“MAHATMA GANDHI” is known as the “FATHER OF OUR NATION”.
“MAHATMA GANDHI” is commonly called as “MAHATMA” and Children’s call him “BAPPU”
GANDHIJI’S BIRTHDAY on “OCTOBER 2nd” is celebrated as “GANDHI JAYANTHI”in INDIA and World wide OCTOBER 2 is celebrated as “INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE”.
His life and Teachings became the inspirations of World Leaders like “MARTINE LUTHER KING JR”and “NELSON MANDELA”
“THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH” is the Autobiography of MAHATMA GANDHI.
“A WALK THROUGH HIS HOLY LIFE”
“MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI” was born on 2nd OCTOBER 1869 in PORBANDER,GUJARAT,INDIA.
His FATHER “KARAMCHAND GANDHI” was the “DEWAN”in PORBANDER.
His Mother “PUTHALIBAI” was a deeply Religious woman.
During his school days he was a shy and an Average student.
At the age of 13,he married “KASTURBA MAKANJI” in an Arranged Marriage.
After his schooling ,he joined “SAMALDAS COLLEGE” at the “UNIVERSITY OF BOMBAY”.
GANDHIJI was interested in becoming a Doctor, but his Father wanted to make him a LAWYER.
His Father died on 1885.Father’s death deeply wounded him.
TO ENGLAND
In 1888,when he was 18 years old he sailed for LONDON,ENGLAND to study LAW.
During his stay in LONDON, he eated Meatless diet only”. He also joined the committee of the “LONDON VEGETARIAN SOCIETY”.
His Mother died in 1891 when he was in ENGLAND.
In 1891,he returned back to INDIA after his Mother Death.
Though he gained a “LAWYERS DEGREE”,he was too nervous to appear in courtroom cases.
When he was struggling to get a job as a LAWYER in INDIA,he got on offer as a LAWYER from SOUTH AFRICA for One year.
TO SOUTH AFRICA
In 1893,he sailed for DURBAN,SOUTH AFRICA.
When he arrived in SOUTH AFRICA,he was shocked by seeing the RACIAL DISCRIMINATION faced by INDIANS.
In 1893,during a Train trip to PRETORIA,SOUTH AFRICA,a white man complained about the presence of Gandhiji in the First-class Compartment.
Although Gandhiji had a ticket,he was asked to move to second class compartment which he refused.Thus he was thrown out off the train at “PIETERMARITZBURG” Station.
This incident inspired him to form the “NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS “in 1894 to fight against “RACIAL DISCRIMINATION”.
He prepared to Return to INDIA after the one year contract period but the other INDIA’S at South Africa pleaded him to stay and lead the fight against “RACIAL DISCRIMINATION”.
In the last of 1896,he returned to “INDIA” but during the start of 1897,he returned back to “SOUTH AFRICA” with his family.
In 1906,he organized his “FIRST CIVIL-DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN” which he himself named as “SATHYAGRAHA”[TRUTH& FIRMNESS]to protest against the SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT’S Restrictions on the “Rights of Indians”.
The protest lasted years and in 1913,hundreds of Indians including GANDHIJI was arrested.
Due to the protest against his arrest, SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT accepted a compromise and removed certain restriction on the rights of Indians.
BACK TO INDIA
In 1915,he returned to INDIA.
In 1915,he founded an “ASHRAM” in AHMEDABAD,INDIA. The ASHRAM was opened to all castes of people.
Wearing a simple cloth and shawl, he lived a simple life dedicating most of his times to prayer, Fasting and Meditation.
He become known as “MAHATMA” meaning “GREAT SOUL”.”RABINDRA NATH TAGORE” was the first to call him “MAHATMA”.
TO FREEDOM STRUGGLE
In 1919,BRITISH GOVERNMENT controlling INDIA introduced a new act known as “ROWLATT ACT”.
ROWLATT ACT is a LAW through which British authorities can arrest and imprison any Indians who speaks against British authority.
In response to this ACT,GANDHIJI called for a “SATHYAGRAHA CAMPAIGN” of peaceful protests. Though GANDHIJI asked for peaceful protest, violence broke out in certain parts of INDIA.
As a result on “April 13,1919″British brigadier “GENERAL DYER “fired machine guns into a crowd of people assembled in the “MASSCRE OF AMRITSAR” This incident known as “JALIANWALA BAGH MASSCRE” killed nearly 400 people.
After this incident, GANDHIJI returned the MEDALS he earned for his services and called for “MASS BOYCOTTS”.
He asked INDIANS working in the Government officials to stop working for the Britishers, soldiers to leave their posts, Citizens to stop paying taxes and purchasing British Goods.
He also asked the people to produce cloths using spinning wheel thus avoiding foreign cloths.
The “SPINNING WHEEL”thus become a symbol of INDIAN INDEPENDENCE.
In 1920,he took charge as the leader of “INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS”[INC],and established “NON-VIOLENCE” and “NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT” to achieve INDEPENDENCE.
British authorities arrested him in 1922,and was released in 1924 after “appendicitis surgery”.
When he was in jail,Relationship between Hindus and Muslims gets worst .After his release from jail,he began a “three-week fast” to bring unity between Hindus and Muslims.
After this he remained away from Active politics.
THE SALT MARCH
He returned to the Active politics in “1930” when the Britishers introduced a “NEW SALT ACT”.
This “SALT ACT” banned INDIAN’S from collecting or selling salts.Also this ACT imposed heavy tax that affected the country’s poorest peoples.
He planed a new campaign “THE SALT MARCH” to walk 390 KILOMETRE’S to the Arabian sea and collect “SALT”as a protest to the “SALT ACT”.
ON MARCH 12,1930 carrying a walk stick he along with a few dozen followers set out to “DANDI” from his “SABARMATI ASHRAMAM”.
After 24 days he reached the coastal town of DANDI with thousands of followers. IN DANDI he broke the law by making “SALT” from “SEA WATER”
ON MAY,1930,he along with 60,000 INDIANS were Jailed for breaking the “SALT ACT”
This incident made GANDHIJI Famous around the world.He was named TIME MAGAZINES “MAN OF THE YEAR 1930”.
He was released in January 1931,and two months later he made an agreement with “LORD IRWIN’ that “in order to end the ‘SALT SATYAGRAHA’ the Britishers have to release thousands of Indian Political prisoners.
The Agreement was signed by Britishers and thousands of Indians were released.Besides the Britishers allowed the coastal people to make salt from the sea water.
In 1932,he set out a “six-day fast” to protest against the British decision to “separate the untouchables [lowest people belonging to Indian caste system] from other castes”.
He was arrested for his protest and due to huge pressure from the public,the Decision to separate the untouchable was cancelled.
In 1934,he was released. After his release, he left INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS passing his position to “JAWAHARLAL NEHRU”.
QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT
In 1942,GANDHIJI Launched the “QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT” to with draw “BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY” from INDIA.
In August 1942,British arrested Gandhi, his wife and other leaders of the INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.
In 1944,he was released after 19-months due to his bad health.
IN 1945,the LABOUR PARTY defeated “WINSTON CHURCHILL’S PARTY” in the BRITISH GENERAL ELECTION. This lead to the opening of INDIAN INDEPENDENCE.
Though GANDHIJI tried his best for the unification of INDIA,”MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH’S MUSLIM LEAGUE and INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS” did not hear him.
Thus INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT gets separated into INDIA AND PAKISTAN.
INDIA become independent on “15th August 1947”,because of the efforts by GANDHIJI.
ASSASSINATION
In order to stop the violence between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhiji travelled to riot areas demanding peace. He even “fasted” to stop this riot.
This sympathy towards Muslims by Gandhiji provoked some Hindus.
In January 30,1948,Gandhiji was shot and killed[78 year old]by a Hindu activist “NATHURAM GODSE” at” BIRLA HOUSE,NEW DELHI”.
NATHURAM GODSE along with his helper “NARAYAN APTE” was hanged to death in 1949.
GANDHIJI’S “NON-VIOLENT MOVEMENTS” inspired future leaders like “MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR” and “NELSON MANDELA ” to fight against injustice.
PROFILE
NAME - MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI DATE OF BIRTH - 2nd OCTOBER,1869 PLACE OF BIRTH -PORBANDAR,GUJARAT,INDIA NATIONALITY - INDIAN EDUCATION - UNIVERSITY OF BOMBAY -UNIVERSITY COLLEGE,LONDON LIFE PARTNER - KASTURBA GANDHI CHILDREN'S - HARILAL -MANILAL -RAMDAS -DEVADAS AUTOBIOGRAPHY - THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH. DATE OF DEATH - 30th JANUARY,1948[AGED 78] PLACE OF DEATH - BIRLA HOUSE,NEW DELHI RESTING PLACE - RAJ GHAT,NEW DELHI
QUOTES
1) "AN EYE FOR EYE ONLY ENDS UP MAKING THE WHOLE WORLD BLIND" 2) "YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD" 3) "THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO TODAY" 4) "NO BODY CAN HURT ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION" 5) "RELATIONSHIPS ARE BASED ON FOUR PRINCIPLES *RESPECT *UNDERSTANDING *ACCEPTANCE *APPRECIATION
NOTE - "WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND OUR CHILDREN'S TO READ MAHATMA GANDHIJI AUTOBIOGRAPHY "MY EXPERIENCE WITH TRUTH" AVAILABLE FREE IN OUR "E-LIBRARY"
