Influence by mahatma gandhi
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My own experience of him has been probably more intimate than that of any other Englishman; for I have had the unspeakable and inestimable privilege of his friendship, not only in India, but in South Africa. Therefore I am able to write from what I myself have seen and heard and known.
The most vivid impression of him, which stands out in my mind today, as I write this article, is that which I obtained during a very long and tiring day in Durban, South Africa, during the final act in the drama of the Passive Resistance Struggle. It was midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere, and the heat that day was terrific. There were, at the time, twenty thousand passive resisters, who were all making their preparations to march over the high veldt into the Transvaal in order to court arrest. They aimed at getting rid, once and for all, of the degrading system of Indian indentured labour, whereby the labourers, who had passed through their five years of indenture on the sugar plantations, were obliged to go back once more under indenture, or else to pay a poll tax of 3 pounds for every man, woman and child over 13 years of age, a thing that it was almost impossible for these poverty stricken labourers to do.
The racial insult of that poll tax had rankled long in people’s mind in South Africa, and Mahatma Gandhi had at last shown them a way by which they might obtain salvation. They were to undertake a long march, which should be a kind of pilgrimage, into the Transvaal, appealing to the generosity and pity of human hearts which would be moved by such a sum of suffering.
On that day, which so vividly impressed itself upon my memory, the Indian labourers from the sugar plantations had left their work in a body and had come into Durban to meet Mahatma Gandhi. Already four thousand had gone forward, as a kind of advance guard, some weeks ago, and these had all been arrested and imprisoned. Mahatma Gandhi had been imprisoned also, and been released so as to come in terms. But when the withdrawal of the poll tax was refused he began again the struggle with greatly increased forces. The women and children who joined in this strange army were almost as numerous as the men. In all the history of the world, such a warfare, carried on by defenseless people, has hardly ever been witnessed. The whole effort was profoundly Christian in its bearing for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear and understand.
At 110, Field Street, Durban, the headquarters of the campaign, was Parsee Rustomjee, a merchant, who had been all along a devout and courageous follower of Mahatma Gandhi and had himself faced a long imprisonment. Near to his shop were Mohammedan merchants, who were also helping in the struggle. The great bulk of the Indian labourers were Hindus, very many were "untouchables." But all were united together and equally loved by the one personality, whose leadership was unchallenged, Mahatma Gandhi.
At that time he was very little known, and his long passive resistance effort had gone on year after year almost unrecognized by the world at large. The Indians had silently suffered and endured. But then, at the end of 1913, things had come out into the open. General Smuts was the protagonist on one side and Mahatma Gandhi on the other.
Answer:
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.