Gandhi ji's First Assignment in India

(Born  October the Second, 1869)

Literally the first work Gandhiji did after reaching India from South Africa was attending the Calcutta congress of the Congress party. And please read his words as told by him in his Autobiography- PART-III,CHAPTER XV.

“After reaching India I spent some time in going about the country. It was the year 1901 when the congress met at Calcutta under the president ship of Mr.(later Sir) Dinshaw Watcha. And of course I attended it. It was my first experience of congress.

The volunteers were clashing against one another. You asked one of them to do something. He delegated to another, and he in turn to a third, and so on; and as for the delegates they were neither here nor there. …

There was no limit to in sanitation. Pools of water were everywhere. There were only a few latrines, and the recollection of their stink still oppresses me. I pointed it out to the volunteers. They said point –blank; ‘This is not our work, it is the scavenger’s work’. I asked for broom. The man stared at me in wonder. I procured one and cleaned the latrine. … But that was not all. Some of the delegates did not scruple to use the verandah outside their rooms for calls of nature at night. In the morning I pointed out the spots to the volunteers. No one was ready to undertake the cleaning and I found no one to share the honour with me of doing it. “