Mahatma Gandhi

The Indian political and civil rights leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly referred to as Mahatma Gandhi, was a significant contributor to India's struggle for independence. This essay takes you through his life, including his Satyagraha philosophy, non-cooperation, assassination, and other ideas.

Indian culture: India's history: India's Modern History: Fast Facts About Mahatma Gandhi: Date of Birth: On October 2, 1869, my birthplace was: Date of death: Porbandar, British India (now Gujarat). Death Date: January 30, 1948, Location: Death in Delhi, India Cause: Professions in assassination: Writer, politician, lawyer, and activist Kids of Kasturba Gandhi: The father of Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, and Devdas Gandhi: Mother of Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi: Putlibai Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a prominent freedom fighter and powerful political leader who led India's independence struggle. Gandhi is also referred to as Mahatma, which means "a great soul," Bapuji, which means "endearment for father" in Gujarati, and Father of the Nation. Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday in India, and the International Day of Nonviolence are both observed on his birthday each year. The most common name for him is Mahatma Gandhi, and he was responsible for freeing India from the British. He inspired a number of other political leaders worldwide, including Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Aung San Suu Kyi, with his unusual but effective political tools of Satyagraha and nonviolence. In addition to assisting India in its victory over the English in its struggle for independence, Gandhi lived a simple and moral life, for which he is frequently praised. Gandhi's childhood was pretty typical, but he went on to become a great man throughout his life. Because he demonstrated that anyone with the desire can become a great soul throughout their lifetime, this is one of the primary reasons why millions of people follow Gandhi.

Childhood M. K. Gandhi was born in Porbandar, a princely state in what is now Gujarat. He was born to Karamchand Gandhi, the diwan of Porbandar, and his fourth wife, Putlibai, into a Hindu merchant caste family. An affluent Pranami Vaishnava family was Gandhi's mother's family. Gandhi was a very naughty and mischievous youngster. In fact, Maohandas' sister Raliat once revealed that twisting the ears of dogs to hurt them was one of his favorite pastimes. Gandhi became friends with Sheikh Mehtab as a child, who was introduced to him by his older brother. Gandhi began eating meat after growing up in a vegetarian household. It is also said that a young Gandhi went to a brothel with Sheikh, but Gandhi felt uneasy there, so he left. After watching his uncle smoke, Gandhi and one of his relatives also developed the habit of smoking. Gandhi began stealing copper coins from his servants to purchase Indian cigarettes after smoking the cigarettes that his uncle had thrown away. Gandhi's dependence on cigarettes led him to even consider suicide when he could no longer steal. After stealing some gold from his friend Sheikh's armlet when he was fifteen, Gandhi felt remorse and told his father about his habit of stealing and promised him that he would never do it again.

Early Life The stories of Shravana and Harishchandra, which demonstrated the significance of truth, had a profound impact on Gandhi during his formative years. He realized that love and truth are among the most important values through these stories and his own experiences. When Mohandas was 13 years old, he wed Kasturba Makhanji. Later, Gandhi said that he was happy and excited only about getting a new set of clothes and that the marriage didn't mean anything to him at that age. However, as time went on, his feelings for her turned lustful, which he later admitted in his autobiography with regret. Gandhi had also admitted that his thoughts wandering toward his newlywed wife made it impossible for him to concentrate in school.

Education Gandhi attended a local school when he was nine years old after his family moved to Rajkot. There, he learned the fundamentals of arithmetic, history, geography, and languages. When he was 11 years old, he went to a Rajkot high school. He lost a scholastic in the middle between as a result of his wedding however later rejoined the school and at last finished his tutoring. After enrolling at Samaldas College in Bhavnagar State in 1888, he later dropped out. Mavji Dave Joshiji, a family friend, later advised Gandhi to study law in London. Gandhi managed to persuade his mother and wife of the idea by pledging in front of them that he would not eat meat or have sex in London. Gandhi went to London, attended the Inner Temple, and practiced law, supported by his brother. Gandhi joined a vegetarian society while he was in London, and some of his vegetarian friends soon showed him the Bhagavad Gita. Later in his life, the contents of the Bhagavad Gita would have a significant impact on his life. After Inner Temple summoned him to the bar, he returned to India.

Gandhi in South Africa Following his return to India, Gandhi had difficulty finding employment as a lawyer. Dada Abdullah, a South African shipping entrepreneur, approached him in 1893 to inquire about serving as his cousin's attorney there. Gandhi gladly accepted the offer and traveled to South Africa, where he would make a significant political transition.

He was subjected to black and Indian racial discrimination in South Africa. He was made to feel bad on numerous occasions, but he decided to fight for his rights. He became an activist as a result, taking on numerous cases that would benefit South African Indians and other minorities. Because these rights were exclusively reserved for Europeans, Indians were not permitted to vote or travel on footpaths. In 1894, Gandhi was successful in establishing an organization he dubbed the "Natal Indian Congress" in protest of this unfair treatment. Gandhi was influenced by the concept of Satyagraha, or devotion to the truth, and began organizing non-violent protests around 1906 after discovering the ancient Indian literature known as "Tirukkural," which was originally written in Tamil and later translated into many languages. He had transformed into a new person after spending 21 years fighting for civil rights in South Africa, and he returned to India in 1915.

Gandhi and the Indian National Congress Gandhi had established a reputation as a nationalist, theorist, and organizer during his lengthy stay in South Africa and for his activism against the racist British policy. Senior leader of the Indian National Congress Gopal Krishna Gokhale invited Gandhi to join the fight for India's independence from the British. Gokhale taught Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi everything he knew about India's politics and social issues at the time. After that, he joined the Indian National Congress and led a number of agitations that he dubbed Satyagraha before assuming leadership in 1920.

Champaran Satyagraha, Gandhi and the Indian National Congress The 1917 Champaran agitation was Gandhi's first significant success in India. The British landlords forced the area's peasants to grow Indigo, a cash crop whose demand had been decreasing. They were made to sell their crops to the planters at a fixed price, which made matters worse. The ranchers went to Gandhiji for help. Gandhi succeeded in gaining concessions from the authorities by employing a strategy of nonviolent agitation that caught the administration off guard. Gandhi's arrival in India was marked by this campaign!

When floods struck Kheda in 1918, Kheda Satyagraha Farmers pleaded with the British to relax the tax payment requirements. Gandhi took the farmers' side and led the protests when the British ignored the requests. He told them that no matter what, they should not pay taxes. Later on, the British gave in and agreed to reduce the amount of money collected, giving their word to Vallabhbhai Patel, the farmer who had represented them.

 

Kheda Satyagraha Khilafat Movement After World War I Gandhi had agreed to help the British fight in World War I. However, the British didn't give India independence as promised after the war, so the Khilafat Movement was started. Gandhi urged both Hindus and Muslims to act in solidarity and unity because he realized that Hindus and Muslims needed to work together to fight the British. But numerous Hindu leaders questioned his move. Gandhi was successful in gaining the support of Muslims despite the opposition of numerous leaders. However, as the Khilafat Movement abruptly came to an end, all of his efforts vanished into thin air.

Gandhi and the Non-cooperation Movement One of Gandhi's most significant campaigns against the British was the Non-cooperation Movement. The people of Gandhi's country were urged to stop working with the British. He was of the opinion that the only reason the British were successful in India was the Indians' cooperation. He had warned the British not to pass the Rowlatt Act, but they ignored his warning and did so anyway. Gandhiji requested civil disobedience against the British as announced. In Delhi, the British opened fire on a peaceful crowd as they began to forcefully suppress the civil disobedience movement. Gandhiji defied British orders not to enter Delhi, which resulted in his arrest and further enragement, which led to riots. He urged people to act in unison, refrain from violence, and honor human life. However, as a result of the British's aggressive response, numerous protesters were detained.

In Amritsar's Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919, a British officer named Dyer instructed his troops to open fire on a peaceful group that included women and children. This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent Hindu and Sikh citizens. The occurrence is referred to as the "Jallianwala Bagh Massacre." However, Gandhi criticized the protesters rather than placing blame on the English and urged Indians to respond to British hostility with love. He fasted himself to death to pressure the Indians to put an end to their rioting and urged them to avoid all forms of non-violence.

 

Swaraj The idea of non-cooperation gained a lot of popularity and began to spread throughout India. Swaraj was the focus of Gandhi's movement, which he expanded. He advised individuals to stop purchasing British goods. He likewise requested that individuals leave government work, quit concentrating on in English organizations and quit rehearsing in regulation courts. However, Gandhiji was forced to abruptly end the movement after the violent clash in Uttar Pradesh's Chauri Chaura town in February 1922. On March 10, 1922, Gandhi was taken into custody and tried for sedition. He was given a six-year sentence, but he only served two of them.

Simon Commission and Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March) In the 1920s, Mahatma Gandhi focused on resolving the conflict between the Indian National Congress and the Swaraj Party. The British had appointed Sir John Simon to lead a new commission for constitutional reform in 1927, which became known as the "Simon Commission." The commission included not a single Indian. In response, Gandhi passed a resolution in December 1928 at the Calcutta Congress urging the British government to give India dominion status. The British were to face a new non-violent campaign with the aim of achieving complete independence if this demand was not met. The British voted against the resolution. The banner of India was spread out by the Indian public Congress on 31st December 1929 at its Lahore meeting. India's independence was celebrated on January 26, 1930.

But the British didn't know about it, so they soon taxed salt. In response, the Salt Satyagraha was started in March 1930. Gandhi began the Dandi Walk with his devotees in Spring, going from Ahmedabad to Dandi by walking. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was made in March 1931 as a result of the protest's success.

Round Table Conferences and Negotiations Following the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, the British invited Gandhi to round table conferences. The British questioned Gandhi's motives and asked him not to speak for the entire nation as he advocated for Indian independence. B. R. Ambedkar and numerous religious leaders were invited to represent the untouchables. Along with the untouchables, the British promised numerous rights to various religious groups. Gandhi fasted as a protest against the move, which he feared would further divide India. He devised a second Satyagraha, for which he was detained once more, after learning the British's true intentions at the second conference.

Quit India Movement Mahatma Gandhi intensified his calls for India's full independence as World War II progressed. He came up with a resolution urging the British to leave India. The Indian national Congress under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership launched the most aggressive movement, known as the "Quit India Movement" or "Bharat Chhodo Andolan." Gandhi was taken into custody on August 9, 1942, and he was held in the Aga Khan Palace in Pune for two years. During this time, he lost his secretary, Mahadev Desai, and his wife, Kasturba. By the end of 1943, the British had hinted that they would hand over complete power to the Indian people, ending the Quit India Movement. Gandhi put an end to the movement that saw 100,000 political prisoners released.

Freedom and India's Partition In spite of Mahatma Gandhi's advice to the contrary, the Congress accepted the British Cabinet Mission's 1946 proposal for India's independence and partition. Gandhi reluctantly agreed after Sardar Patel convinced him that it was the only way to avoid civil war. Gandhi's focus after India's independence was peace and Muslim-Hindu unity. In Delhi, he started his final fast until death, pleaded with people to put an end to communal violence, and emphasized that the payment of Rs. According to the Partition Council's agreement, Pakistan will receive 55 crores. He ended his fast when all political leaders agreed to his wishes.

The inspiring life of Mahatma Gandhi came to an end on January 30, 1948, when he was shot at point-blank range by a fanatic named Nathuram Godse. Nathuram was a Hindu radical who blamed Gandhi for making sure Pakistan got the payment for the partition. Later, Godse and Narayan Apte, a co-conspirator, were tried and found guilty. They were put to death on November 15, 1949.

Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi advocated for truth, peace, nonviolence, vegetarianism, Brahmacharya (celibacy), simplicity, and faith in God. His greatest legacy is the peace and nonviolence tools he preached and utilized in India's struggle for freedom against the British, despite the fact that his significant contribution to the Indian freedom movement will be remembered for all time. He was for harmony and peacefulness from one side of the planet to the other, as he genuinely accepted that main these excellencies can save the humanity. Mahatma Gandhi once composed a letter to Hitler, before The Second Great War, arguing him to keep away from war. In their fight against injustice, a number of other world leaders were inspired by these strategies. He is regarded as the most important figure in Indian history, and there are statues of him all over the world.

In Western culture, the term "Mahatma" is frequently used in place of Gandhi's first name. Numerous literary, artistic, and showbiz works were influenced by his extraordinary life. The Mahatma's life has been the subject of numerous films and documentaries. After India gained independence, its paper currency was dominated by Gandhi's image.