Famous Social Reformers & Revolutionaries 1: Mahatma Gandhi

By Teacher Forum

Popularly known as “Bapu” in India, the Father of Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd of October 1869 in Porbandar in the Gujarat State of India.

His contribution to the Independence Movement in British ruled India is unmatched. It makes him the preeminent leader in the Indian history.

His major weapon against the Empirical British Regime was non-violent civil disobedience. Now when we see his old pictures, movies, or listen to his speeches, or watch him in movie clips of the time, it seems incredible that a frail man in a white dhoti had led India to her freedom.

Famous Social Reformers & Revolutionaries 1: Mahatma Gandhi
Copyright
Introduction
Family Background and Early Life
Higher Education in London
South African Years
From South Africa to India
First World War and Gandhi
Satyagraha in Champaran and Kheda
Gandhi and Khilafat Movement
Gandhi and Noncooperation Movement
Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha
Gandhi’s Views on Woman
Other Important Heroic Deeds
Gandhi and Congress Politics
Gandhi and Quit India Movement
Indian Independence and Partition
Attempts and Assassination
Gandhi’s Beliefs, Principles, and Practices
Influences on Gandhi
Importance of Truth and Satyagraha
Gandhian Doctrine of Nonviolence
Gandhi, Muslims, and Jews
Vegetarianism and Fasting
Gandhi’s Experiment to Test his Celibacy
Gandhi’s Idea of Basic Education for All
Swaraj or Self-Rule
Gandhi’s Ideas on Economics
Gandhi’s Literary Creations
Gandhi’s Legacy

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Dec 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311726629

Book preview

Famous Social Reformers & Revolutionaries 1: Mahatma Gandhi

Copyright

Famous Social Reformers & Revolutionaries 1: Mahatma Gandhi

Teacher Forum

Copyright@2014 Teacher Forum

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

Introduction

Popularly known as Bapu in India, the Father of Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd of October 1869 in Porbandar in the Gujarat State of India.

His contribution to the Independence Movement in British ruled India is unmatched. It makes him the preeminent leader in the Indian history.

His major weapon against the Empirical British Regime was non-violent civil disobedience. Now when we see his old pictures, movies, or listen to his speeches, or watch him in movie clips of the time, it seems incredible that a frail man in a white dhoti had led India to her freedom.

Not only India, but also several other leaders in the colonized countries, such as Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. followed Gandhi’s footsteps and continued their freedom struggle in their countries. His nonviolent civil disobedience movement very quickly spread across the world.

Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi at the meeting of the Indian National Congress

He is also called Mahatma, an honorific title, which means sage, high-souled, or venerable. This title was applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa. Now he is known by this name all over the world. Bapu is the Gujarati endearment for ‘father.’ There is no other person in the history of India who has been so highly esteemed, rather worshipped in real sense of term.

The house where Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, India

Mahatma Gandhi was born and brought up in a Hindi family in coastal Gujarat in western India. His father was a merchant. Gandhi studied law at the Inner Temple, London.

Coming back to South Africa from London, he started practicing there, but soon involved himself in nonviolent civil disobedience movement as an expatriate lawyer.

He began to raise his voice with the resident Indian community’s struggle for civil rights in South Africa.

In 1915, Gandhi went back to India and started organizing farmers, workers, and people from the lower classes of the society to protest against the heavy land-taxation and discrimination.

In 1921, Gandhi became the leader of the Indian National Congress. He was very much worried about the condition of the downtrodden and poor in the society. He started nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, giving more rights to women, creating religious and ethnic unity, fighting against untouchability, and self-rule (Swaraj). Gandhi was followed by millions of Indians who wanted the British to quit India.

Mahatma Gandhi leading the Dandi March to protest against the Salt Tax imposed by the British

When the British imposed salt tax, Gandhi led thousands of Indians on a four hundred kilometer Dandi Salt March in 1930. He broke the law by producing salt. Later on, he called for the British to Quit India in 1942.

Gandhi had to go to jail several times both in South Africa and India. He propagated the practice of nonviolence and truth even under the adverse circumstances. He said that truth should be practiced in all situations.

M. K. Gandhi lived a very simple life. He lived in a self-sufficient residential community. He wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl. His clothes were woven with the yarn which was spun on a charkha, spinning wheel.

Gandhi was a strict vegetarian. He liked to drink goat milk. He would often go on long fasts both to express his social protest and for the sake of self-purification.

Gandhi wanted India to remain united with religious pluralism, but a new Muslim nationalism challenged his vision and started demanding a separate Muslim country which had to be carved out of India after the independence of India.

On 15th of August 1947, Great Britain granted India independence, but the British Indian Empire was divided: India and Pakistan. India remained a Hindu-majority country and Pakistan a Muslim-majority country.