essay on Mahatma Gandhi
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The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi Jayanti) is celebrated on October 2 as a national event across India. This day is observed across the entire world as the International Day of Non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi contributed tirelessly and selflessly in India’s freedom struggle for Independence. Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals were satya (truth) and ahimsa (non violence). Through his philosophy of truth and non-violence, he paved the way for India’s Independence from Britishers. For this reason, Mahatma Gandhi was called the Father of the Nation. He was the harbinger of hope for not only for India but the world.
Not only did Mahatma Gandhi contribute significantly in India’s freedom struggle against the Britishers, but through his profound vision inspired people across the world to raise their voice against any kind of discrimination – be it on the basis of caste, color, religion, to name a few. Mahatma Gandhi’s profound quote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” aptly sums up his significant selfless contribution for India.
An iconoclastic selfless man, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 to Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi and Putlibai, in a Hindu merchant caste family in Porbandar, Gujarat.
He pursued law for one year at the University of Bombay and later he moved to University College London from where he graduated in 1891. Mahatma Gandhi was admitted to the Bar Council of England. He practiced law in Bombay (now known as Mumbai) for a year and later went to South Africa, where he experienced racism. Mahatma Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience in South Africa, in the resident Indian community’s struggle for civil rights. His non-violence and satyagraha were the tools through which he was able to lead India to achieve Independence without shedding a drop of blood.
Mahatma Gandhi inspired people with his famous quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”He did practice non-violence, truth and self restraint. While he was in London, he became more committed towards a vegetarian diet and motivated others to adopt vegetarian diet as well. The Father of the Nation believed in simple living and high thinking. He lived simply, used to wear traditional Indian dhoti and a shawl, woven with yarn hand-spun on a ‘charkha’. He abstained from meat, alcohol and promiscuity. Mahatma Gandhi undertook long fasts as a mark of political protest as well as self-restraint.
In 1916, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested for organizing civil resistance of tens of thousands of landless farmers and serfs in the Champaran district of Bihar, India. Through the Champaran Satyagraha of 1916, Mahatma Gandhi along with the farmers and serfs opposed the increasing tax levied on farmers by the British during the devastating famine. With his steely determination, Gandhi startled Britishers in 1930 with his 440 km long walk on foot to the ocean. It was primarily to oppose the British salt monopoly and lead Indians to challenge the British imposed salt tax. Dandi Salt March is laid down in history, where approximately 60,000 people were imprisoned an an outcome of the protest march.
Gandhi believed that all human beings are God’s special people and must be treated equally irrespective of their caste, color, language, creed, region, religion and ethnicity. Mahatma Gandhi believed in religious pluralism and campaigned for the empowerment of Untouchables- whom he called Harijans (the children of God). In 1942, Gandhi urged Indians to stop cooperating with the British and called for Quit India movement.
However, the story and the span of India’s struggle for Independence was very long and many people sacrificed their lives during the process. Finally, India achieved freedom in August, 1947. But Independence was accompanied by the horrific Partition. Following the partition and witnessing religious violence pertaining to the liberation of India and Pakistan after India’s Independence in 1947, Gandhi undertook innumerable fasts unto death to terminate religious violence. The Father of the Nation was assassinated on January 30, 1948, after Nathuram Godse fired three bullets at him at the Birla House, New Delhi.
The Father of the Nation was a well read man and an avid writer. His philosophy of ahimsa, satyagraha and civil disobedience still remains a potent guiding force in people’s lives and has helped people across the world to garner courage to oppose discrimination. He wrote several books during his lifetime: An Autobiography- The Story of My Experiments with Truth; Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule; Key to Health are some of the books penned by him. Mahatma Gandhi’s life was one of selfless love for one’s country, and through his hard work, self restraint, truth and non violence, he ignited hope among fellow Indians to achieve what they aspire for and protest against discrimination at various levels.
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The period from 1920 to 1947 had been described as the Gandhian Era in Indian Politics. During the period, Gandhi spoke the final word on behalf of the Indian National Congress in negotiating with the British Government for constitutional reforms, and for chalking out a programme for the national movement.
Mahatma Gandhi led the national freedom struggle against the British rule. The most unique thing about this struggle was that it was completely nonviolent.
Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October, 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. After finishing his early education in India, he sailed to England in 1891 and qualified as Barrister. In 1894, Gandhi went to South Africa in connection with a law suit.
The political career of Gandhi started in South Africa where he launched a Civil Disobedience Movement against the maltreatment meted out to Asian settlers. In 1916, he returned to India and took up the leadership of National Freedom Struggle.
After the death of freedom fighter and congress leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak on August, 1920, Gandhi became virtually the sole navigator of the ship of the congress. Gandhi had whole heartedly supported the British during the 1st World War (1914-1919). The end of war, however, did not bring the promised freedom for India. So Gandhiji launched many movements to force the British to concede India its Independence. The well known being: Non Co-operation Movement (1920), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) and Quit India Movement (1942).
The British passed the Rowlett Act in 1919 to deal with the revolutionaries. Gandhi made the Rowlett Act an issue and appealed to the people to observe peaceful demonstration on April 6, 1919. Gandhi's call for peaceful demonstration met with tremendous response. It led to mass demonstrations in Punjab and Delhi. The Jallianwala Massacre (1919) was a sequel of this agitation. The Indian people were shocked by the way the British conducted themselves. Gandhi them launched a non-co-operation in 1920 against the British rule. On 12th March 1930, Gandhi started his Civil Disobedience with his famous 'Dandi March' to break the salt laws. Many leaders and persons courted arrest. Then followed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact for the participation of the congress in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931. On March 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps came to India with his proposals which were rejected by all political parties. The failure of the Cripps Mission led to unprecedented disturbances. Disillusioned and disappointed, the congress passed at Bombay the Quit India Resolution (August 8, 1942). The British were asked to leave India forthwith. The moving spirit behind the resolution was Gandhiji. The Quit India Movement was the greatest challenge to the British empire.
Gandhi was a great leader, a saint and a great social reformer. He was pious, truthful and religious. He believed in simple living and high thinking. Every body who came in contact with him were so deeply influenced by his personality. He was a Champion of democracy and was deadly opposed to dictatorial rule. Gandhi showed India and the World the path of truth and non-violence. He believed that it was truth alone that prevailed in the end. Gandhi believed that real India lived in more than five lakhs villages uplift. According to him India's real emancipation depended on Swadeshi i.e. boycott of foreign goods, use of khadi encouragement to village and cottage industries.
Gandhi began to work day and night for the freedom of his country. He and his brave followers went to jail again and again, and suffered terrible hardships. Thousands of them were starved, beaten, ill treated and killed, but they remained true to their master. At last his noble efforts bore fruit and on August 15,1947, India became free and independent. Gandhi defeated the mighty British empire not with swords or guns , but by means of strange and utterly new weapons of truth and Ahimsa. He worked all through his life for Hindu- Muslim Unity and the abolition of untouchability. Gandhi worked hard for the upliftment of the Harijans, the name given by him to the untouchables. Gandhi declared untouchability a sin against God and Man.
Gandhi wrote his famous autobiography under the title 'My Experiments with Truth'. Gandhi always stood for communal harmony, but he himself was shot dead by a religious fanatic Nathuram Godse on 30th January, 1948. The whole World mourned his death.
Concluding Remarks: Some one had quipped: "If they had not thrown Gandhi out of the train in South Africa, the English would not have too much trouble from him." Gandhi, the young Attorney, vowed to oppose such unfair treatment- through non-co-operation and other nonviolent meansl.