document_title: State of Origin series

question_text: where was the first state of origin held

question_tokens: where was the first state of origin held

root

text: State of Origin series

text: Teams[edit]

text: Since the 1908 establishment of rugby league in Australia, the sport's two major states, New South Wales and Queensland, have played representative matches against each other which have continued into the "state of origin" era which began in the 1980s. The two states' teams are frequently referred to as the Blues and Maroons, reflecting the respective colours of their jerseys. These were the colours of the Australia national rugby league team's jersey until the adoption of the green and gold. The Blues team is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and the Maroons by the Queensland Rugby League. The New South Wales team are sometimes referred to by the nickname "Cockroaches" and the Queensland team as "Cane Toads", due to a marketing campaign used in the 1980s where the respective teams were caricatured as such.

tag: p

text: Whilst other Australian states also have representative rugby league teams, they have not competed in State of Origin.

text: History[edit]

text: Interstate Rugby League prior to 1980[edit]

text: The first calls for a state of origin selection policy in interstate rugby football came before the schism between the union and league codes eventuated in Australia. In 1900 a journalist known as 'The Cynic' wrote in The Referee that star rugby player and recent immigrant to Queensland, Stephen Spragg, should be able to play for his home state of New South Wales.[1]

text: Since the beginning of Australian rugby league in 1908, an interstate competition between New South Wales and Queensland has been conducted from time to time. Until 1982 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No consideration was given to the origins of the players themselves.[2]

text: The first of these interstate games was played at Sydney's Agricultural Ground on 11 July 1908, before Queensland had even commenced its club competition. New South Wales easily accounted for Queensland in a 43–0 victory. The local media were unimpressed.

text: The interstate series was dominated by New South Wales, apart from a golden period for Queensland in the 1920s. From 1922 to 1925 Queensland defeated New South Wales 11 times in 12 matches. At the end of the 1925 season a Kangaroo team was to be picked for touring Great Britain. Instead of announcing an Australian team dominated by Queenslanders, the Australian Rugby League Board of Control informed the media that the Rugby Football League had decided that the Kiwis would provide stronger opposition, and that there would be no Australian tour.[4] The period spanning 1922 to 1929 saw no Australian team play in Great Britain, the only such hiatus outside the two World Wars.[5]

text: The New South Wales dominance of interstate football increased after 1956 when gaming machines were legalised for all registered clubs in New South Wales. This provided New South Wales football clubs with a revenue source unmatched by Queensland clubs. From this time on an increasing number of Queensland players moved to the much stronger Sydney competition, becoming ineligible for Queensland state selection. Paul Hogan famously told a Queensland Rugby League gathering in 1977 that "every time Queensland produces a good footballer, he finishes up being processed through a New South Wales poker machine."[6]

text: Prior to 1956, NSW had won 75% and Qld only 25% of series played. From 1956–1981, NSW dominance soared even higher and Qld wins dwindled to only 3.8% with only 1 series win, in 1959.

text: Conception of State of Origin football[edit]

text: By the 1970s the prestige of interstate matches had been seriously downgraded. Matches were played mid-week, so as not to interfere with the Sydney club competition, and the small crowds in New South Wales were hosted at suburban grounds.[12] Interstate football reached its nadir in 1977 when the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) declined to host the Queensland team, and both interstate games were played in Queensland.[7]

text: Former Queensland captain and Australian vice-captain Jack Reardon, who had later become a journalist, was the first to suggest that Sydney-based Queenslanders should be available for selection to represent their state.[13]

text: Brisbane Courier-Mail reporter Hugh Lunn, Barry Maranta (the future co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos) [8] and Maranta's business partner Wayne Reid played a part in persuading QRL chairman Ron McAullife that the concept could be used in rugby league.[9] Lunn told McAullife that "you can take the Queenslander out of Queensland, Ron, but you can't take the Queensland out of the Queenslander."[10] McAuliffe was initially sceptical. "What if we recall our boys from Sydney to play, and we are beaten. Where would we go from there?" Reid spoke to NSWRFL president Kevin Humphreys and suggested that a one-off state of origin match could be used as a Test Match selection trial. [11]

text: New South Wales clubs were reticent in their support of the concept and set two conditions:

text:
If the third game was to decide the series it was not to act as a selection trial, and also,
that the expatriate Queenslanders would be under the supervision of a representative of the NSWRFL whose duty it would be to protect the interests of both the NSWRFL and the clubs to which they were contracted. (From 1980 this role was filled by Bob Abbott, a Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks official.)

tag: ul

text: Three Sydney clubs remained opposed to the plan: St. George Dragons, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Eastern Suburbs Roosters. As these clubs were refusing to release players, Humphreys threatened to make the game an official Australian Rugby League trial, which would make release mandatory. The clubs backed down.[12]

text: Experimentation[edit]

text: After Queensland lost the first two interstate matches in 1980 (35–3 and 17–7, the second game in front of only 1,638 Sydneysiders) it was announced that a 'state of origin' match would take place on 8 July at Lang Park in Brisbane. The New South Wales media gave both the event, and Queensland's chance of winning it, little credence, calling the game a "three day wonder". Australia's 1978 captain Bob Fulton called the match "the non-event of the century". Ron MacAullife however, was now committed to the concept and vigorously promoted the match. Thousands of tickets were sold before the game had been officially sanctioned. Although interstate matches in Brisbane had still been well attended (24,653 had attended the opening match of the 1979 series), few expected the sell-out crowd of 33,210 Queensland rugby league fans, delighted to see their heroes in the likes of Arthur Beetson representing their home state for the first time ever. Queensland convincingly beat New South Wales 20–10.[13]

text: I was strongly against such a match, but last night's gripping clash showed that such a fixture would be a welcome addition to the League program.[14]

text: In 1981 the first two interstate matches were again played under the old selection rules. As New South Wales won the first two matches in the series, state of origin selection rules were used once more in the third match. Although New South Wales ran out to an early 15–0 lead in the game, Queensland rallied to win 22–15.

text: Adoption[edit]

text: The interest generated by the experimental state of origin matches of 1980 and 1981 and the potential for financial rewards were enough to convince the authorities to play all three games under state of origin rules the following year.[14]

text: The State of Origin format is the only possible way to allow the interstate series to survive.

text: Despite the Maroons' success so far in the State of Origin experiments, the New South Wales media dismissed the seriousness of the Queensland threat to the Blues' long-held dominance in series wins. Queensland however, under the leadership of immortal captain Wally Lewis, was inspired by this, and for the first three State of Origin series Queensland won 2 matches to 1.

text: However, in 1985, under the leadership of captain Steve Mortimer, New South Wales won the deciding match in front of 29,068 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground, claiming the series for the first time. The following year the Blues were able to go one better and complete the first state of origin whitewash, taking the series 3–0.[15]

text: Refereeing[edit]

text: Barry Gomersall, from Sarina, Queensland (1945–2007) was notorious for his refereeing of nine State of Origin matches between 1982 and 1988. Queensland rugby league team won seven of those matches, leading to accusations of bias and match-fixing. Gomersall himself did little to disassociate himself from those claims, famously referring to the only two matches under his control won by New South Wales rugby league team; "Surely anyone's entitled to two bad games". Queenslanders, on the other hand, were generally of the view that Sydney referees were no more to be relied on to give unbiased rulings in the games they controlled.[16]

text: 1987: American controversy[edit]

text: After Queensland had won the 1987 series 2–1, a fourth game was played at Long Beach, California to showcase rugby league to the American public.[16]

text: In Origin: Rugby League's Greatest Contest 1980–2002 (2003) Queensland writer Jack Gallaway tells a story:

text: In 1987 the Australian Rugby League (ARL), New South Wales Rugby League and Queensland Rugby League agreed that the match would only count towards the players' individual statistics. On 15 July 2003 the Australian Rugby League (whose primary members are originally from the New South Wales Rugby League) announced that the fourth 1987 game was to be classified as an official match, and that a win in the state of origin match on 16 July 2003 would take New South Wales into the overall lead.

text: ARL and NSWRL chief executive Geoff Carr said: "There had been some debate over whether the Origin fixture . . . in 1987 was counted as an official match but a search of ARL records has confirmed the status conferred on that clash by the game's governing body at the time. In announcing the match in Big League in April 1987, Ken Arthurson, the ARL's chief executive in 1987, was quoted as saying 'It's an exciting experiment but the match isn't and won't be billed as an exhibition match'."

text: After the controversy of the match played in the United States, the Queensland halves pairing of Allan Langer and Wally Lewis led the Maroons in their 3–0 series wins in both 1988 and 1989. The rise of the Canberra Raiders in the then Winfield Cup club competition produced for the Blues the formidable halves combination of Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley who brought New South Wales back from defeat with two wins in the opening games of the 1990 series. It was evident that as the rivalry between the two states grew, the Origin matches had become much more physical forward orientated game than the open running play seen in earlier series.[18]

text: As the great Queensland players from the 1980s began to retire from the game, the Maroons struggled with a team of fresh faces and considerable inexperience. The 1992, 1993 and 1994 series all went to NSW as the talent and experience of Blues players such as Brett Mullins, Daley and Stuart in the backs and Benny Elias and Bradley Clyde in the forwards gave the Blues the edge when the games were on the line. It wasn't until the upheaval of the Super League war in 1995 that the Maroons were able to again clinch a series.

text: A main cause for concern for Queensland was the fact that the Brisbane Broncos, its players and many other Queenslanders were not aligned with the ARL prohibiting any players signed with the Super League to play for the Maroons. Despite this the Queenslanders won the 1995 series 3–0 in a shocking white-wash. The 1996 series saw the off-field contract dramas put aside as all players were allowed, regardless of contract, state of origin selection. Having the majority of the Queenslanders back didn't help the Maroons though as the Blues 1996 white-wash with a 3–0 series win of their own.

text: The Australian game divided in 1997 into two competitions, one run by the ARL and one by the News Limited-owned Super League, and an interstate series was played in each. Under the Super League banner there was a Tri-Origin series with a New Zealand side added to the competition. The ARL meanwhile stuck to its traditional format. The teams were selected using origin rules, and New South Wales and Queensland met twice. These matches do not count towards the official state of origin record. As with the premiership, players were spread between two representative tournaments as well.

text: The competitions merged again in 1998 as the current National Rugby League, and the series that year proved to be enthralling as both sides won a game each away from home, setting up a decider at the Sydney Football Stadium where 39,000 fans witnessed the visiting Queenslanders take the series 2–1. The end of the decade saw a dramatic series with each side taking one game each and game three ending in a draw. Queensland were awarded the series as at the time the previous winners retained the interstate honours.

text: The early to mid-2000s saw New South Wales starting to assert its traditional interstate dominance, causing some commentators [who?] to question State of Origin' future. However, this imbalance tipped in the third and deciding game of the 2006 State of Origin series, which is seen as the starting point of Queensland's unprecedented dynasty. The 2008 series was won by Queensland making it three series in a row. New South Wales won Game 1 on 21 May 2008, however Queensland won Game 2 on 11 June 2008, and also Game 3 on 2 July 2008. Queensland followed this up by winning the first two games of the 2009 series becoming the first state to win four series in a row.

text: Queensland won its historic, record breaking, fifth consecutive Origin series with a 23–18 win in the third and final match of the State of Origin, 2010. This was the first Queensland team to win all three consecutive State of Origin Games in 15 years. Queensland full back Billy Slater won man of the match in the third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series in 2010.

text: The 2010 State of Origin series was also the second televised program in Australia to be shot in 3D 1080i DVB-T as well as being simultaneously broadcast in regular 576i and 1080i DVB-T and PAL.

text: In the first game of the 2011 series Queensland defeated New South Wales 16–12. In the second game of the 2011 series New South Wales defeated Queensland 18–8. Queensland won the series 34–24 in the 2011 decider in what was Queensland captain Darren Lockyer's 36th and final game. Cameron Smith won man of the match in both the first and third game and was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as Man of the Series.

text: In 2012, then NRL CEO David Gallop introduced the Under-20s State of Origin for Toyota Cup players which saw New South Wales winning. Queensland went on to win an historic 7th series win in 2012, winning the final game by 1 point.

text: In 2013, New South Wales defeated Queensland 14 to 6 in game 1, Queensland defeated New South Wales 26 to 6 in game 2, while in game 3 Queensland defeated New South Wales 12 to 10 to take out the overall Origin title for the eighth consecutive time. The 2013 series set a new State of Origin television ratings record for a whole series since the 2001 introduction of the ratings system.[17]

text: In 2014, New South Wales defeated Queensland 12-8 in the first game of the series, and 6-4 in the second.[18] In the third game Queensland defeated New South Wales 32-8 after scoring the first try of the game in the 37th minute, with Queensland leading 6-2 in the first half. This gave the Blues the first series win in 8 years.

text: In 2015, Queensland defeated New South Wales 11-10 in game 1 played in Sydney, New South Wales defeated Queensland 26-18 in game 2 played in Melbourne, Queensland defeated New South Wales 52-6 in game 3 played in Brisbane, winning the series 2-1.

text: In 2016, Queensland defeated New South Wales 6-4 in game 1 and clinched the series with a 26-16 win in the second match. New South Wales closed off the series with a 18-14 win over Queensland.

text: In 2017, New South Wales won Game 1, 28-4 sparking the New South Wales media to start proclaiming the beginning of the Blues Dynasty. Queensland won Game 2, 18-16 after making changes to the team with the returning Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston, who kicked the winning goal for Queensland. Thurston injured his shoulder in the 30th minute of the match, essentially disabling it as he played out the whole match. Thurston was later ruled out for the rest of the year after scans revealed his shoulder needed a reconstruction, ending his representative career as he announced 2017 would be his last representative year. In Game 3, New South Wales went in with an unchanged lineup for all three games, the first to do so since 1996. Queensland dominated the Blues, winning 22-6, with Queensland Winger Dane Gagai winning the Wally Lewis Medal for Best Player in the series. It also had Johnathan Thurston raise the Origin Shield with Queensland Captain Cameron Smith, before being chaired off the ground by his teammates, ending Thurston's representative career on a high note.

text: Popularity[edit]

text: In 2013, each individual game in the series drew a higher Australian television audience than any other sporting event.[19] In recent years the series has gained popularity outside of New South Wales and Queensland, with games played in Melbourne drawing record crowds[20] and local television ratings comparable to those of many Victorian AFL matches.[21] Internationally, the series is televised in 91 countries,[22] and is a national obsession in Papua New Guinea, occasionally sparking riots, violence and deaths.[23][24] It also draws a strong following in neighbouring New Zealand.[25]

text: Broadcasting[edit]

text: Within Australia, Nine Network is the main broadcaster for the series, with replays airing on Fox Sports. The series is also broadcast on radio by ABC Grandstand.

text: Setanta Sports broadcasts live matches in Asia. In the United States, Fox Soccer televised all matches live using the Nine feed since 2011, with the coverage moving to Fox Sports 2 when Fox Soccer was discontinued in August 2013.[26][27] Premier Sports broadcasts live coverage of State of Origin in the UK.

text: Another twist on the coverage was Roy and HG's State of Origin commentary on Australian youth radio network Triple J. This broadcast was presented by the characters "Rampaging" Roy Slaven and HG Nelson (played by John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver), who commentated the game with a unique comedic style. Roy and HG's broadcasts began in the late 1980s, and continued until 2008. Roy and HG moved from Triple J to radio network Triple M in 2009, at which point the duo ceased their State of Origin commentary.

text: Selection rules[edit]

text: Under State of Origin rules players were previously selected for the state in which they first played senior (or registered) rugby league.[19] In 2012, the NSWRL, CRL, QRL and ARLC agreed on new criteria in determining Origin eligibility, to encompass other factors, such as place of birth [20]. Players must also be eligible to represent Australia at international level.

text: Controversy[edit]

text: From time to time the selection of players under the State of Origin rules creates controversy. Since 1980, Queensland has completed just the 7 series with a team completely made up of players of a Queensland birth, while for New South Wales the total is only 6.[28] However, place of birth has only been a relevant factor in eligibility since 2012.

text: An issue of contention has been the selection of players such as Peter Sterling, Ken Nagas, James McManus, Israel Folau and Greg Inglis. Folau was born and raised in New South Wales but is eligible to play for Queensland as he played his first senior rugby league match in Queensland. Ken Nagas was born and raised in Queensland but decided to play for New South Wales, Peter Sterling was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and raised in Wagga Wagga, Newcastle & Sydney, all in New South Wales, while McManus was born in Scotland and was raised in the Northern Territory, but was ruled eligible to play for New South Wales in the 2009 series.

text: The selection of Greg Inglis by Queensland was disputed. The Queensland Rugby League selected him based on the fact that either Wavell State High School or Brisbane Norths was Inglis' first senior football, making him eligible for both states per the rules at the time.[29][30][31] However Inglis had previously played for Hunter Sports High School in Newcastle, New South Wales, in the Arrive Alive Cup; considered to be a senior competition. Hunter Sports High coach Steve Dunn said "there was some talk the other day that he was actually brought to Queensland before his 16th birthday but I was coach of the team. He played for us at 16, he's a Blue".[32] The controversy led to the creation of the "That's In Queensland" viral video.

text: Due to the clarification of selection rules the Sims brothers are eligible for different States. Tariq and Ashton are eligible for New South Wales while Korbin Sims is eligible for Queensland.[33] Previously father and son combinations, such as Steve and Mat Rogers have represented different states. This duo was especially notable because Mat was born in New South Wales and played for Queensland while Steve was born in Queensland and played for New South Wales. Steve Rogers played his first senior game of rugby League for the Southport Tigers on Queenslands Gold Coast

text: Foreign born players have also represented each state. New Zealand has had several players, such as Brad Thorn, Ben Te'o, Craig Smith, Willie Mason, Tonie Carroll, James Tamou and Karmichael Hunt play Origin. Tamou's selection by New South Wales in 2012 was controversial as he was born in Palmerston North and played for the Junior Kiwis, lived in New Zealand until he moved to Sydney when he was 13 and was included in the New Zealand Kiwis training squad for the 2011 Four Nations.[34] Both Hunt and Tamou played for Australia before being selected for State of Origin. Other players, such as Sam Kasiano and Jason Taumalolo are also eligible, creating concern in the New Zealand Rugby League.[35] Apart from representing Queensland, Brad Thorn is also a dual rugby international, having played international rugby league for Australia, and international rugby union for the All Blacks.

text: Papua New Guinea-born Adrian Lam and Fijian-born Lote Tuqiri, Akuila Uate and Petero Civoniceva have also played Origin. Benny Elias was born in Lebanon and has played for and captained NSW. Mario Fenech was born in Malta and has played for NSW. The most recent case of a foreign born player being selected was the selection of former Samoan international, Ben Te'o, by Queensland in game three of the 2012 season.[36]

text: A report into eligibility based on a player's birth state showed; "Of the 18 series that QLD has won, it had the greater percentage of non-State [born] players in its side on 14 of those occasions – revealing a 77.8% dependency. Of the 13 series that NSW has won, on five of those occasions it had the higher percentage of non-State [born] players across the series – revealing a 38.5% dependency."[28]

text: Anomalies[edit]

text:
In 1995 and 1997 Super League players were made ineligible for the ARL State of Origin series selection. This included most of Queensland's usual team, who now played for the Super League affiliated Brisbane Broncos. The ARL hence decided to relax the rules in those years, allowing Queensland to select Adrian Lam who had previously played for Papua New Guinea. The 1995 Origin series was the scene of the biggest upset in Origin history when the relatively inexperienced Maroon's swept aside NSW, who even without their Super League players could still boast a number of senior Origin and international players, 3-0.
During the 2000 World Cup a number of Australian players were granted dispensations to appear for other nations under the grandparent rule. The players affected were David Barnhill (NSW), Kevin Campion (Qld), Tonie Carroll (Qld), Graham Mackay (NSW), Willie Mason (NSW), Luke Ricketson (NSW), Lote Tuqiri (Qld) and Adrian Vowles (Qld), [21] [22]

tag: ol

text: Results[edit]

text: Year by year[edit]

text: Of the 36 full series played, Queensland have won 21, New South Wales 13, with 2 series drawn (Queensland retained the Shield on both occasions as the previous year's winner). With the addition of three one-off games that were played in 1980, 1981 and 1987, the total number of games played is 108. Queensland have won 58, New South Wales have won 48, with 2 matches being drawn.[37]

text: The series of 1999 and 2002 are considered drawn series, as both New South Wales and Queensland won a single game of each 3 match series, with the final game concluding in a draw. At that time there was no overtime rule to break the deadlock, and by the same set of rules, Queensland retained the shield as they were the previous holders, but did not win the series. Due to controversy around the second drawn series, and the rule awarding the series champions to Queensland, the rules were subsequently changed to rule out drawn matches and series. Equal points at the close of full-time are now resolved with the golden point method.

text:
State of Origin series

Year
Winner
Wins
Losses
Drawn
Shield Holder

1982
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

1983
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

1984
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

1985
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1986
New South Wales
3
0
0
New South Wales

1987
Queensland
2
1[23]
0
Queensland

1988
Queensland
3
0
0
Queensland

1989
Queensland
3
0
0
Queensland

1990
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1991
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

1992
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1993
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1994
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1995
Queensland
3
0
0
Queensland

1996
New South Wales
3
0
0
New South Wales

1997
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

1998
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

1999
Draw
1
1
1
Queensland

2000
New South Wales
3
0
0
New South Wales

2001
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2002
Draw
1
1
1
Queensland

2003
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

2004
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

2005
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

2006
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2007
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2008
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2009
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2010
Queensland
3
0
0
Queensland

2011
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2012
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2013
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2014
New South Wales
2
1
0
New South Wales

2015
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2016
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

2017
Queensland
2
1
0
Queensland

tag: table

text:
State of Origin non-series matches

Year
Winner
Wins
Losses
Drawn

1980
Queensland
1
0
0

1981
Queensland
1
0
0

1987
New South Wales
1
0
0

text: Wally Lewis Medal[edit]

text: From 1992 to 2003 the Wally Lewis Medal was awarded by the Queensland Rugby League for the Queensland player of the series. Since 2003 it has been awarded to the player of the series, irrespective of state. The following players have been awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series1. Cameron Smith has won the medal a record four times.

text:
Recipients

Year
Player
State
Position
Club

2004
Craig Fitzgibbon
New South Wales
Lock
Sydney Roosters

2005
Anthony Minichiello
New South Wales
Fullback
Sydney Roosters

2006
Darren Lockyer
Queensland
Five-eighth
Brisbane Broncos

2007
Cameron Smith
Queensland
Hooker
Melbourne Storm

2008
Johnathan Thurston
Queensland
Halfback, Five-eighth
North Queensland Cowboys

2009
Greg Inglis
Queensland
Centre
Melbourne Storm

2010
Billy Slater
Queensland
Fullback
Melbourne Storm

2011
Cameron Smith
Queensland
Hooker
Melbourne Storm

2012
Nate Myles
Queensland
Second-row
Gold Coast Titans

2013
Cameron Smith
Queensland
Hooker
Melbourne Storm

2014
Paul Gallen
New South Wales
Lock, Prop
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

2015
Corey Parker
Queensland
Lock
Brisbane Broncos

2016
Cameron Smith
Queensland
Hooker
Melbourne Storm

2017
Dane Gagai
Queensland
Wing
Newcastle Knights

text: 1The award was originally a Queensland only award from Lewis' retirement in 1992 until 2003, where the best player of the series could win the award, regardless of their state. The Ron McAuliffe Medal replaced the Wally Lewis Medal as the Queensland exclusive award.

text: Records[edit]

text: Team[edit]

text:
Most points scored in a game: 72, New South Wales 56 - 16 Queensland (Game III, 2000)
Most points scored by a team: 56, New South Wales 56 - 16 Queensland (Game III, 2000)
Largest winning margin: 46, Queensland 52 - 6 New South Wales (Game III, 2015)
Most consecutive games won: 8, Queensland (Game II, 1987 - Game III, 1989)
Most consecutive series won: 8, Queensland (2006–2013)
Most series clean sweeps: 4, Queensland (1988–1989, 1995, 2010)

text: Individual[edit]

text:
Oldest player: 36 years 74 days, Petero Civoniceva (2012) (Queensland)
Youngest player: 18 years and 83 days, Ben Ikin (1995) (Queensland)

text: Playing[edit]

text:
Most games: 42 Cameron Smith (2003–present) (Queensland)
Most consecutive games: 36 Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
Most games as captain: 30 Wally Lewis (1981–1991) (Queensland)
Most games won: 24 Cameron Smith (2003–present) (Queensland)
Most series won: 11 Cameron Smith (2006–2013, 2015–present) (Queensland) & Johnathan Thurston (2006–2013, 2015–2017) (Queensland)1
Most Man of the Match Awards won: 8 Wally Lewis (1982–1991) (Queensland)
Most points: 224 Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
Most tries: 18 Greg Inglis (2006–present) (Queensland)
Most goals: 101 Johnathan Thurston (2005–2017) (Queensland)
Most field goals: 4 Andrew Johns (1995–2005) (New South Wales)
Most points in one game: 32 Ryan Girdler (Game III, 2000) (New South Wales)
Most points in one series: 52 Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales)
Most tries in one game: 3 (Anderson, Boustead, Girdler, Tuqiri, Sing, King, Gagai, Holmes)
Most tries in one series: 5 Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales), Lote Tuqiri (2002) (Queensland)
Most goals in one game: 10 Ryan Girdler (Game III, 2000) (New South Wales)
Most goals in one series: 16 Ryan Girdler (2000) (New South Wales)
Most field goals in one game: 2 Ben Elias (Game III, 1994) (New South Wales)
Most field goals in one series: 2 Ben Elias (1994) (New South Wales), Andrew Johns (2003) (New South Wales)

text: Coaching[edit]

text:
Most games: 30 Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)
Most games won: 19 Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)
Most series won: 9 Mal Meninga (2006–2015) (Queensland)

text: These records that are about to be shown are mainly about the stadium's and players of the game. All this info can be found at http://afltables.com/rl/soo/records.html.

text:
Basic Records

Venue
Games
NSW
Drw
Qld
NSW pts
QLD pts
Total pts

Lang Park
52
18
1
33
745 (124-127-5)
1011 (170-167-8)
1756 (294-294-13)

S.C.G
6
3
0
3
68 (12-10-1)
76 (14-11-0
144 (26-21-1)

Long Beach
1
1
0
0
30 (5-5-0)
18 (3-3-0)
48 (8-8-0)

S.F.S
14
6
0
8
189 (33-28-1)
199 (34-31-1)
388 (77-59-2)

Olympic
1
1
0
0
12 (2-2-0)
6 (1-1-0)
18 (3-3-0)

M.C.G
4
3
0
1
67 (11-11-1)
52 (9-8-0)
119 (20-19-1)

Stadium Australia
25
16
1
8
471 (81-71-5)
318 (57-44-2)
789 (138-115-7)

QEII
2
0
0
2
32 (5-6-0)
66 (13-7-0)
98 (18-13-0)

Docklands
3
0
0
3
42 (8-5-0)
62 (11-9-0)
104 (19-14-0)

Totals
108
48
2
58
1656 (281-265-13)
1808 (312-281-11)
3464 (593-546-24)

text:
Leading Try Scorers

Try Scorer
State
Games
Tries (Ave.)

Greg Inglis
QLD
30
18 (0.60)

Darius Boyd
QLD
28
17(0.65)

Dale Shearer
QLD
26
12 (0.46)

Billy Slater
QLD
28
12 (0.44)

Michael O'Connor
NSW
19
11 (0.58)

Allan Langer
QLD
34
10 (0.29)

Darren Lockyer
QLD
36
9 (0.25)

Jarryd Hayne
NSW
23
11 (0.45)

Timana Tahu
NSW
12
8 (0.67)

Anthony Minichiello
NSW
11
8 (0.73)

Brad Fittler
NSW
31
8 (0.26)

text:
Leading Point Scores

Point Scorers
State
Games
Tries
Goals
Field Goals
Points (Ave.)

Johnathan Thurston
QLD
37
5
101
2
234 (5.94)

Mal Meninga
QLD
32
6
69
0
161 (5.03)

Michael O'Connor
NSW
19
11
42
1
129 (6.79)

Andrew Johns
NSW
23
4
38
4
96 (4.17)

Darren Lockyer
QLD
36
9
22
2
82 (2.28)

Ryan Girdler
NSW
8
7
27
0
82 (10.25)

Greg Inglis
QLD
30
18
0
0
72 (2.40)

Darius Boyd
QLD
28
17
0
0
68 (2.62)

Dale Shearer
QLD
26
12
9
0
66 (2.54)

Rod Wishart
NSW
22
5
22
0
64 (2.91)

Cameron Smith
QLD
42
5
19
0
52 (1.33)

text:
Venue Stats

Venue
State
Games
Total Attendance
Average

Lang Park
QLD
52
2,049,574
39,414

S.C.G
NSW
6
192,773
32,128

Long Beach
Neutral
1
12,439
12,439

S.F.S
NSW
14
521,836
37,274

Olympic
Neutral
1
25,800
25,800

M.C.G
Neutral
4
256,773
64,193

Stadium_Australia
NSW
25
1,862,616
74,504

QEII
QLD
2
97,430
48,715

Docklands
Neutral
3
161,821
53,940

text:
Appearance Stats

Players
State
Games
Years

Cameron Smith
QLD
42
2003-2017

Darren Lockyer
QLD
36
1998-2011

Johnathan Thurston
QLD
37
2005-2017

Allan Langer
QLD
34
1987-2002

Petero Civoniceva
QLD
33
2001-2012

Mal Meninga
QLD
32
1980-1994

Wally Lewis
QLD
31
1980-1991

Nate Myles
QLD
32
2006-2017

Brad Fittler
NSW
31
1990-2004

Greg Inglis
QLD
30
2006-2016

Steven Price
QLD
28
1998-2009

text:
Leading Goal Kickers

Players
State
Games
Goals/Attempts (%)

Jamie Soward
NSW
3
9/11 (81.82%)

Mat Rogers
QLD
5
12/15 (80.00%)

James Maloney
NSW
9
15/18 (80.00%)

Jamie Lyon
NSW
10
8/10 (80.00%)

Johnathan Thurston
QLD
36
96/121 (79.34%)

Trent Hodkinson
NSW
6
12/16 (75.00%)

Tim Brasher
NSW
21
9/12 (75.00%)

Craig Fitzgibbon
NSW
11
20/27 (74.07%)

Darren Lockyer
QLD
36
22/30 (73.33%)

Ryan Girdler
NSW
8
27/37 (72.97%)

Cameron Smith
QLD
39
16/22 (72.73%)

text:
Most Points Scored In A Games

Players
State
Tries
Goals
Field Goals
Points
Game

Ryan Girdler
NSW
3
10
0
32
Game 3, 2000

Lote Tuqiri
QLD
3
3
0
18
Game 2, 2002

Johnathan Thurston
QLD
0
9
0
18
Game 3, 2015

Michael O'Connor
NSW
2
5
0
18
Game 1, 1985

Mal Meninga
QLD
2
4
0
16
Game 1, 1989

Darren Lockyer
QLD
2
4
0
16
Game 3, 2001

Dale Shearer
QLD
2
4
0
16
Game 3, 1989

Mal Meninga
QLD
0
7
0
14
Game 1, 1980

Darren Lockyer
QLD
1
5
0
14
Game 1, 2001

Johnathan Thurston
QLD
0
7
0
14
Game 2, 2008

Michael O'Connor
NSW
1
5
0
14
Game 4,1987

text:
Series List

Year
Winners
Games
Crowd Average

1982
Queensland
3
22,334

1983
Queensland
3
25,705

1984
Queensland
3
26,426

1985
New South Wales
3
30,301

1986
New South Wales
3
31,623

1987
Queensland
3
36,020

1988
Queensland
3
25,056

1989
Queensland
3
35,452

1990
New South Wales
3
32,817

1991
Queensland
3
35,715

1992
New South Wales
3
37,806

1993
New South Wales
3
35,465

1994
New South Wales
3
56,340

1995
Queensland
3
44,122

text: Under 20s[edit]

text: The Under 20s State of Origin has only had six seasons so far(2012 to 2017)[38] with only one game a year, instead of three. New South Wales has won all of them. They play for the Darren Lockyer Shield.

text:
Year
Winner
Wins
Losses
Drawn

2012
New South Wales
1
0
0

2013
New South Wales
1
0
0

2014
New South Wales
1
0
0

2015
New South Wales
1
0
0

2016
New South Wales
1
0
0

2017
New South Wales
1
0
0

text: Women's State of Origin[edit]

text: The Women's State of Origin is the Women's rugby league version of the game, and has been running since 1999. The players play for the Nellie Doherty Cup. Furthermore, the current record for series won in the competition rests with Queensland, who won every series from 1999-2014, a better straight record than their male counterparts.

text:
Year
Winner
Wins
Losses
Drawn

1999
Queensland
1
0
0

2000
Queensland
1
0
0

2001
Queensland
1
0
0

2002
Queensland
1
0
0

2003
Queensland
1
0
0

2004
Queensland
1
0
0

2005
Queensland
1
0
0

2006
Queensland
1
0
0

2007
Queensland
1
0
0

2008
Queensland
1
0
0

2009
Queensland
1
0
0

2010
Queensland
1
0
0

2011
Queensland
1
0
0

2012
Queensland
1
0
0

2013
Queensland
1
0
0

2014
Queensland
1
0
0

2015
Draw
0
0
1

2016
New South Wales
1
0
0

2017
New South Wales
1
0
0

text: All-Team Records[edit]

text: Points

text: Queensland: 1808 Points

text: New South Wales: 1656 Points


document_title: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

question_text: who translated the story of my experiments with truth in english

text: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

text: Contents[edit]

text: Translator's preface[edit]

text: This section is written by Mahadev Desai who translated the book from Gujarati to English in 1940. In this preface Desai notes that the book was originally published in two volumes, the first in 1927 and second in 1929. He also mentions that the original was priced at ₹1 (1.6¢ US) and had a run of five editions by the time of the writing of his preface. 50,000 copies had been sold in Gujarati but since the English edition was expensive it prevented Indians from purchasing it. Desai notes the need to bring out a cheaper English version. He also mentions that the translation has been revised by an English scholar who did not want his name to be published. Chapters XXIX-XLIII of Part V were translated by Desai's friend and colleague Pyarelal.[3]

text: Introduction[edit]

text: The introduction is written by Gandhi himself mentioning how he has resumed writing his autobiography at the insistence of Jeramdas, a fellow prisoner in Yerwada Central Jail with him. He mulls over the question a friend asked him about writing an autobiography, deeming it a Western practice, something "nobody does in the east".[1] Gandhi himself agrees that his thoughts might change later in life but the purpose of his story is just to narrate his experiments with truth in life.[3] He also says that through this book he wishes to narrate his spiritual and moral experiments rather than political.

text: Part I[edit]

text: The first part narrates incidents of Gandhi's childhood, his experiments with eating meat, smoking, drinking, stealing and subsequent atonement.[4] There are two texts that had a lasting influence on Gandhi, both of which he read in childhood. He records the profound impact of the play Harishchandra and says,"I read it with intense interest...It haunted me and I must have acted Harishchandra to myself times without number."[5] Another text he mentions reading that deeply affected him was Shravana Pitrabhakti Nataka, a play about Shravana's devotion to his parents. Gandhi got married at the age of 13.[3] In his words, "It is my painful duty to have to record here my marriage at the age of thirteen...I can see no moral argument in support of such a preposterously early marriage." Another important event documented in this part is the demise of Gandhi's father Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi wrote the book to deal with his experiment for truth. His disdain for physical training at school, particularly gymnastics has also been written about in this part.[6]

text: Part II[edit]

text: After a long history of antagonism, the British and the Dutch shared power in South Africa, with Britain ruling the regions of Natal and Cape Colony, while the Dutch settlers known as the Boers taking charge in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, two independent republics. The white settler and the independent Boer states continued to engage in volatile interactions with the British so a threat of violent eruptions always loomed large. In order to placate both the Boer and other white settlers, the British adopted a number of racist policies, and while the Indians, most of them working on sugar and coffee plantations, did not suffer as much as the black population, they clearly experienced a treatment as second-class citizens. The initial story of Gandhi’s travails in South Africa and of his systematic struggle against oppression is well known. Gandhi repeatedly experienced the sting of humiliation during his long African sojourn. The incident at Maritzburg, where Gandhi was thrown off the train has become justly famous. When Gandhi, as a matter of principle, refused to leave the first class compartment, he was thrown off the train.[7] Later, Gandhi also had difficulty being admitted to hotels, and saw that his fellow-Indians, who were mostly manual laborers, experienced even more unjust treatment.

text: Very soon after his arrival, Gandhi's initial bafflement and indignation at racist policies turned into a growing sense of outrage and propelled him into assuming a position as a public figure at the assembly of Transvaal Indians, where he delivered his first speech urging Indians not to accept inequality but instead to unite, work hard, learn English and observe clean living habits. Although Gandhi's legal work soon start to keep him busy, he found time to read some of Tolstoy's work, which greatly influenced his understanding of peace and justice and eventually inspired him to write to Tolstoy, setting the beginning of a prolific correspondence. Both Tolstoy and Gandhi shared a philosophy of non-violence and Tolstoy's harsh critique of human society resonated with Gandhi's outrage at racism in South Africa.

text: Both Tolstoy and Gandhi considered themselves followers of the Sermon on the Mount from the New Testament, in which Jesus Christ expressed the idea of complete self-denial for the sake of his fellow men. Gandhi also continued to seek moral guidance in the Bhagavad-Gita, which inspired him to view his work not as self-denial at all, but as a higher form of self-fulfillment. Adopting a philosophy of selflessness even as a public man, Gandhi refused to accept any payment for his work on behalf of the Indian population, preferring to support himself with his law practice alone.

text: But Gandhi's personal quest to define his own philosophy with respect to religion did not rely solely on sacred texts. At the time, he also engaged in active correspondence with a highly educated and spiritual Jain from Bombay, his friend Raychandra, who was deeply religious, yet well versed in a number of topics, from Hinduism to Christianity. The more Gandhi communicated with Raychandra, the more deeply he began to appreciate Hinduism as a non violent faith and its related scriptures. Yet, such deep appreciation also gave birth to a desire to seek inner purity and illumination, without solely relying on external sources, or on the dogma within every faith. Thus, although Gandhi sought God within his own tradition, he espoused the idea that other faiths remained worthy of study and contained their own truths.

text: Not surprisingly, even after his work assignment concluded, Gandhi soon found a reason to remain in South Africa. This pivotal reason involved the "Indian Franchise Bill", with which the Natal legislature intended to deprive Indians of the right to vote. No opposition existed against this bill, except among some of Gandhi's friends who asked him to stay in South Africa and work with them against this new injustice against Indians, who white South Africans disparagingly called "coolies." He found that racist attitudes had become deeply entrenched, especially in the Dutch-ruled regions, where they lived in the worst urban slums and could not own property or manage agricultural land. Even in Natal, where Indians had more influence, they were not allowed to go out after 9 p.m. without a pass, while in Cape Colony, another British territory, they were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk. The new bill which prohibited Indians from voting in Natal only codified existing injustice in writing.

text: Although a last-minute petition drive failed to the Indian Franchise Bill from passing, Gandhi remained active and organized a much larger petition, which he sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, and distributed to the press in South Africa, Britain and India. The petition raised awareness of the plight of Indians and generating discussions in all three continents to the point where both the Times of London and the Times of India published editorials in support of the Indian right to the vote. Gandhi also formed a new political organization called the Natal Indian Congress (a clear reference to the Indian National Congress), which held regular meetings and soon, after some struggles with financing, started its own library and debating society. They also issued two major pamphlets, An Appeal to Every Briton in South Africa, and The Indian Franchise–An Appeal, which offered a logical argument against racial discrimination. He was also thrown of the Train when he didn't agree to move from his first class seat which he paid for.

text: Though, at first, Gandhi intended to remain in South Africa for a month, or a year at most, he ended up working in South Africa for about twenty years. After his initial assignment was over, he succeeded in growing his own practice to about twenty Indian merchants who contracted manage their affairs. This work allowed him to both earn a living while also finding time to devote to his mission as a public figure. During his struggle against inequality and racial discrimination in South Africa, Gandhi became known among Indians all around the world as "Mahatma," or "Great Soul."

text: Part III[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2012)

text: In South Africa with the Family, the Boer War, Bombay and South Africa Again.

text: In 1896, Gandhi made a brief return to India and returned with his wife and children. In India, he published another pamphlet, known as the Green Pamphlet, on the plight of Indians in South Africa. For the first time, Gandhi realized that Indians had come to admire his work greatly and experienced a taste of his own popularity among the people, when he visited Madras, an Indian province, where most manual laborers had originated. Although his fellow-Indians greeted him in large crowds with applause and adulation, he sailed back to South Africa with his family in December 1896.

text: Gandhi had become very well known in South Africa as well, to the point where a crowd of rioters awaited him at Port Natal, determined that he should not be allowed to enter. Many of them also mistakenly believed that all the dark-skinned passenger on the ship that took Gandhi to Natal were poor Indian immigrants he had decided to bring along with him, when, in reality, these passengers were mostly returning Indian residents of Natal. Fortunately, Gandhi was able to establish a friendly relationship with the British in South Africa so the Natal port's police superintendent and his wife escorted him to safety. After this incident, local white residents began to actually regard him with greater respect.

text: As Gandhi resumed his work at the Natal Indian Congress, his loyalty to the British guided him to assist them in the Boer War, which started three years later. Because Gandhi remained a passionate pacifist, he wanted to participate in the Boer War without actually engaging in violence so he organized and led an Indian Medical Corps which served the British in a number of battles, including the important battle of Spion Kop in January 1900.

text: At the time, Gandhi believed that the British Empire shared the values of liberty and equality that he himself embraced and that, by virtue of defending those principles, the British constitution deserved the loyalty of all British subjects, including Indians. He viewed racist policy in South Africa as a temporary characteristic aberration, rather than a permanent tendency. With respect to the British in India, at this point in his life, Gandhi considered their rule beneficial and benevolent.

text: The armed conflict between the British and Dutch raged on for over three years of often brutal fighting with the British conquering the Transvaal and Orange Free state territories. Gandhi expected that the British victory would establish justice in South Africa and present him with an opportunity to return to India. He wanted to attend the 1901 meeting of the Indian National Congress, whose mission was to provide a social and political forum for the Indian upper class. Founded in 1885 by the British, the Congress had no real political power and expressed pro-British positions. Gandhi wanted to attend its meeting nevertheless, as he was hoping to pass a resolution in support of the Indian population in South Africa. Before he left for Bombay, Gandhi promised the Natal Indian Congress that he would return to support their efforts, should they need his help.

text: As Gandhi attended the 1901 Indian National Congress, his hopes came true. G.K. Gokhale, one of the most prominent Indian politicians of the time, supported the resolution for the rights of Indians in South Africa and the resolution passed. Through Gokhale, in whose house Gandhi stayed for a month, Gandhi met many political connections that would serve him later in life.

text: However, his promise to always aid his friends in Natal soon prompted him to return to South Africa, when he received an urgent telegram informing him that the British and Boers had now formed a peaceful relationship and often acted together to the detriment of the Indian population, as Britain was planning to live local white individuals in power in South Africa, much like it had done in Canada and Australia.

text: Gandhi travelled back to South Africa immediately and met with Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and presented him with a paper on the injustice against the Indian population but Chamberlain indicated that the Indians would have to obey the new rulers of South Africa, now called the "Afrikaners," which included both Dutch and British local settlers.

text: Gandhi began to organize a fast response to this new South African political configuration. Instead of working in Natal, he now established a camp in the newly conquered Transvaal region and began helping Indians who had escaped from the war in that region, and now had to purchase overly expensive re-entry passes. He also represented poor Indians whose dwellings in a shantytown the authorities had dispossessed. Gandhi also started a new magazine, Indian Opinion, that advocated for political liberty and equal rights in South Africa. The magazine, which initially included several young women from Europe, expanded its staff around the country, increasing both Gandhi's popularity and the public support for his ideas.

text: At round same time, Gandhi read John Ruskin's book Unto This Last, which maintained that the life of manual labor was superior to all other ways of living. As he adopted this belief, Gandhi chose to abandon Western dress and habits, and he moved his family and staff to a Transvaal farm called the Phoenix, where he even gave renounced the use of an oil-powered engine and printed Indian Opinion by hand-wheel, and performed agriculture labor using old, manual farming equipment. He began to conceive of his public work as a mission to restore old Indian virtue and civilization, rather than fall prey to modern Western influence, which included electricity and technology.

text: Between 1901 and 1906, he also changed another aspect of his personal life by achieving Brahmacharya, or the voluntary abstention from sexual relations. He made this choice as part of his philosophy of selflessness and self-restraint. Finally, he also formulated his own philosophy of political protest, called Satyagraha, which literally meant "truth-force" in Sanskrit. In practice, this practice meant protesting injustice steadfastly, but in a non-violent manner.

text: He put this theory into practice on September 8, 1906, when, at a large gathering of the Indian community in Transvaal, he asked the whole community to take a vow of disobedience to the law, as the Transvaal government had started an effort to register every Indian child over the age of eight, which would make them an official part of the South African population.

text: Setting a personal example, Gandhi became the first Indian to appear before a magistrate for his refusal to register, and he was sentenced to two months in prison. He actually asked for a heavier sentence, a request, consistent with his philosophy of self-denial. After his release, Gandhi continued his campaign and thousands of Indians burned their registration cards, crossing the Transvaal-Natal border without passes. Many went to jail, including Gandhi, who went to jail again in 1908.

text: Gandhi did not waiver when a South African General by the name of Jan Christiaan Smuts promised to eliminate the registration law, but broke his word. Gandhi went all the way to London in 1909 and gathered enough support among the British to convince Smuts to eliminate the law in 1913. Yet, the Transvaal Prime Minister continued to regard Indians as second-class citizens while the Cape Colony government passed another discriminatory law making all non-Christian marriages illegal, which meant that all Indian children would be considered born out of wedlock. In addition, the government in Natal continued to impose crippling poll tax for entering Natal only upon Indians.

text: In response to these strikingly unjust rules, Gandhi organized a large-scale satyagraha, which involved women crossing the Natal-Transvaal border illegally. When they were arrested, five thousand Indian coal miners also went on strike and Gandhi himself led them across the Natalese border, where they expected arrest.

text: Although Smuts and Gandhi did not agree on many points, they had respect for each other. In 1913, Smuts relented due to the sheer number of Indians involved in protest and negotiated a settlement which provided for the legality of Indian marriages and abolished the poll tax. Further, the import of indentured laborers from India was to be phased out by 1920. In July 1914, Gandhi sailed for Britain, now admired as "Mahatma," and known throughout the world for the success of satyagraha.

text: Part IV[edit]

text: Part IV. Mahatma in the Midst of World Turmoil

text: Gandhi was in England when World War I started and he immediately began organizing a medical corps similar to the force he had led in the Boer War, but he also faced health problems that caused him to return to India, where he met the applauding crowds with enthusiasm once again. Indians continued to refer to him as "Mahatma" or "Great Soul," an appellation reserved only for the holiest men of Hinduism. While Gandhi accepted the love and admiration of the crowds, he also insisted that all souls were equal and did not accept the implication of religious sacredness that his new name carried.

text: In order to retreat into a life of humility and restraint, as his personal principles mandated, he decided to withdraw from public life for a while spending his first year in India focusing on his personal quest for purity and healing. He also lived in a communal space with untouchables, a choice which many of his financial supporters resented, because they believed that the very presence of untouchables defiled higher-caste Indians. Gandhi even considered moving to a district in Ahmedabad inhabited entirely by the untouchables when a generous Muslim merchant donated enough money to keep up his current living space for another year. By that time, Gandhi's communal life with the untouchables had become more acceptable.

text: Although Gandhi had withdrawn from public life, he briefly met with the British Governor of Bombay (and future Viceroy of India), Lord Willington, whom Gandhi promised to consult before he launched any political campaigns. Gandhi also felt the impact of another event, the passing of G.K. Gokhale, who had become his supporter and political mentor. He stayed away from the political trend of Indian nationalism, which many of the members of the Indian National Congress embraced. Instead, he stayed busy resettling his family and the inhabitants of the Phoenix Settlement in South Africa, as well as the Tolstoy Settlement he had founded near Johannesburg. For this purpose, on May 25, 1915, he created a new settlement, which came to be known as the Satyagraha ashram (from the Indian word for "communal") near the town of Ahmedabad and close to his place of birth in the western Indian province of Gujarati. All the inhabitants of the ashram, which included one family of untouchables, swore to poverty and chastity.

text: After a while, Gandhi became influenced by the idea of Indian independence from the British, but he dreaded the possibility that a westernized Indian elite would replace the British government. He developed a strong conviction that Indian independence should take place as a large-scale sociopolitical reform, which would remove the old plagues of extreme poverty and caste restrictions. In fact, he believed that Indians could not become worthy of self-government unless they all shared a concern for the poor.

text: As Gandhi resumed his public life in India in 1916, he delivered a speech at the opening of the new Hindu University in the city of Benares, where he discussed his understanding of independence and reform. He also provided specific examples of the abhorrent living conditions of the lower classes that he had observed during his travels around India and focused specifically on sanitation.

text: Although the Indians of the higher-castes did not readily embrace the ideas in the speech, Gandhi had now returned to public life and he felt ready to convert these ideas to actions. Facing the possibility of arrest, just like he always did in South Africa, Gandhi first spoke for the rights of impoverished indigo-cultivators in the Champaran district. His efforts eventually led to the appointment of a government commission to investigate abuses by the indigo planters.

text: He also interefered whenever he saw violence. When a group of Ahmedabad mill workers went on strike and became violent, he resolved to fast until they returned to peace. Though some political commentators condemned Gandhi's behavior as a form of blackmail, the fast only lasted three days before the workers and their employers negotiated an agreement. Through this situation, Gandhi discovered the fast as one of his most effective weapons in late years and set a precedent for later action as part of satyagraha.

text: As the First World War continued, Gandhi also became involved in recruiting men for the British Army, an involvement which his followers had a difficult time accepting, after listening to his passionate speeches about resisting injustice in a non-violent manner. Not surprisingly, at this point, although Gandhi still remained loyal to Britain and enamored with the ideals of the British constitution, his desire to support and independent home rule became stronger. As time passed, Gandhi became exhausted from his long journey around the country and fell ill with dysentery. He refused conventional treatment and chose to practice his own healing methods, relying on diet and spending a long time bedridden, while in recovery in his ashram.

text: In the meantime, India’s unrest was overwhelming at the prospect of the British destroying the world's only Muslim power, the Ottoman Empire. While the British alleged that they fought to protect the rights of small states and independent peoples from tyranny, in India, an increasing number of people found this alleged commitment less than genuine.

text: After the end of the war, the British government decided to follow the recommendations of the Rowlatt Committee, which advocated the retention of various wartime restrictions in India, including curfews and measures to suppress free speech. Gandhi was still sick when these events took place and, although he could not protest actively, he felt his loyalty to the British Empire weaken significantly.

text: Later, when the Rowlatt Act actually became law, Gandhi proposed that the entire country observe a day of prayer, fasting, and abstention from physical labor as a peaceful protest against the injustice of the oppressive law. Gandhi's plea generated an overwhelming response as millions of Indians did not go to work on April 6, 1919.

text: As the entire country stood still, the British arrested Gandhi, which provoked angry crowds to fill the streets of India's cities and, much to Gandhi's dislike, violence erupted everywhere. Gandhi could not tolerate violence so he called off his campaign and asked that everyone return to their homes. He acted in accordance with his firm belief that if satyagraha could not be carried out without violence, it should not take place at all.

text: Unfortunately, not all protesters shared Gandhi's conviction as ardently. In Amritsar, capital of the region known as the Punjab, where the alarmed British authorities had deported the local Hindu and Muslim members of the Congress, the street mobs became very violent and the British summoned Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer to restore order. Dyer prohibited all public meetings and instituted public whippings for Indians who approached British policemen. Despite these new regulations, a crowd of over ten thousand protesters gathered in the center of Armitsar, and Dyer responded with bringing his troops there and opening fire without warning. Tightly packed together, the protesters had nowhere to run from the fire, even when they threw themselves down on the ground the fire was then directed on the ground, ceasing only when the British troops no longer had ammunition. Hundreds died and many more were wounded.

text: This unfortunate occurrence became known as the Amritsar Massacre, it outraged the British public almost as much as Indian society. The authorities in London eventually condemned Dyer's conduct, forcing him to resign in disgrace. The effect the massacre had on Indian society became even more profound as more moderate politicians, like Gandhi, now began to wholeheartedly support the idea of Indian independence, creating an intense climate of mutual hostility. After the massacre, Gandhi eventually obtained permission to travel to Amritsar and conduct his own investigation. He produced a report months later and his work on the report motivated him to contact a number of Indian politicians, who advocated for the idea of independence from British rule.

text: After Amritsar, Gandhi attended the Muslim Conference being held in Delhi, where Indian Muslims discussed their fears that the British would suppress Caliphs of Turkey. Muslims considered the Caliphs as heirs of Mohammed and spiritual heads of Islam. While the British considered such suppression a necessary effort to restore order after World War I, the Muslim populations viewed it as slap in the face. Gandhi urged them not to accept the actions of the British. He proposed a boycott of British goods, and stated that if the British continued to insist on the elimination of the Caliphate, Indian Muslims should take even more drastic measures of non-cooperation, involving areas such as government employment and taxes.

text: During the months that followed, Gandhi continued to advocate for peace and caution, however, since Britain and Turkey were still negotiating their peace terms. Unlike more nationalistic politicians, he also supported the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms for India, as they laid the foundation for constitutional self-government. Eventually, other politicians who thought the reforms did not go far enough had to agree with Gandhi simply because his popularity and influence had become so great that the Congress could accomplish little without him.

text: As the British remained determined to put an end to the Muslim Caliphate, they enforced the Rowlatt Act resolutely. Even Gandhi became less tolerant towards British practices and in April 1920, he urged all Indians, Muslim and Hindu, to begin a "non-cooperation" protest against the British rule by giving up their Western clothing and British jobs. As a personal example, on August 1, he returned the medals for valor that he had received in the Boer War in South Africa. He also became the first president of the Home Rule League, a largely symbolic position which confirmed his position as an advocate for Indian Independence.

text: In September 1920, Gandhi also passed an official constitution for the Congress, which created a system of two national committees and numerous local units, all working to mobilize a spirit of non-cooperation across India. Gandhi and other volunteers traveled around India further establishing this new grass roots organization, which achieved great success. The new British Viceory in India, Lord Reading, did not dare to interfere because of Gandhi's immense popularity.

text: By 1922, Gandhi decided that the initiative of non-cooperation had to transform into open civil disobedience, but in March 1922, Lord Reading finally ordered Gandhi's arrest after a crowd in the city of Chauri Chaura attacked and killed the local representatives of British authority. Gandhi, who had never encouraged or sanctioned this type of conduct, condemned the actions of the violent crowds and retreated into a period of fasting and prayer as a response to this violent outburst. However, the British saw the event as a trigger point and a reason for his arrest.

text: Part V[edit]

text: The British authorities placed Gandhi on trial for sedition and sentenced him to six years in prison, marking the first time that he faced prosecution in India. Because of Gandhi's fame, the judge, C.N. Broomfield, hesitated to impose a harsher punishment. He considered Gandhi clearly guilty as charged, despite the fact that Gandhi admitted his guilt and even went as far as requesting the heaviest possible sentence. Such willingness to accept imprisonment conformed to his philosophy of satyagraha, so Gandhi felt that his time in prison only furthered his commitment and goals. The authorities allowed him to use a spinning wheel and receive reading materials while in prison, so he felt content. He also wrote most of his autobiography while serving his sentence.

text: However, in Gandhi's absence, Indians returned to their British jobs and their every day routines. Even worse, the unity between Muslims and Hindu, which Gandhi advocated so passionately, had already begun to fall apart to the point where the threat of violence loomed large over many communities with mixed population. The fight for Indian independence could not continue while Indians themselves suffered disunity and conflict, all the more difficult to overcome in a huge country like India, which had always suffered religious divisions, as well as divisions by language, and even caste.

text: Gandhi realized that Independence and that the British had lost the will and power to sustain their empire, but he always acknowledged that Indians could not rely simply on the weakening of Britain in order to achieve independence. He believed that Indians had to become morally ready for Independence. He planned to contribute to such readiness through his speeches and writing, advocating humility, restraint, good sanitation, as well as an end to child marriages. He acknowledged that he had changed his position on many issues, like child marriages, and that he had not always managed to discern the most moral course of action in his life.

text: After his imprisonment ended, he resumed his personal quest for purification and truth. He ends his autobiography by admitting that he continues to experience and fight with "the dormant passion" that lie within his own soul. He felt ready to continue the long and difficult path of taming those passions and putting himself last among his fellow human beings, the only way to achieve salvation, according to him.

text: "That is why the worlds' praise fails to move me; indeed it very often stings me. To conquer the subtle passions is far harder than the physical conquest of the world by the force of arms,"

text: Gandhi writes in his "Farewell" to the readers, a suitable conclusion for an autobiography that he never intended to be an autobiography, but a tale of experiments with life, and with truth.

text: First publication and later editions[edit]

text: After its initiation, The Story of My Experiments with Truth remained in the making for 4–5 years (including the time while Gandhi was imprisoned at Yerwada Central Jail near Pune, Maharashtra), and then it first appeared as a series in the weekly Gujarati magazine Navjivan during 1925–28, which was published from Ahmedabad, India.

text: Influences[edit]

text: Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that the three most important modern influences in his life were Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You, John Ruskin's Unto This Last and the poet Shrimad Rajchandra (Raychandbhai).[8][9]

text:
Development in Action (UK): Book Review by Joni Hillman
South Asian Women's Forum: Book Review

text: Editions in print[edit]

text:
India – ISBN 81-7229-008-X
United States – authorized edition with forward by Sissela Bok, Beacon Press 1993 reprint: ISBN 0-8070-5909-9
Dover Publications 1983 reprint of 1948 Public Affairs Press edition: ISBN 0-486-24593-4

text: Online editions[edit]

text:
The Story of My Experiments with Truth – Google books
National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode: Nalanda Digital Lib.
An Autobiography or The Story of my Experiments with Truth, full text
Read online The Story of My Experiments with Truth - Gandhi Heritage Portal
Mahatma Gandhi Autobiography