role of mahatma gandhi in kheda movement of about 2pages
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The single incident of Mahatma Gandhi being kicked out of a first class coupe despite bearing a valid ticket in South Africa due to the colour-tone of the skin is a major bookmark in the historical narrative of India. It led him to launch a Satyagraha movement in South Africa before returning to India as a reformed person. No longer just an eminent and well-to-do lawyer, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had been stirred by the reality of India and her circumstance. Initially, though still an advocate of British rule but a supporter of autonomy to Indians, Gandhi’s transformation was gradual but steady. On arrival in India, he created ripples with two major movements – the first was the Satyagraha in Champaran (related to the distress of indigo growers in Bihar) that hurled him on to the national canvas, and the second was the Ahmedabad Mills Strike. In 1918, Ahmedabad was the second largest city of Bombay Presidency and a conflict had arisen between cotton mill owners, who wanted to scrap the plague bonus and workers who wanted a 50% wage hike. A non-violent movement led by Gandhiji finally lead to a resolution with the owners ultimately conceding a 35% raise. But today is the centenary of his third epical movement – the Kheda Satyagraha. Located in Gujarat and centred on the peasant-Patidar community of Kheda who refused to agree to a 23% tax hike that was imposed on them despite a terrible crop failure and breakout of plague and cholera. Assisted by stalwarts like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Gandhiji’s team members like Indulal Yagnik, Shankarlal Banker and Mahadev Desai amongst others travelled across the countryside and raised awareness about the rights of the farmers. The greatest successes of the movement were that it remained non-violent, peasants got apprised about their rights, and the community stood firm on the plea for a cancellation of taxes that year. Predictably, the government rejected the demands and asked the bureaucracy of the area along with security personnel to confiscate land, homes, and cattle of the people. The scene was classic. As guards stormed cattle sheds and homes of the people, not one person hit back but donated all that belonged to them to the Gujarat Sabha that was organising the Satyagraha. Finally, the authorities succumbed and arrived at an acceptable solution of only the richer Patidars paying tax, while exempting the poor completely. Gandhiji had observed that the Kheda movement as “the beginning of an awakening of the peasants of Gujarat”. However, it was more than just that. It also became a defining instance for Gandhi ji himself. While it was only two years later in 1921 in Madurai that he gave up his normal attire and started wearing just a loin cloth and a shawl, it was during this Kheda Satyagraha that he removed the Kathiyawadi turban and became bareheaded. It was a milestone on his journey from being Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to become a Mahatma.