MAHTMA GANDHI

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was pre eminent political and ideological leader of India, was born at Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2, 1869. Mahatma Gandhi is still remembered for his legendary Sathyagraha campaigns and his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. His philosophy inspired many of the most famous resistance movements of the twentieth century, for example US Civil rights

Movement led by Dr: Martin Luther King, Aung San Suu Kyi’s Pro-Democracy Movement against the military Junta of Myanmar and the movement to the end of Apartheid led by Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

His philosophy was founded upon Ahimsa and his philosophy and leadership was helped India to gain independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. He also called as Bapu and officially honored in India as father of nation. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse.His father, Karamchand Gandhi, who belonged to the Hindu Modh community, served as the Diwan of Porbander state, a small princely state in the Kathiawar Agency of British India. His grandfather was Uttamchand Gandhi, fondly called Utta Gandhi. His mother Putlibai, who came from the Hindu Pranami Vaishnava community, was Karamchand's fourth wife, the first three wives having apparently died in childbirth.After his early education; he went to England in 1887 for his education in low.

In 1894 he applied for admission to practice in the Natal Supreme court. The Natal Low Society objected on the basis of race and colour, but the Chief Justice accepted him. Two weeks later, he successfully argued and won what was probably his first court case. Mahatma Gandhi reached South Africa in 1893, when South Africa consisted of two British colonies, Cape and Natal and two Dutch colonies Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Indian population was small in South Africa, about three percent of the total population of the country and most of them are indentured labours and free trades.

Indians enjoyed few rights in South Africa. Discrimination was particularly harsh in two Dutch colonies were Indians were prohibited from owning property in most of the areas, forbidden to vote in local elections. In June 1893, on his way to Pretoria from Johannesburg; he was forcibly removed from a first class coach for being a coloured passenger. When he objected, he was thrown out of the train of Pietermaritzburg. Incensed by his treatment on the train to Pretoria, Gandhi called a meeting of the Indian community and gave the first public speech of life and began a political career that lasted 55 years.

In1899 Gandhi organised an Indian Ambulance Corps at the beginning of the Boer War to provide relief for the injured British soldiers. Although, Gandiji was not supported the war on his principles. He created the Ambulance Corps to sent message to the British that the Indians were capable and responsible individuals who deserved the same rights as other British subjects.

In 1906, the Transvaal government promulgated a new Act compelling registration of the colony's Indian population. This act was popularly known as “Black act”. At a mass protest meeting held in Johannesburg on 11 September that year, Gandhi adopted his still evolving methodology of Satyagraha or non-violent protest, for the first time. He urged Indians to defy the new law and to suffer the punishments for doing so.

The community followed this plan and during the ensuing seven year struggle, thousands of Indians were jailed, flogged, or shot for striking, refusing to register, burning their registration cards or engaging in other forms of non-violent resistance. The government successfully repressed the Indian protesters, but the public outcry over the harsh treatment of peaceful Indian protesters by the South African government forced South African General Jan Christiaan Smuts to negotiate a compromise with Gandhi. Gandhi's ideas took shape and the concept of Satyagraha matured during this struggle.

In 1915 Gandhi sailed into Bombay, news about his fights for Indian equality in South Africa had spread throughout India and he was welcomed home as a hero. He travelled next year though India to familiarise himself about the problems of Indian society. The poverty, famine and government corruption that Gandhi saw on his travels convinced him of the need for social and moral reform. Gandhi established Satyagraha ashram at Kochrab, Ahmedabad and Gujarat province. The ashram was a spiritual treat for his followers. Gandhi invited untouchables to live on his farm. In 1917 Gandhi relocated his ashram to a site near Sabramati River in Ahmedabad renamed it as Sabramati ashram.

His concept of resistance was based on non violence and non corporation. His struggle against British imperialism can be listed below three categories namely ‘The non-cooperative movement of 1921, Salt Satyagraha of 1930 and Quit India movement of 1942’. In 1920 Mahatma Gandhi organized a massive Boycott of British goods and taxes to protest western materialism and the British economic exploitation of India. Gandhi promoted locally produced goods over those imported from Britain.

In 1922 Mahatma Gandhi was arrested by British Authorities and tried Gandhi for seditious acts. In this Great Trial Gandhi pleaded guilty to the charges but he argued that he had broken the law only to protest the gross inequalities in the Indian society. He was sentenced to six years in jail but was released after two years when he had to undergo an appendectomy. Fearing the public response should Gandhi be returned to jail after his illness; British authorities released him from custody.

In 1930, in protest of the Salt Act (1882), this forbade Indians from making their own salt. Gandhi led a 200 mile march from his ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal town of Dandi. When he arrived at Dandi, Gandhi knelt down and symbolically picked up a piece of natural, unprocessed salt from the shore, thereby violating British law. His march received wide spread support across India and Inspired thousands of Indians to follow his example of nonviolent civil disobedience. British government arrested more than one hundred thousand protesters including Gandhi but were forced to release Gandhi and other Indian leaders to negotiate an end to the protests.

In 1942 Gandhi launched what became known as the “Quit India Movement”. The Indian National Congress passed the “Quit India” resolution demanding that the British recognize Indian independence. In support of the resolution Gandhi launched his last Satyagraha Campaign. Along with other Indian leaders, Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned.

On august 14th in 1947, India declared its independence. The country is partitioned in to two separate states as India with largely Hindu population and Pakistan with largely Muslim population. Jawaharlal Nehru Became the first president of India and Muhammad Ali Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan. Partition launched one of the largest human migrations in the history, with over tem million people were forced to relocate. On January 30 Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist namely Nathuram Godse.

FAMOUS QUOTES OF GANDHI: “Be the change you want to see in the world” “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress” “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love” “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will” “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” “If you don't ask, you don't get” “Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.”