Image: Gandhi and residents of Tolstoy Farm. South African History Online.

Tolstoy Farm, established near Johannesburg in 1910, was one of Gandhi’s distinctive experiments in community living. It provided a home and working environment for Satyagrahis and their families.

Who provided the land?

Gandhi’s close friend Hermann Kallenbach made land available for the settlement. It was named after Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, whose ideas influenced both Gandhi and Kallenbach.

A community of different backgrounds

The Gandhi Heritage Portal records that settlers included Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Christians from different parts of India.

Work and self-reliance

Residents participated in farming, construction, sanitation, cooking and other daily work. The settlement did not rely on servants for household work.

Education and co-education

A school was established for children living at the settlement. Gandhi also experimented with co-education and religious instruction.

Connection with Satyagraha

Tolstoy Farm became a base for families affected by the South African Satyagraha campaign and linked political resistance with daily discipline.

The Gandhi Heritage Portal describes the farm as a laboratory for self-reliance, education, diet, sanitation and community living. citeturn0search5 South African History Online also preserves a historical photograph of Gandhi and Tolstoy Farm residents. citeturn0search6

Read NewsNationOnline’s Phoenix Settlement article.

Imran Siddiqui

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