write an article on the parallelism in the lives and work of mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. (word limit -200 words)
Answers
Mahatma Gandhi was a key to the revolutions of our time, which took place in different continents. It is widely held that of all the revolutionaries who dominated the 20th century, Gandhi alone offered hope for reform both within and without, physical and spiritual, without destruction. In that century of monstrous violence, it was and is our extraordinary good fortune that Gandhi lived.
As a visionary, Gandhi had foreseen these situations coming through the outcome of the follies of mankind committed throughout the 19th and 20th Century. Not surprising for the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi neatly spreads over three centuries. Born in the latter half of the 19th century, he develops a system in the 20th century by using his ‘self’ as a laboratory where he experiments with Truth as a pure scientist, finds solutions for the major problems now confronting humanity in the 21st century. His sane cautioned us to go only this far and not beyond, slow the pace and ponder carefully before you take the next step.
Mahatma Gandhi came on the scene when the transition from power politics to mass politics was taking place, and he strongly re-inforced the new trend. There are three distinct revolutionary currents in which Gandhi’s practical, earthy ability to apply to new situations what he called “the universal truths” has been instrumental in shaping the history of our times and in moving humanity towards a more rational existence. The first of these is the anti-colonial revolution; the second, the revolution for human dignity; and the third, the revolution for peace. In each of these three areas no scientist, no statesman, no educator has contributed so much as did the humble Indian lawyer who for nearly fifty years carried a torch for the oppressed peoples of all nations, all races and all creeds.
Was it the personality of Gandhi that did this or the force of the ideas that he represented and that he translated into action? Was it the rare spectacle of a man whose thought and word and act were so closely correlated as to form one integrated whole?
Mahatma Gandhi’s aim was to release the individual form the dichotomies and inner contradictions that modern technological civilization has created in the inner spaces of mankind, so also to free humanity from the yearning created though sheer manipulation. He sought to liberate men and women from the external tyranny of ‘modern living’, and bring back wholeness and integrity to the individual. Our age has witnessed the revolt of the disinherited in many countries and in varied forms.
Mahatma Gandhi rejected the weapons of hate and set about to discover the instrument of love for the battle of the weak against the strong. Discoveries came to him one after the other. He then put together all these ingredients of his discovery and welded them into the concept and practice of Satyagraha. Thus, step-by-step, the heroic and solitary experimenter in the dreaded laboratory of South Africa arrived at his radiant discovery of the power of collective non-violence, which evolved in time into the revolutionary weapon of Satyagraha.
It is difficult to make a discovery but even more difficult to apply it in a most difficult situation. How did Gandhi get the reckless courage to use Satyagraha in South Africa? He was himself undergoing a basic transformation within himself. Realizing that fear and non-violence action would be completely contradictory, he deliberately shed all fear and resolved that if he did not trust in the power of the soul he could do nothing. It was only when he was convinced that he had undergone all those changes he wanted to see in others, he tool the final plunge and gave his people the call to awake, arise and act non-violently.
The response was astonishing and justified Gandhi’s faith in God and man. His people rose as one man and followed him valiantly in the non-violent struggle, the meaning of which came to them instinctively and with growing conviction. What happened in this epic struggle, which lasted for seven years from September 11, 1906-1913, is now a part of our glorious history.
On his return to India in 1915, after 21 years sojourn in South Africa with the weapon of Satyagraha safe in his armoury, Gandhi launched his first Satyagraha on Indian soil in 1917 at Champaran, taking up the cause of the poor disinherited peasants, and humbled the might of the British and proved to the world that Satyagraha in South Africa was not a fluke, a one time wonder, but a powerful way of conflict resolution.
As Gandhi was forging ahead one the path of Satyagraha, in another corner of the world, a scientist par excellence Albert Einstein was keeping a keen eye on the experiments being carried out in the laboratory of another scientist – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. There were no professional rivalries between the two but only admiration.
Two of the greatest leaders in human history in the fight against government oppression were Nelson Rohihlahla Mandela (1918-2013) and Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). They are known as great professors of ethics. They had many similarities in their lives, but differences were also present.
Explanation:
- Mandela and Gandhi were both born into politically important families. Gandhi 's father, & his grandfather too, was the "Indian State of Porbandar's Dewans" (prime ministers). The "Thembu people 's ruler" in South Africa 's eastern cap province was Mandela 's grand-grand-grandfather. As Mandela's father died his mother led the young boy to the "Thembu People's Regent" palace and the boy's guardian, Chief "Jogintaba Dalindyebo". He considered Mandela to be a son and gave him an excellent education.
- Two studied law: Mandela and Gandhi. They were both astute political tacticians and struggled for South Africa against governmental injustice. Both of them were fearless and had iron wills and incredible obstinacy. As a result of their opposition to injustice, both spent long periods in jail. They both are reminded of their strong belief in truth and justice & their efforts to accomplish unity & harmony amongst conflicting factions. Both dealt kindly and politely with their political opponents.
- The power of Truth was strongly believed by both Gandhi & Mandela. The Gandhi principle is called "Satyagraha" and the "Story of My Experiments With Truth" has been called his autobiography. During the "Rivonia Trial (1963-1964)", where he was accused of planning to overthrow the South Africa govt through violence. His life had to be put at stake, Mandela realised the power of truth.
- The fathers of their nations were both Mandela and Gandhi. The name of Gandhi is "Mahatma," meaning the "Great Soul" but the affectionate name is also known as "Bapu," meaning "father" Mandela was called "Tata," meaning "father" affectionately.
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