Harijan Ahmedabad — Sunday March 15 1942

Sevagram 8-3-42 THE SIXTH YEAR OF WORK I To all who believe that in the resuscitation of village economy lies the salvation of India the latest report of the All India Village Industries Association will be of interest. [...] When Gandhiji likens the position of spinning to that of the sun in the solar system he is thinking chiefly of the close contact of the demand with the supply and hence the universality of the handicraft. [...] The reason for the decision lay in the fact as explained by Gandhiji that " the middle class khadi buyer simply has not the money to buy khadi at the increased price necessitated by the rise in wages beyond the point of three annas." Even this was a good rise in conditions of sub-human poverty obtaining in the country and was partcularly remarkable because of the fact that it was wholly una [...] I am glad that the Conference of Quakers in Rasulia which met two years ago declared that the way of Jesus was the supreme need of the hour and that our duty of witness may involve for us even the complete rejection of the claims of our nation to our service in war." The time has now come for some of you to reiterate the faith and the duty and you who have temporarily or permanently made India [...] Under a despotism — and the Government of India is one of undiluted autocracy today — it becomes the duty of the pacifist to fight to reverse the Government's imposed decision both on the grounds of noviolence and politics.