Image: Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach. Historical archive.

Hermann Kallenbach was a German-born Jewish architect who became a close friend and supporter of Gandhi during the South African Satyagraha campaigns.

How Gandhi and Kallenbach met

The two became friends in Johannesburg and shared an interest in simple living, physical exercise and ethical questions.

Tolstoy Farm

In 1910 Kallenbach made his farm available for Gandhi’s Satyagraha community. The settlement became known as Tolstoy Farm.

Life at the farm

Gandhi and Kallenbach helped organise a community in which residents worked, studied and cared for one another. The farm became an important part of Gandhi’s South African experiments.

A lasting friendship

Kallenbach remained connected with Gandhi after the South African period and visited India in the late 1930s.

Why Kallenbach is important

The story shows how Gandhi’s political work depended on networks of friendship, practical cooperation and support across religious and cultural boundaries.

The Gandhi Heritage Portal and South African heritage sources document Kallenbach’s role in the creation of Tolstoy Farm. citeturn0search5turn0search2

Read NewsNationOnline’s Tolstoy Farm article.

Imran Siddiqui

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