ABSTRACT
In 1915, Gandhi took up the cause of railway passengers who were routinely being harassed by officials at the Viramgam customs line, a tariff cordon between the Kathiawar states and British India. Gandhi famously referred to this episode as his first satyagraha in India. Yet what were Gandhi’s ideas on customs and excise and how did this influence his thinking about borders and objects? This article explores these themes. It proceeds in four steps. First, a contrast of Gandhi’s interactions with, and ideas about, customs in South Africa and India. The chapter then detours to the Durban customs house to examine how colonial customs actually operated. The third section questions what such practices might mean for a Gandhian theory of the object, and it touches briefly on khadi, salt and books. The conclusions draw out some of the larger issues at stake.
