as he entered the gates of the magnificent palace called Nilambagh, a whole new experience was waiting for him. Before the Raj's servants came to welcome Gandhiji, they saw leopards walking in the bean field. That view was completely new to Gandhiji. It is not surprising if cows and buffaloes are tied in the beans or elephants and horses are swinging. But here there were leopards.

Gandhiji was probably not afraid of it, along with Prabhashankar Pattani. A leopard looked at the newcomer and roared lightly. Gandhiji turned the leopard and entered the room. Maharaja Bhavsinh (II) was waiting for him there.

The rulers of Bhavnagar were fond of the art of hunting by the so-called cheetahs. Leopards were specially ordered from Africa and trained for months to prepare them to work at the behest of leopards. After the leopards, the king and the people were present to watch the entertainment as the deer chased the deer in the grassy plains. The practice of cheetah was also practiced in Bikaner, Vadodara and other states. The kingdoms went, the leopards went and now the leopards also left the country.

The art of cheetah is well known, but Gandhiji's brief visit to the cheetah is something new. Bhavgarh historian Gambhirsinh Gohil has recorded this incident in his book on Gandhiji 'Mahatma: Journey to Swaraj and Companions of Saurashtra'. The book describes Gandhiji's relationship with Sorath as the name suggests.

After passing through the gate of the leopard, Gandhiji reached inside and started talking to the Maharaja. The Maharaja was accompanied by Maharani Nandkunwarba. The Maharaja was really Prajavatsal and that is why he was ready to walk in front of Gandhiji and meet him. But Gandhiji said that I studied in Bhavnagar Raj, so the king here is also considered my king. I should go meet him ...

Africa is the land of the leopard where Gandhiji came after two and a half decades of advocacy-satyagraha. But Ram knows whether Gandhiji got a gift of a leopard there. Leopards are predatory organisms. Gandhiji was amazed that such a violent animal is sitting here in Bhavnagar Raj with its tail pressed. That is why during the visit, he said in a conversation: 'I was practicing non-violence, non-violence in South Africa, but the prince Bhavsinhji of Bhavnagar has made non-violent even the leopards non-violent. Seeing that, my chest swells. I learned a new lesson today. '

What is Shamaldas College?

The magnificent building of Shamaldas Arts College stands in the Waghwadi area of ​​Bhavnagar. When it came time for Gandhiji to go to college, there were two or three colleges in West India in the 19th century and one of them was Shamaldas of Bhavnagar. The other college was as far away as Mumbai. Shamaldas was selected to study Mohandas to save time and money.

Since Gandhiji studied in it, it is not surprising that the college is now considered historic. But the question is that Gandhiji studied in the same college that appears today?

No. It was not a college then. Of course the name was Shamaldas, but the building was different. Gambhir Singh, who has been the principal of Shamaldas College, has shed light on this strange thing.

Is. It was the year of 19. At that time, train services were just beginning in Saurashtra. Bhavnagar and Gondal states laid the railway line to Jetpur. An eighteen-year-old man with a dhoti, a long coat and a turban was running to the Jetpur railway station with a bundle on his head. His train to Bhavnagar was leaving. The youth had to come in Abbubakar Jamali's camel car to reach Jetpur from Rajkot. Leaving Jetpur by train and reaching Bhavnagar in the morning, he was able to get off in the room of Ramji temple with the help of the priest of Jashonath temple.

In the morning, walking along the banks of Gangajalia lake in front of Jashonath temple, I found the college sitting in a few rooms of the building in front of the side wall of Alfred High School. And in the following years, the college became famous all over the world because of the young man's education in this college. That young man is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and the college is Shamaldas College in Bhavnagar.

But what appears today is not Shamaldas College. Shalamdas College, known as Dewan Shamaldas Parmanand Mehta, was established in 19th century. After that the college was run in a total of 6 buildings. The building that appears today is the third building. At the very beginning the college ran in the Alfred High School building. After that she used to sit in College Majiraj Girls High School till 12. At that time Gandhiji studied there. It is expected that after completing college, he will have studied for 3 years.

But Gandhiji was in fact educated here for only one session. Entered on 19th January, left on 15th June. During this time he also got the opportunity to study with an ardent scholar like Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi, the composer of the first Gujarati ghazal. Although Gandhiji's focus was not special in teaching, he failed in four subjects!

The Shamaldas College which is today started in 19, when Gandhiji became a lawyer and flew to Africa to fight the case.

The first successful case

The first case in which Gandhiji succeeded as a lawyer was that of Varal Bhayat. He returned from Britain in 181 as a barrister and practiced law in Mumbai-Rajkot. Meanwhile, he received a case from Bhavnagar sub-division.

In the royal era, the king's younger brother was known as Bhayat. They were allowed to rule some of the villages so that the expenses could be borne. Harisinh of the royal family of Bhavnagar was assigned the village of Varal. That is, Harisinh was Bhayal of Varal. But the village was also occupied by others. The case reached the court, but the verdict was not in favor of the real owner Harisinh. Barrister Mr. Gandhi took up the case on the 19th.

After studying the case, 9-year-old Gandhiji prepared a 16-page paper on July 17, 19. The draft was passed on to the Governor of Mumbai, who had the final say. The result was that the Garcિયાas, who had been suing the village before the verdict, reached a settlement. Of course, a complete compromise took time. But this was the first case taken by Gandhiji in which his client got justice. They succeeded in giving Asil his right.

Gift of Bhavnagar Maharaj

The Parliament is adorned with gigantic portraits of many dignitaries of India. President Rajendra Prasad also unveiled a gigantic portrait of Gandhiji in Parliament on 9th August. The picture was a gift from Bhavnagar Raj. The picture was prepared by the rare prince Krishnakumar Singh and his Dewan Prabhashankar Pattani, who first set foot in the kingdom at the time of the merger, with Oswald Birley.

If you want to make a good picture, you have to constantly sit in front of the painter. Prabhashankar was also present when he went to England for the Round Table Conference. Gandhiji-Prabhashankar had a close friendship. So Prabhashankar went to the famous painter Birli and made an arrangement. On the other hand, Gandhiji was also persuaded. Gandhiji used to go to Oswald for an hour every day and stand still. Based on that, it became a wonderful picture. The picture was ready in the 19th century.

Prabhashankar, who could look far into the future, closed the picture in a special box and made it reach India. Saved. In 18, when Prabhashankar felt that the end was near, he called his son Anantraya and asked him to present this picture in the Legislative Assembly when he got freedom ...

Advising first, then taking advice

It was a time when even in an unfamiliar city there could be trouble without an identity-recommendation. Gandhiji was going across the sea to England to study. That is why Dr. Pranajivan Mehta, a native of Morbi and settled in England, was introduced so that there would be no trouble. A letter of recommendation on Pranajivan Mehta was also given from here.

Arriving in London, Mohandas met Dr. Mehta. Pranajivan Mehta was the young Gandhi's mentor in the unfamiliar world of London. Gandhiji wrote in his autobiography about the guidance he received: Dr. Mehta came at seven or eight o'clock. He made a loving joke.

I inadvertently lifted M's silk hat to look at it and turned my hand over it. So the fur of the hat stood up. Dr. Mehta saw. Immediately stopped me ... 'Dr. Mehta explained to Gandhiji that no one else's thing should be done here without his permission, that the questions that can be asked when one is acquainted with someone in Hindustan should not be asked here, should not be shouted louder than talking .. etc.

Times have changed. Mohandas, a student who went to study in England, became world leader Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji's ideological development took place. Then Dr. Mehta took Gandhiji's advice. At one point Dr. Mehta was advising Gandhiji. Pranajivan Mehta had given advice to Gandhiji in 190 years ago that the tax on salt should be opposed even though the Dandi march took place in 180 years!