'If British ruled India again, I'd be happy': old interview with Gandhi's last PS

The only people, who still worship Gandhiji as God, are the British who believe that even 3,000 years on, there would be none like Gandhi, said Kalyanam.

Chennai:Mahatma Gandhi’s former personal secretary, V Kalyanam, who was one of the few witnesses to the legend's assassination, died here on Tuesday. Kalyanam had once said, "Compared to the present rulers of our country, the British were far better. I'll be happy if they come back and capture power here."

In 2018, after inaugurating a special stamp exhibition on the eve of the Mahatma's 150th birth anniversary at Gandhi Museum in Madurai, Kalyanam had shared his memories with ETV Bharat. He had spoken about the period from 1942 to 1948 when he was Gandhi's personal secretary.

Talking about Gandhi's assassination, Kalyanam had said, "In all, six attempts were made to kill him. The first five attempts came in 1931, 1936, 1942 and 1944 -- during the British rule. It’s an irony that we lost our leader after India became an independent country and not when the British were at the helm of affairs. After they left, we could not provide good governance. So, it’s clear who the better rulers were. If the British rule is re-established here, India will become a better country. Even Gandhi would be happy about it."

Kalyanam further said, "If you committed crimes, the culprit would be instantly punished during the British reign. Under their regime, there was no corruption. The fact that they looted us is a different issue. But in government offices, there was no question of greasing the palms of officials. It was during the Nehru era that corruption took its roots. Even Gandhiji had on several occasions lauded the British governance and their administrative acumen."

'Bose would have given a different India'

"If only Netaji had captured power and formed government in post-independent India, things would have been different. Had the country witnessed an authoritarian rule by Netaji Subhas Bose for the initial five years, the fate of our country would have changed. General K M Cariappa too had the same viewpoint,” he said.

British worship Gandhi

"The only people who still worship Gandhi as God are the British. They believe that even 3,000 years later, there would be none like Gandhi. In the first two elections in independent India, politicians garnered votes in Gandhi's name. Now, as he is no more a saleable election commodity, they have totally left him out in the cold," he lamented.

Narrating his experiences with Gandhi, Kalyanam said, "Everyone in Gandhiji’s ashram would wake up at 3 am. It was mandatory. Then an all-religion prayer meeting would be held. Around 5 am, he would hear me reading letters addressed to him and dictate his replies in a soft tone. He would re-check the notes and make corrections wherever needed. That is how I learnt to correct texts. He would never speak harshly as it militated against his basic principles."

"Gandhi would then meet leaders and popular personalities. Every Monday, he would observe the penance of silence. His thoughts and actions were all oriented towards and revolved around the welfare of the poor in India," he said.