Mood:
chattyTopic: Travel
As you know I am fascinated by Mahatma Gandhi. Recently I had a nice opportunity to visit Johannesburg in South Africa. You may have rightly guessed I was so thrilled! I was thrilled to visit the land where Mahatma Gandhi has practiced as as an young lawyer. He lived in Jo'burg for almost 21 years.
As you know Mahatma Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 to handle a legal case in Pretoria. He moved to Johannesburg in 1903 and, in between return visits to India, stayed in the country for 21 years before going back to his homeland.
When Gandhi first came to Johannesburg he lived in rooms behind his law offices in Rissik Street. Henry Pollak was a partner in his law firm and Gandhi moved into Pollak's house in Orange Grove, at 34 Grove Road. You can see the 34 Grove road home I am standing in front of it.
I am writing the following experience as a caution to those visiting Gandhians who venture to find 34 Grove Road.
Actually finding 34 Grove road was nothing short of finding a treasure. In Jo'burg there is hardly any public transport. You will have to use the private busses which are capable of carrying 12 people. But often you will notice they carry a lot more people illegally crammed in to the space. Anyway it is best to hire a private taxi, mind you it will cost you a lot of money. I found South Africa very expensive.
Anyway I wanted to visit 34 Grove Road, asked my taxi to take me there. Poor driver has no idea who Mahatma Gandhi was, but I had to remind him during our journey who it was then he very enthusiastically joined my quest to find 34 Polak Road. I have used Google Maps in my Blackberry to find where Grove Road is... unfortunately the Grove Road that it shows on the maps is wrong! So we landed up in knocking doors of the wrong house. The lady of the house was very reluctant to answer first. But then when I told that I am searching for 34 Grove Road where Mahatma Gandhi once lived, she came opening the door. She answered "I wish Gandhi lived here. But this is not the Grove Road you are looking for there is another one in this vicinity" and she told us how to reach there.
Finally I was able to reach the right Grove Road however you will notice that House Number 34 is mysteriously missing! You will see House 32 and 35 but not 34. We have to go up and down the street and finally found House 34 standing on its own totally unrelated to the rest of the House Numbers.
I ventured again to press the calling bell. A lady has responded and she confirmed that Mahatma Gandhi lived there. I was elated... Took a few pictures. I stood there for some time imagining Mahatma Gandhi regularly going in and out of the home. I had to take a deep breath to get out of my excitement.
As a student I lived in Mahatma Gandhi's Sevagram Ashram some twenty years back. Now that I live in London I went to all places where Gandhi lived and where he studied. Those who have seen my TV documentary "Gandhi as an NRI (Non resident Indian :-))" may have noticed I presented Mahatma Gandhi's life in London, UK.
Now by visiting Johannesburg in South Africa I finally completed tracing Mahatma Gandhi's major stopover in his life.
Me standing in front of 34 Grove Road:
Long view of 34 Grove Road
A beautiful Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga, South Africa
