Third Class in Indian Railways (Classic Reprint) Paperback – July 19, 2012

A classic collection of six published papers of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1916 and 1917, over a variety of subjects like 1) His personal experience during his travel in 3rd Class compartment of the then Indian Railways, 2)Importance of Vernacularism and mother tongue in medium of instruction with classic world examples of any country with a rich cultural heritage, 3) His own ideology of Swadeshi movement and its impact on self sustenance of local skill sets and its protection from foreign economic invasion, 4)Ahimsa, as mode of highly evolved mental state of courage and virtue wherein one learns to overcome the fear of death, 5) Co-Operation and its importance in creating a sustained growth model and wealth in the nation and its immunity from the venomous tentacles of the unscrupulous credit system nurtured by the upper echelons of the society which engulf the lower strata of the same to be bound to them forever, 6) National Dress which M K Gandhi is well-known for across the world, its importance and a soft warning to Mr Irwin who criticized his attire publicly in a national newspaper, the Pioneer.These are some of the very important historical evidences of M K Gandhi’s famous and world renowned ideologies which every citizen of the world should be abreast with for a better life and which are also a part and parcel of his anti-British and Indian Independence movement during his times.

This is a collection of six essays written by Mahatma Gandhi after his return to India from South Africa. The essays are, with one exception, a description of Gandhiji's philosophy and thinking. The lone exception is the eponymous chapter, "Third Class In Indian Railways", which, as the title suggests, is a mini-travelogue of his travels and travails on the trains in India at the time.The chapters are: 1. Third Class In Indian Railways 2. Vernacular as Media of Instruction 3. Swadeshi 4. Ahimsa 5. The Moral Basis of Co-operation 6. National DressAs can be seen, chapters two through six spell out the substantive part of Gandhiji's political, personal, and social philosophy that were to drive India's independence struggle agenda and vision. Even after his death, his ideals have inspired transformative movements in such places as South Africa, Poland, United States, and more recently in Egypt.Gandhiji's style of writing reflects at times his innate sense of humour. Most of it is evident in the first chapter, when he struggles for the right and strong words to describe the squalid state of rail travel at the time. Some comments could well apply in today's times, unfortunately. Refreshments sold to the passengers were dirty-looking, handed by dirtier hands, coming out of filthy receptacles and weighed in equally unattractive scales. These were previously sampled by millions of flies... [Highlight Loc. 26-28] Passengers have no benches or not enough to sit on. They squat on dirty floors and eat dirty food. They are permitted to throw the leavings of their food and spit where they like, sit how they like and smoke everywhere. The closets attached to these places defy description. I have not the power adequately to describe them without committing a breach of the laws of decent speech. [Highlight Loc. 36-47] On Indian trains alone passengers smoke with impunity in all carriages irrespective of the presence of the fair sex and irrespective of the protest of non-smokers. And this, notwithstanding a bye-law which prevents a passenger from smoking without the permission of his fellows in the compartment which is not allotted to smokers. [Highlight Loc. 52-54]When talking about Swadeshi, Gandhiji cleverly brings in the issue religion as being an integral part of swadeshi. At the time of his writing, his aim was at the proselyting efforts of missionaries, while acknowledging the often stellar role played by these missionaries in performing much-appreciated social services. Swadeshi is that spirit in us which restricts us to the use and service of our immediate surroundings to the exclusion of the more remote. Thus, as for religion, in order to satisfy the requirements of the definition, I must restrict myself to my ancestral religion. [Highlight Loc. 103-5] ...will not the great missionary bodies of India, to whom she owes a deep debt of gratitude for what they have done and are doing, do still better and serve the spirit of Christianity better by dropping the goal of proselytising while continuing their philanthropic work? [Highlight Loc. 116-18]Seeing how the political narrative in India today sees religion and politics divorced from each other on the face of it, yet tightly locked in the most unholy of alliances, Gandhiji would have been pained no doubt. I do not believe that religion has nothing to do with politics. The latter divorced from religion is like a corpse only fit to be buried. [Highlight Loc. 131-32]I am not sure I would see tea in such a negative light as the Mahatma does. Coffee has been a staple ingredient of the Indian, South Indian for sure, diet for a few centuries, but then again, credit (or discredit) for its spread must again go to the English. I wonder how he would have taken the even more insidious spread of cola beverages in India... Lord Curzon set the fashion for tea-drinking. And that pernicious drug now bids fair to overwhelm the nation. It has already undermined the digestive apparatus of hundreds of thousands of men and women... [Highlight Loc. 173-75]

The Mahatma was a far better speaker than writer. He knew that and now I do, too. There is far more interesting reading by other authors about M. Gandhi' so I must recommend we all keep reading about him.

This brief booklet features several unrelated letters/essays written by Gandhi. Although most of the writings do not pertain, in a strict sense, to the ideas associated with Gandhi the booklet offers some insights into his personality.

Ghandi offers the logic and thought processes behind his experiences fighting colonial rule. This shows how he was not on a mission of fairness but one of the logical survival and elevation of a repressed nation. Good stuff for the potential conscientious objector.

It pertains to Bapu's essays/speeches around the year 2017,nothing seems to have changed except that 3rd class itself has been abolished and condition of 2nd class which has taken its place ,sometimes is worse than what Bapu has described. Contrary to Bapu's advice, Netas and influential people still prefer travelling by Air or AC first class,and middle class by AC 2nd or AC 3rd , still lower class by 2nd sleeper,and poor majority by 2nd unreserved class, it looks things are not going to change even in near future.Cleanliness is missing,the served food is often non edible and very costly.Even in AC class toilets do not have water and are hardly cleaned.The railway stations ,railway lines and waiting rooms are as dirty as possible.Situation is not much different from what you have described-you have missed thefts ,accidents and beggars which have only increased.Similarly nothing has happened on Ahimsa , Swadeshi and national language and dress code fronts.Your views are as valid as they were 96 years ago.

The book comprise the real letters and articles by Gandhi . Thus reveals his experiences of his visits on rails, vernaculars, and dhoti, in his own words.

A very nice book I just wish it were longer. I lived in India six months and its the best and most interesting country I've lived in.