MahatmaGandhiBiography

Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) played animportant role in India’s struggle for freedom. Mahatma Gandhiisknownforhispolicyoftruthandnon-violence.

QuickFacts

Famousas ForHisPhilosophyofTruthandNon-violence

Nationality Indian

Religion Hinduism

Bornon 02October1869AD

ZodiacSign Libra

BorninPorbandar,KathiawarAgency,BritishIndianEmpire

Diedon 30January1948AD

Placeofdeath

NewDelhi,DominionofIndia

Eepitaphs HeyRam

Father KaramchandGandhi

Mother PutlibaiGandhi

Spouse: KasturbaGandhi

Children Harilal,Manilal,Ramdas,Devdas

Education UniversityCollegeLondon,AlfredHighSchool

Works&Achievements

KeyRoleinIndianFreedomStruggle,PhilosophyofTruthandNon-violence

Awards 1930-ManoftheYearbyTimemagazine

QuickFacts

ImageSource: http://wallpaperssfree.com/mahatma-gandhi-hd-wallpapers/

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as MahatmaGandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India wholed the country in the non-cooperation movement in 1922 andSalt march in 1930 and later in Quit India movement in 1942during its struggle for independence. Known as Beloved Baapuin India, Mahatma Gandhi adopted the policy of massdisobedience and non-violent resistance as weapons againsttheBritishRuleinIndiaandfollowedaprincipleofAhimsa(totalNon-Violence).Heenduredseveralhardships,wasarrestedandoccasionally beaten in his journey and struggle to Justice andFreedom.However,hisstruggledoesnot restrict to India itself,as the leaderplayedakey role in theCivilRightsmovement inSouthAfricaandsecured them the right to justiceandequality.His birthday 2 October is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, anational holiday and as the International Non-Violence dayacrosstheworld.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, a townin Gujarat in western India on 2 October 1869. His fatherKaramchandGandhiwastheDiwanofPorbandarstateofBritishIndia.HismotherPutlibaiwasKaramchand’sfourthwife.Havingborn in a Hindu family Gandhi strictly followed vegetarianism

and fasting as means of self-purification. At the age of 13 hewasmarriedtooneyearolderkasturba.In1885,Kasturbaigavebirth to their first child who survived only few days. Later thecouple had four sons.All along his schooling daysGandhi wasan average student and passed his matriculation exam fromSamaldas College, Gujarat with some difficulty. On 4thSeptember 1888, he traveled to England to study law at theuniversity College London and to train as a barrister, as hisfamilywantedhimtobeabarrister.

CivilRightsMovementinSouthAfricaIn South Africa, he had a first hand experience of racialdiscriminationandprejudicedirectedatIndiansandtheinjusticeimposed on them. Gandhi himself experienced the humiliationanddisgracewhile inSouthAfrica. Initially hewas thrownoff atrain for refusing to travel ina thirdclasscoachwhileholdingafirst class ticket. Other similar events including being barredfrom many hotels in South Africa moved him and encouragedhim towork for Indianpeople there.Asa resultheextendedhisoriginal period of stay to protest a bill passed by the SouthAfricangovernmenttodenythemtherighttovote.

In1906, theTransvaalgovernment launchedanewact forcingregistration of Indian population. Enraged by the act, a massprotest meeting was held in Johannesburg on 11 September inwhich Gandhi called on Indian people to resist the new actthrough non-violent and peaceful means. His methodology ofSatyagraha(devotion to truth)wasadoptedby thousandsofhisfollowersandduringtheseven-year longstruggle; thousandsofIndianswere jailed (includingGandhi),beatenandpunished forstriking and refusing to register. Though the governmentsuccessfully repressed the protest through its harsh methods,the impactof thisprotest forced thegovernment to initiate foracompromise with Gandhi. Gandhi’s idea of non-violence andtruthdevelopedduringthisperiod.

IndianIndependencestruggleandGandhi(1916-1945)Gandhi’sSatyagrahastartedfromChamparanandkheda,wherethe condition of farmers was worsened by landlords (mostlyBritish)byimposingtaxesandleavingtheminanabjectpoverty.The peasants were forced to grow cash crops instead of foodcrops necessary for their survival, and this led to a situation offaminethere.

To end that devastating famine and poverty Gandhi organizeddetailed survey and study, based uponwhich he began leadingthe cleaning of the villages, building of schools and hospitals,encouragingvillagers tocondemnandcombatmanysocialevilsincluding pardah and untouchability. Gandhi organized protestsand strikes against the landlords that resulted in to thecancellation of the revenue hikes and collection of taxes untilthefamineended.

Non-cooperationMovementGandhi employed non-cooperation, non-violence and peacefulresistance as the most effective weapons against the Britishrule.ItwastheJallianwalaBaghmassacreandtheviolencethatfollowed, after which Gandhi felt an immediate need of a self-controlled government and total control over all Indiangovernment institutions. The concept of Swaraj or completeindividual, spiritual and political freedom evolved after this.Gandhiurgedthepeople toboycott foreignmadegoods,cloths,to resign from government employment and to forsake Britishtitles and honors. He encouraged people towear khadi clothesinstead of foreign made clothes. Gandhi himself wore atraditional Indian dhoti and shawl, made with yarn he himselfspunonaCharkha.

Thecampaignwasabigsuccessnationwideandpeoplefromallsectors, including women of India participated in it. The

movement ended in Feb 1922,when a violent clash in broke inChauri chaura, Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi was arrested in March,tried for sedition and was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.During his years in prison the Indian National Congress begantosplit into twoparts,one ledbyChittaRanjanDasandMotilalNehru and the other led by Chakravarty Rajgopalachari.CooperationamongHinduandMuslimsalsoweakenduring thisperiod.AlleffortsmadebyGandhi tobridge thedifferenceshadlittleimpactonthem.

SaltMarch&DemandforSwarajThe British government appointed a new constitutional reformunderSir JohnSimonwhich did not include any Indian and theresult was a boycott of the commission by all Indian politicalleaders. In December 1928 Gandhi demanded the BritishgovernmenttograntIndiaadominionstatusandwarnedthemtofaceanewnon-cooperationcampaignwithacomplete freedomas its goal, if their demands were not met. On 31st December1929 Indian flag was unfurled in Lahore and next year, 26January was celebrated as the Independence Day by theNational Congress Party which was commemorated by almostevery Indian organization. In 1930, Gandhi launched a newSatyagraha protesting the tax on salt. He marched fromAhmadabad to Dandi, Gujarat to make salt himself. Thousandsof Indian people joined him in this 400km march which wasmarked as his most successful campaign against the Britishhold.

In March 1931 the Irwin-Gandhi pact was signed according towhichtheBritishgovernmentagreedtofreepoliticalprisonersifGandhi denounced the civil disobedience movement. In 1932,the government granted untouchables separate electoratesunder the new constitution. Gandhi started a new campaign toimprove the lives of untouchables,whom he calledHarijan, thechildren of God. Equality and justice for Untouchables becamehis prime goal and it was a result of Gandhi’s constant effort

that inSeptember1932 thegovernmentagreed toadoptamoreunbiasedandfairarrangementvianegotiation.

FreedomandPartitionofIndiaDuring world war II in 1939, Gandhi opposed the inclusion ofIndia in the war stating that India can not be a part of the warbeing fought for the democratic freedom, while freedom wasdeniedtoIndiaitself.GandhiandotherCongressmenintensifiedtheirmovementforacompletefreedomdemandingtheBritishto‘Quit India’. Itwas themostvigorousmovement in thehistoryofIndian Independence struggle in which thousands of freedomfighterswere killed, imprisoned and injured and violent clashesbroke in every part of India. The demand this time was acomplete freedom and immediate exit of the British from India.ThoughGandhiappealedtomaintaindiscipline,hemadeitclearthat evenviolent actwouldn’t stop theirmovement this time, asitwasatimetoDoorDie.

Gandhi and the committee of congress were arrested on 9August 1942, and Gandhi was held in Aga Khan Palace for 2years.DuringthatperiodhiswifeKasturbaGandhidiedafter18months of prison on 22 February 1944.At the end of theworldwar, Gandhi called off his struggle. Time had come to see anIndependent India. Gandhi had always dreamed of India as aplace where Hindu and Muslims lived in harmony and thus hewasopposedtoanyplanthatpartitionedIndia into twodifferentcountries.A majority of Muslims living in India were in favor ofthepartition, includingMuhammadAliJinnah.Thepartitionplanwas approved by theCongress leadership as they knew it wastheonlyway toavoida loomingHinduMuslimcivilwar.Againstthe wish of Gandhi, British India broke into two parts, anIndependentIndiaandPakistan.

AssassinationofMahatmaGandhiGandhiwasassassinatedon30January1948onthegroundsofBirla house, New Delhi. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, who

had links to the extremist Hindu group Hindu Mahasabha shothim dead because he was against Gandhi’s sympathy forPakistan.Godseandhisco-conspiratorNarayanApteweretriedand executed on 15 November 1949. Gandhi’s memorial onrajghat,NewDelhibearshislastwordsHeRam!