T Mahatma Gandhi GANDHI - ArvindGuptaToys Books …arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/gandhibio.pdfMAHATMA GANDHI 20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES 20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES HE SHOWED THE WORLD

MAHATMAGANDHIMAHATMAGANDHI

20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES

HE SHOWEDTHE WORLD

HOW TOBRING

CHANGETHROUGH

NONVIOLENCE

BY ANNE SCHRAFF

Mahatma Gandhi was a small man, but he helped bringabout large-scale change in the world. Through peacefulacts of disobedience, Gandhi helped free India from British rule. See how Gandhi made extraordinary personalsacrifices and be inspired by his passion and peaceful ways.

Cesar ChavezAlbert Einstein

Anne FrankMahatma Gandhi

Helen KellerMartin Luther King Jr.

Charles LindberghRosa Parks

Jackie RobinsonFranklin Delano Roosevelt

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20th Biographies Covers 9/17/07 2:01 PM Page 6

MAHATMAGANDHI

BY ANNE SCHRAFF

Gandhi Book 9/17/07 2:00 PM Page 1

Development: Kent Publishing Services, Inc.

Design and Production: Signature Design Group, Inc.

SADDLEBACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING

Three Watson

Irvine, CA 92618-2767

Web site: www.sdlback.com

Copyright © 2008 by Saddleback Educational Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permissionof the publisher.

ISBN-10: 1-59905-248-2

ISBN-13: 978-1-59905-248-9

eBook: 978-1-60291-609-8

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 10 09 08 07


T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Chapter 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64


Mahatma Gandhi led the struggle forIndian independence from the BritishEmpire. The British ruled India formany years. Gandhi also gained civilrights for the Indian population thatlived in South Africa.

Although Gandhi was a small, frailman, he faced strong nations using onlyhis weapons of nonviolent resistance.Encouraging all people to be kind,honest, and peaceful, Gandhi refused toreturn injury with injury.

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Gandhi had no wealth and no politicalposition. He fought injustice withprayer, fasting, and peaceful protest.

When Gandhi died, a young AfricanAmerican college student far away in theAmerican South read about Gandhi’smethods of bringing peaceful change.His name was Martin Luther King Jr.When King led his own struggle for theequality of black America, he walked inGandhi’s footsteps.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wasborn on October 2, 1869. He was bornin the small town of Porbandar on thewestern coast of India. Mohandas wasborn in a large room in the family’sthree-story stone house. Mohandas andhis family lived in the big house. Severaluncles and their families lived there too.Mohandas and his family had just tworooms for themselves.


Mohandas’ father, KaramchandGandhi, was a government official intown. He had been married three times,and each of his wives died. When he wasforty, he married a fourth wife. She wasthirteen-year-old Putlibai, Mohandas’mother. It was very common for olderIndian men to marry very young brides.When Mohandas was born, his motherwas twenty-two and his father was fifty.

The Gandhi family was comfortableby Indian standards. The home hadmany books, mostly about religion. TheGandhi family was Hindu, as were mostIndians. The Hindu religion is verycomplicated. It embraces a belief inmany gods and strict moral values.

Mohandas was a strange looking littleboy. He had a long, skinny neck, andears that stuck out. He had wild, thickblack hair. His best features were ahappy smile, and bright, twinkling

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eyes. Mohandas liked to play withrubber balloons and revolving tops. Hewas small for his age and easily scared.He was afraid of snakes, thieves, ghosts,and the dark. He disliked all sports.

At the time Mohandas was born, Indiawas ruled by Great Britain. The culturewas dominated by the caste system.Everything that happened to a person inlife depended on what caste theybelonged to. Your caste decided whatjob you could get and who you couldmarry. There were four major castes. Atthe very bottom, there was a group ofpeople called the “untouchables.” Theywere given the dirtiest jobs. They couldnot walk on the public streets, or eventouch other people.

The top caste was the Brahmans, whowere scholars. Then, there were thewarriors. After that came the traders,and finally the peasants. The Gandhi


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family belonged to the trader class. Thename Gandhi means “grocer.” Thesepeople could also work for thegovernment, as Mohandas’ father did.

When Mohandas was seven, his fatherwas promoted to a job in Rajkot, 120miles from Porbandar. Mohandasstarted primary school there. He hadproblems with arithmetic. Mohandasmade no friends in school, preferring toplay alone. When Mohandas went tohigh school, he disliked it even morethan he had disliked primary school.

Mohandas’ mother, Putlibai, was veryreligious. She never ate a meal withoutpraying first. She went to the Hindutemple every day. Putlibai had a strong,quiet personality. Mohandas loved herdearly. She was loving and tendertoward her children. Like most Indianwomen, she wore heavy silver anklets


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and gold bracelets. She also wore a nicenose ring for special occasions.

Mohandas’ father was a serious, hard-working man. Mohandas feared makinghim angry. Although it is against Hinducustom to smoke cigarettes, Mohandassneaked some cigarettes one day. Thenhe stole money to get more cigarettes.

He felt so guilty about what he haddone that he decided he should killhimself. He collected seeds from adatura plant and ate them. Then he laydown to die. The seeds, however, onlymade him sleepy.

Sometimes Mohandas went with hismother to the Hindu temple. The insideof the temple was very dark. Thepaintings on the walls were dramaticand frightening. But Mohandas lovedhis mother so much he would doanything she asked of him.


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When Mohandas was thirteen, hebegan to ask questions about things thatbothered him. He could not understandwhy the untouchables were treated sobadly just because they were born in alower social position.

At this time in India, there was noindoor plumbing. (This was the case inmany places throughout the world.)People used chamber pots in theirrooms, and somebody had to emptythem. This was a job only the

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untouchables could do. Mohandaswatched the untouchables doing this. Hethought it was not fair. Why should thesepeople have the worst jobs and the leastpay? Mohandas believed that theuntouchables were just as good as he was.

Child marriage was customary inIndia. So, when Mohandas turnedthirteen, his father decided he shouldget married. Mohandas was still in highschool. After his marriage, he wouldcontinue to live at home, but his wifewould be with him.

Mohandas and other boys his age didnot make friends with girls and choosesomeone they liked. The marriages werearranged by the parents. So Mohandaswas told he would be marrying KasturbaNakanji. She was the daughter of aPorbandar merchant. Like Mohandas,Kasturba was thirteen.


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Mohandas was excited about thewedding and the big feast that wouldfollow. Mohandas was dressed up like aprince. He rode a beautiful horse toKasturba’s house to pick her up for theceremony. Then the two young peoplestood on a platform looking like prettydolls. The Hindu priests prayed andsang hymns. The couple exchangedsweet cakes. They were now man andwife. Mohandas took Kasturba home tohis parents’ house.

Kasturba was still a young girl. Shewanted to go out to play with herfriends, but Mohandas was very stern.He told her she needed his permissionto go out at all. He was still in schooland lived with his parents. ButMohandas understood what it was to bea Hindu husband. He was the ruler ofthe household.


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Kasturba was tiny and delicate andvery lovely. Mohandas was jealous ofher. When she disobeyed him in even asmall way, he grew very angry. Now thatMohandas was married, his gradesslipped in high school. He was too busywatching over his wife to study.

At age fifteen, Mohandas becamefriends with a Muslim boy who wasthree years older than him. SheikhMehtab had all the qualities Mohandasadmired. Mehtab was charming andbrave. He was a fine athlete. Mehtabenjoyed the fact that Mohandas lookedup to him. He taught the younger boyhis own ideas.

Hindus, including Mohandas and hisfamily, were vegetarians. They did notbelieve in eating meat. But Mehtab, aMuslim, believed that eating the flesh ofanimals made a person strong andhealthy.


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Mehtab finally convinced Mohandasto eat meat. They shared a meal ofroasted goat. Mohandas felt very guiltyabout acting against his religion. Hethrew up the meal right away.

That night Mohandas had a horriblenightmare. He dreamt a live goat wastrapped inside his stomach, and it wascrying. But, even after this badexperience, Mohandas continued to eatmeat with Mehtab. Mohandas got usedto it and stopped feeling guilty.

Karamchand Gandhi, Mohandas’father, became very ill when his son wassixteen. After school every day,Mohandas went to his father’s bedside.But, Mohandas wanted to go to his wifeinstead. He felt the duty to be with hisfather, but his heart was with Kasturba.At the time, Kasturba was expecting thecouple’s first child.


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One day, Mohandas found his fathersleeping, and he hurried off to his wifefor a short time. While Mohandas wasgone, his father grew sicker and died. Itwas a terrible shock for Mohandas. Hewas very sorrowful that his father diedwithout his son at his bedside.Mohandas was torn with guilt that hehad failed his father. A few weeks later,Kasturba gave birth to their child, but itwas very weak.

The baby lived only three days.Mohandas blamed himself for the baby’sdeath. He believed he was suffering thismisfortune because he had abandonedhis father in his time of sickness.


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The death of Karamchand Gandhiwas a major blow to the family. It leftthem without financial support. Theeldest son, Laxmidas, was twenty-twoyears old, and he had no job. Mohandashad two more years of high school tofinish. The family had to struggle tokeep Mohandas in school. They had torely on the help of uncles.

In January 1888 Mohandas waseighteen. He had finished high school

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and enrolled in college. He failed collegeafter five months. Kasturba gave birth totheir first healthy child, Harilal.Mohandas could not support his wifeand son. He decided to find a professionthat would bring in good money. Hechose law.

Mohandas Gandhi was told that hecould become a lawyer if he went toGreat Britain and studied for threeyears. This was less time than it wouldhave taken him to become a lawyer inIndia. But the cost of this education inGreat Britain was thirteen thousandrupees. That was a huge amount for aboy from a poor family. There were noscholarships.

Putlibai, Gandhi’s mother, did notwant her son to go to Britain. Sheworried that he would make friendswith the wrong people and lose his


morality. She feared he would drinkliquor and eat meat. She was afraid thathe would even forget about his wife andfind other women.

Gandhi promised his mother that allthe time he would be in Britain hewould not eat meat, drink liquor, orlook at other women. So Laxmidas soldall the family jewels to give his brotherenough money to be educated inBritain.

There was still another problem withGandhi going to Britain. According tohis religion, he was forbidden to ride onan ocean liner. So, when he decided togo anyway, he was excommunicatedfrom the Hindu religion.

Gandhi’s family was not even allowedto go down to the dock and say goodbyeto him. If they did they would also bethrown out of the Hindu religion. So,

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all alone, Gandhi boarded the S.S. Clydebound for London. He was eighteenyears old. He had nothing but his ticket,a few pieces of clothing, and enoughfood for the three week long journey toBritain.

Ghandi in South Africa where he was an attorney.


Gandhi arrived in London and stayedwith another Indian student. He usedthe money he had to buy some clothingso he would look like the Englishstudents. He wanted to fit in when hearrived at London University for hisclasses.

Gandhi remembered his promise tohis mother that he would be a strictvegetarian, so he lived on meals of breadand vegetables. He lived a very simple

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life. Each night he added up everythinghe had spent during the day on bus fare,food, postage, and other items.

He kept trying to cut corners and savemoney because he had so little. Hedecided he was spending too muchmoney on bus fares, so he moved closerto the university, and each day hewalked eight to ten miles to and fromclasses.

Gandhi cooked his own breakfast ofcocoa and oatmeal. His lunch consistedof vegetables. For dinner he had cocoaand bread and sometimes boiledspinach. Gandhi was very lonely andhomesick during his time in London.The only pleasure he had wasoccasionally eating at a small vegetarianrestaurant near where he studied.

In college, Gandhi studied French,Latin, and physics as well as common


and Roman law. He improved hisEnglish. He had no trouble passing allhis courses. In his free time, hecontinued his study of religion.

Up until the time he was in London,Gandhi had never read the sacredscripture of his own Hindu religion: theBhagavad-Gita. Now he read it. Helearned that to be good, a man must begenerous and overcome pride, fear, andambition. Gandhi read the ChristianBible too. He loved the New Testament,especially the life of Jesus. He paid closeattention to the Sermon on the Mount.He found its message of love andforgiveness very powerful.

In June 1891 Gandhi finished his finalexam. The next day he left London. Hedid not want to spend a single daylonger than necessary in London. Hedid not enjoy the two years and eight

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months he spent there. He had notmade a single friend, and he wasanxious to see his family.

When Gandhi arrived in Bombay (acity now known as Mumbai), he wasmet by his brother, Laxmidas, withterrible news. Their mother had diedsome time earlier. The news had beenkept from Gandhi. They were afraidthat he would be so heart-broken hewould quit school. Gandhi was deeplyattached to his mother. Now, grievingfor his mother, Gandhi set out to findwork in India.


Gandhi discovered that India was fullof lawyers and there was no need forhim. He spent many desperate dayslooking for work. While at home, hetried to teach his wife a skill she hadnever learned—how to read and write.But she resisted his efforts.

Laxmidas and the rest of the familywere disappointed that Gandhi was notfinding work. In October 1892 a secondson, Manilal, was born to Gandhi and

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his wife. Now Gandhi had a wife andtwo children to support. Gandhi did afew odd jobs working with otherlawyers. He made some money. But heknew he could not go on like thiswithout steady income.

Then he got an offer to go to SouthAfrica to help a Muslim lawyer preparea lawsuit. Gandhi hated to leave hisfamily again, but he had no choice.Leaving his wife and sons withLaxmidas, Gandhi set out for Durban,South Africa, in April 1893.

South Africa was a large country ruledby Great Britain. The largest populationwas black Africans, and they had almostno rights. The British were at the top ofthe social system. At the bottom werethe Africans. In the middle but near thebottom were Asians, mostly Indians.They had come to South Africa to workas laborers.


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The white people included the rulingBritish and the Afrikaners, or Boers.The Boers were Dutch. Both the Britishand the Boers agreed on the idea thatpeople of color were inferior.

Since Gandhi was very dark skinned,he soon ran into trouble in SouthAfrica. Colored people were not allowedto ride with white people on the trains.They had to use a separatecompartment. When Gandhi was toldthis, he refused to ride the train at all.

The Muslim lawyer with whomGandhi worked was Dada Abdulla. Oneday, Gandhi went to court with him.The judge asked Gandhi to remove hisblack turban. Gandhi refused and saidhe was insulted. He left the courtroomrather than remove his turban.

When Gandhi tried the train again ona journey from Durban to the Transvaal


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border, he had a first class ticket. Still,he was ordered to ride in second class.When he refused, his luggage wasthrown off the train and he was shovedonto the platform. Gandhi had to spendthe night in the cold station, shiveringwithout his topcoat which was in hislost luggage.

Gandhi was deeply offended by thebad treatment of his Indian brothers inSouth Africa. He made up his mind hewould do something about it. Heremembered reading in the Bhagavad-Gita that a good man was a man ofaction, working for justice.

Gandhi helped Dada Abdulla win thelawsuit. By then, he was nearing the endof the year he planned to spend in SouthAfrica. But, to help his fellow Indians,he decided to spend some additionaltime there.


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A bill called the “Indian Franchise”was in the South African legislature. Itwas meant to deprive Indians of theright to vote. Gandhi believed the rightto vote was a basic human right. Heorganized meetings of Indians to protestthe law with petitions.

Most Indians had come to SouthAfrica as indentured servants. Theyhad promised to work for a period oftime in exchange for their ticket toSouth Africa. Now they were little morethan slaves. The government wanted totake from them what little rights theyhad. The Indians lost the voting battle.

Gandhi believed that the Indians inSouth Africa were citizens of the BritishEmpire. He thought that they deservedequality under the law. It was clear thatGandhi had a lot of work to do in SouthAfrica. It seemed that he would not bereturning home soon.


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After three years in South Africa,Gandhi had become a successful lawyerwith a good income. He was also arespected leader in the Indiancommunity. He published a pamphlettitled, “The Grievances of the BritishIndians in South Africa, an Appeal tothe Indian Public.” The pamphlet had agreen cover. It soon became known asthe “Green Book.”

In 1896 Gandhi returned to India fora five-month visit with his family. He

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decided that when he returned to SouthAfrica, he would bring his wife and sonswith him. Kasturba feared the move toSouth Africa. She could only speak theGujarati language. She dreaded beingin a place where everyone around herspoke English or another foreignlanguage. She was not sure she couldsurvive such an unfamiliar place. Shewas also nervous about dealing with allthe Muslim friends her husband hadmade.

Kasturba was a quiet, shy woman whotook great comfort in family and friendsshe knew for a long time. But in theend, Gandhi convinced his wife to moveto South Africa. In all the disagreementsbetween Mohandas and KasturbaGandhi, he always won.

When Kasturba Gandhi arrived inSouth Africa, she had to give up her


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comfortable traditional clothing—theloose fitting dhoti and sandals. Now shewould have to wear more modernclothing and hard leather shoes.

The Gandhi family moved to SouthAfrica in 1897. Their third son,Ramdas, was born there. DuringGandhi’s absence from South Africa, the“Green Book” had become famous.

Although the Indian people loved thepamphlet, the Europeans hated it.Gandhi was attacked by mobs ofEuropeans on the street. He was struckby rocks, mud, and garbage. He was cutin the neck before he was rescued fromthe mob.

There was a lot of tension in SouthAfrica between the British and theDutch. In 1899 full scale war broke out.It was called the Boer War. SinceGandhi was a British citizen, he felt he


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had to side with the British. Gandhi didnot believe in war. But he volunteered toform an ambulance corps to help theBritish wounded.

Gandhi and other volunteers carriedwounded soldiers off the battlefield.The ambulance corps that Gandhi ledconsisted of African and Indian bornHindus, Muslims, and Christians.Gandhi hoped the good work done bythe volunteers would impress theBritish. He hoped the British wouldgrant more civil rights to Indians.Gandhi and thirty-eight members of thecorps were awarded the South AfricanWar Medal for courage.

The Boer War ended with the Britishvictory. The Union of South Africa wasthen established. South Africa withdrewfrom the British Commonwealth. It wasruled by Dutch politicians.


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Kasturba Gandhi had her fourth andlast child, Devdas, in 1900. Herhusband served as a midwife. TheGandhis lived in a villa on the beach.Mohandas Gandhi ruled the family. Hedid not want a European education forhis sons. Instead, he taught themhimself. Gandhi was a stern father. Hissons respected rather than loved him.Gandhi himself had a stern father. Hewas carrying on the tradition.

Gandhi forced his family to live a verysimple life without luxuries. Theywashed their own clothing. Gandhi cuthis own hair. His friends sometimes saidthat his hair looked like a rat hadchewed on it. Gandhi also made his wifeget rid of her jewels, which were veryspecial to her.

The worst sacrifice for KasturbaGandhi was having to empty the


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chamber pots herself. In India, theuntouchables did this work for her andall higher caste Indians. Now that thisjob fell to Kasturba, she felt humiliated.She obeyed her husband but shed bittertears.

In 1901 son Manilal became very illwith typhoid fever, which turned intopneumonia. The doctor prescribedchicken broth and eggs for the child.But Gandhi’s firm belief invegetarianism forbade this. Gandhitreated Manilal himself. He gave his sonmany hot baths and had him drinkorange juice and diluted milk. Gandhiremained at the boy’s side for forty days.Manilal finally recovered. Gandhi calledit a blessing from God for his ownfaithfulness to his principles.


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Gandhi bought eighty acres of fertilesoil in South Africa. He founded acommunity called Phoenix. It becamethe headquarters for Indian politics.Forty to fifty followers of Gandhi livedat Phoenix. There, they promoted thesimple way of life.

In 1905 there was a new law before theSouth African legislature called theAsiatic Law Agreement. The law was toprevent further Asian immigration toSouth Africa. The whites did not wantany more colored people.

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Under the new law, all Indians overthe age of eight had to carry aregistration card. Police could ask to seethe card at any time. This was seen as away to find and deport illegalimmigrants. Gandhi bitterly opposedthis law and vowed a campaign ofresistance called “Truth Force.”

Hundreds and then thousands ofIndians carried picket signs andmarched in front of government offices.They protested what they called the“Black Law.” Gandhi publiclyannounced that he would not register.

In January 1908 he was arrested forfailing to register. He was taken before ajudge. Gandhi was convicted andsentenced to two months in jail. Thiswould be the first of many jail sentencesGandhi served while fighting for justice.

Gandhi eventually worked out a


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compromise with the government tomake registration voluntary. He was onhis way to register voluntarily when hewas attacked by a Hindu. The Hinduman believed that Gandhi had given inon the issue. Gandhi was struck in thehead with a stone, but he was notseriously hurt.

Harilal, Gandhi’s eldest son, wasunhappy with his father’s strictness.Home schooled, Harilal longed for aformal education. When Harilalmarried a local girl his father opposedthe marriage.

Then, Gandhi pushed his son into thebattle for civil rights in South Africa.Harilal Gandhi was arrested. His wifeand young son were left alone while hewas in prison. Harilal blamed his fatherfor the misfortune.


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Gandhi could clearly see how theIndians in South Africa were abused.But, he could not see how the blackmajority was even more cruelly treated.He briefly assisted the Zulus duringone of their uprisings. He carried theZulu wounded off the battlefield. Butotherwise, he did not get involved inthe victimization of blacks.

In October 1908 Gandhi was againarrested for failing to carry hisregistration card. He was sentenced totwo months at hard labor. Later, he gotthree months at hard labor.

He spent nine hours a day polishingthe asphalt floor and iron door of hiscell. By the time he was released in May1909, his fame had spread beyondSouth Africa and India to the world.His battle for Indian rights for SouthAfrica had captured the attention of theworld press.


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Gandhi traveled to London to explainhis struggle. He published a pamphletcalled “Home Rule.” It asked GreatBritain to grant independence to India.He also asked the Indian people toreturn to their traditional ways. Harilalwas now in full rebellion against hisfather. He left South Africa for India.Now twenty-three, he desperatelywanted the high school education hehad been denied. He enrolled in anIndian high school.

The breach between Harilal and hisfather was now so deep it would neverbe healed.


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In March 1913 the South Africangovernment made all non-Christianmarriages null and void. Gandhi andother civil rights leaders reversed thisquickly.

In June 1914 Gandhi made anagreement with the government whichwas a freedom charter for Indians. TheBlack Act was abolished, and all civilrights for Indians were returned tothem. Gandhi called this a victory forhis methods of peaceful resistance. In

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July 1914 Gandhi and his familyreturned to India.

At this time, World War I wasbreaking out. Germany, Austria,Hungary, and their allies were fightingagainst Great Britain, France, Russia,and their allies. At the time, GreatBritain still ruled India along with someIndian princes.

Gandhi continued to oppose all war.Once again, he formed anotherambulance corps to assist the wounded.Gandhi also asked Britain for home rulefor India. He demanded an end to theuntouchable class and equality forwomen.

There was one specific way in whichwomen suffered greatly. That was thetradition that if a man died his wife wasexpected to jump onto the funeral pyreto die as well.


Gandhi built a community offollowers at Sabarmati. He invited theuntouchables to join. There were tenmillion untouchables in India. Theywere forbidden to use public roads orpublic wells. They had to live apart fromother people.

Since the untouchables had littlework, many had to scavenge for foodlike animals. When Gandhi admittedthe first untouchable family toSabarmati, his wife was very upset.

Great Britain’s Government of IndiaAct of 1919 set up preliminary steps foreventual home rule for India. But theRowlett Act of the same year establishedsevere penalties for sedition. Anythingthat disrupted daily life in the countrycould be called sedition.

Gandhi opposed the Rowlett Act. Hecalled a hartal, or an Indian day of

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mourning. All businesses were closedand there were massive protestdemonstrations. Gandhi also fasted.The hartal spread throughout thecountry. It gave the Indian people asense of new power. The hartal broughtlife to a standstill in India.

In the City of Amritsar, the hartalturned violent. Two Englishmen werekilled by an Indian mob. BritishGeneral E. H. Dyer was sent in torestore order. He banned all furtherdemonstrations in the city.

When ten to twenty thousand Indiansgathered for a peaceful demonstration,Dyer ordered his troops to fire into thecrowd. Gunfire rained on terrifiedpeople running for their lives. On thatday, at least 379 died and hundreds wereinjured. Gandhi joined the rest of Indiain outrage against the atrocity.


In 1920, Gandhi joined the IndianHome Rule League. He became its firstpresident. He now worked tirelessly forIndia’s independence.

Everything in Gandhi helped makehim a powerful leader in India. He hadcourage, vitality, and good humor.Although he was fiercely devoted to hiscause, a smile would appear often on histoothless mouth. He was selfless,working always for the people.

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The frail little man in the white dhoti,his wraparound garment, became abeloved symbol of peace and simplicity.Gandhi became the greatest hope thepeople had. He was Mahatma (GreatLord) Gandhi.

Gandhi toured India in steaming hotweather. He talked to crowds of onehundred thousand people or moreduring a seven month period. He atethree meals a day. The meals consistedof sixteen ounces of goat’s milk, threeslices of toast, two oranges, and ahandful of grapes or raisins.

He preached the simple, traditionalway of life. He spun cotton himselfseveral hours each day. In thecommunity of Sabarmati, cotton wasplanted. Only homespun clothing wasworn. Gandhi prayed daily, chanting,“Rama, Rama, Rama” (“God, God,God”).


Gandhi wrote articles critical ofBritish rule. He accused the British ofshaking their "gory claws" into the faceof India.

The British in India used Muslimvolunteers in their army. Unlike theHindus, the Muslims had no problemwith military service.

Gandhi knew if he was to be successfulin freeing India, he had to win thesupport of Muslims too. He wanted theHindus and Muslims to work togetheras brothers. Gandhi designed a flag forindependent India. It has three colors,red for Hindus, green for Muslims, andwhite for purity.

On February 5, 1921, a largedemonstration for Indian independenceat Chauri Chaura turned violent. Thepolice clashed with the marchers and

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opened fire. When the police ran out ofammunition, the enraged crowdattacked them. They murdered some ofthe policemen. This horrified Gandhi.

On March 22, 1922, Gandhi wasarrested for sedition. He was convictedand sentenced to six years in prison.Many Indians wept as the smilingGandhi was led off to prison. Hebelieved that every time he went toprison, he was bringing the day ofIndian independence closer.

Gandhi was content in prison. Hearose at four in the morning to pray andmeditate for six hours. He read booksand wrote letters. He spent hoursspinning thread. But he did not servethe whole sentence. When he becamesick with appendicitis, he was freed.

Much to Gandhi’s sorrow, increasingviolence between Hindus and Muslims


broke out. Gandhi began a twenty-oneday fast for an end to the violence. Onthe twenty-first day, Hindus andMuslims came together to pray. Gandhiended his fast.

In 1925 Gandhi again toured India tospread his ideas. Some Indians believedhe was the reincarnation of God. Therewere claims that he cured the sick. ButGandhi rejected all this. He said he wasonly a man and his power was just thepower of persuasion.

Gandhi opposed child marriages,urging no woman under the age oftwenty-one to be married. He wasespecially upset at the many childwidows in India. Young girls were oftenmarried to older men and when themen died, the girls could not marryagain.

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At this time in India, there were morethan eleven thousand widows under theage of five. Eighty-five thousand widowswere between five and ten. Altogether,almost four hundred thousand Indiangirls under the age of fifteen werewidows. Gandhi demanded that thesegirls be allowed to remarry.

In his struggle to improve the status ofthe untouchables, Gandhi gave them anew name: Harijans, which meanschildren of God.

Gandhi believed India would becomeindependent when it was spirituallyready. He encouraged virtuous livingamong the Indian people. He leddiscussions with Great Britain. Talksbetween Gandhi and other Indianleaders and the British fell apart in1931. Again, Gandhi was arrested forhis political activities.


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Gandhi fasted in prison. As he lay inthe shade of a mango tree in the prisonyard, he grew very weak. The British,afraid he would die in their hands, freedhim.

As Gandhi struggled for his goals, thepersonal tragedy of his relationship withhis son, Harilal grew worse. Harilal wasoften drunk. He wrote mean letters tohis father accusing him of being abusive.In 1936 Harilal became a Muslim.Gandhi was deeply saddened.

In the 1930s the world was againmoving toward a terrible war. Germany,under Adolf Hitler, was grabbingterritory in Europe. Italy, under BenitoMussolini, attacked Ethiopia in Africa.Japan had invaded China.

These three countries, Germany, Italy,and Japan formed a dangerous alliance


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called the Axis. The Axis threatened thepeace of the world. Gandhi clung to hispeaceful principles. Even in the face ofsuch massive evil as Adolf Hitler,Gandhi believed that a peacefulapproach would work.

Gandhi said that if a country wasattacked by the Axis powers, it shouldnot fight back. Rather, people shouldnot cooperate with the invaders. Hebelieved with total peaceful resistance,the invaders would be stopped. Manypeople thought Gandhi was living in adream world.

Gandhi insisted that even if anaggressor like Hitler took over acountry, he could occupy the land, buthe could not conquer the minds, hearts,and souls of the people. In this way,Hitler would fail in the end. Gandhi’spacifist attitude in the face of Axisaggression around the world made the


British angry. They wanted activeparticipation of India in the fightagainst the Axis, and Gandhi waspreaching peace. The British once againarrested Gandhi in 1942, along with hiswife, Kasturba.

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Kasturba Ghandi


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Kasturba Gandhi had a weak heart.While she was in prison, sheexperienced shortness of breath. Shecould no longer sleep lying down.Instead she sat up at night with her headresting on a table. She felt that shewould soon die. She asked that her sonscome. She wanted to see them for thelast time.

Manilal Gandhi was in South Africa,and he could not come. The other three

C H A P T E R 10


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sons arrived at their mother’s bedside.Harilal was drunk when he came. Hewas not allowed to see his mother untilhe was sober. When he was able to seeher, Kasturba was overcome with joy.

In December 1943 Kasturba gotpneumonia. Her sons asked that she begiven penicillin. But Gandhi insistedon treating her by natural means, withhoney and water. On February 22,1944, Kasturba died with her headresting in her husband’s lap. They hadbeen married for sixty-two years.Gandhi felt that his wife had become apart of himself. Now, part of him haddied.

At her funeral, Hindus, Muslims, andChristians prayed, sang hymns, andwept together. Kasturba’s body wascremated in a funeral pyre according toHindu tradition. Her ashes were buriedon the prison grounds.


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Soon after Kasturba’s death, Gandhibecame ill with malaria. The Britishfreed him. They were always afraid tohave him die while he was in theircustody. Gandhi walked from the prisonon May 6, 1944. This was his last prisonstay. He had spent two thousand andeighty-nine days in Indian prisons andtwo hundred and forty-nine days inSouth African prisons.

Gandhi now focused all his attentionon uniting Hindus and Muslims andgaining independence for India. But, hefaced terrible odds. The Muslims inIndia wanted the country to be divided.They wanted one part to be given tothem and the other part to the Hindus.Gandhi wanted one united countrywith all religions treating one another asbrothers.


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In 1946 violence between the Hindusand Muslims became so terrible thatthousands died. Men, women, andchildren died on both sides. Gandhi washorrified and heartbroken. He traveledon foot across India pleading for peace.He begged the Hindus and the Muslimsto give up their hatred and live together.But, the violence continued.

Finally on August 15, 1947, India wasdivided into two countries, Pakistan forthe Muslims and India for the Hindus.This caused there to be millions ofHindu and Muslim refugees. TheMuslim refugees fled into Pakistan.Hindus in Pakistan fled into India.India and Pakistan were nowindependent.

The violence continued even after thecountries separated. On January 13,1948, Gandhi began his final fast for an


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end to violence. Gandhi was living inBirla House. During the fast, he lay in acrouched position with his knees pulledup toward his stomach. He was losingtwo pounds a day. His eyes were closedas if in sleep.

When he spoke to those who came tosupport him, his voice was weak. Heasked all Indians to purify themselvesand put an end once and for all toviolence. On the morning of January18, a pledge was drafted by Hindus,Muslims, and others, promisingtolerance for one another. Overcomewith joy, Gandhi ended his fast.

Not all Hindus were pleased withGandhi’s philosophy. Some blamed himfor the fact that now India had beenseparated.

Some traditional Hindus clung to thebelief that the untouchables had to be


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maintained in a lower position. Theyresented Gandhi’s efforts to free theuntouchables from their burdens. Fromamong these angry people came thirty-five-year-old Nathuram Godse, anewspaper editor. He began to plotagainst Gandhi.

On January 25, 1948, Gandhi arrivedat a prayer meeting in good spirits. Hehad been told that tolerance wasgrowing among Hindus and Muslims. Itwas a cold day. Gandhi asked that thepeople who came to pray be given strawmats to sit on since the ground wasdamp.

Nathuram Godse was in the front rowof the people who had come to seeGandhi. He had a pistol in his pocket.Most of the people bowed respectfullywhen Gandhi appeared. Godse did thesame. Gandhi touched his palms


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together. He smiled and blessed thepeople who had gathered.

Suddenly Godse pushed forward. Hefired three shots at Gandhi from hissmall automatic pistol. The first bulletstruck Gandhi’s stomach and came outhis back. Gandhi remained standing.The second bullet tore through thecenter of his body, also going out theback. His white garment ran red withblood. Gandhi’s face turned white. Thethird shot entered his lung.

“Hey Rama!” (Oh God!) Gandhicried. His glasses fell off. The sandalsdropped from his feet as he slipped tothe ground. As Gandhi was carried toBirla House, Godse was seized by thecrowd.

Gandhi still had a pulse when he waslaid down. But, when the doctors


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arrived, there was nothing they coulddo. Gandhi’s face was peaceful in deathas Hindu prayers were chanted aroundhis body.

Gandhi’s body was washed andthousands prayed and wept as he wascarried to Jumna where he was laid on afuneral pyre. A million people shouted“long live Mahatma Gandhi” as the fireconsumed his body.

As the pyre burned, a frail man, hisbody racked with tuberculosis, stood atthe edge of the crowd. It was Gandhi’sson, Harilal. He came to pay hisrespects. Gandhi’s ashes were cast intothe holy Ganges River.

From all over the world came words ofpraise for the peaceful little man whobrought independence to India.Gandhi was the man who taught theworld that revolutions could be won by


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peaceful resistance. Gandhi fought hisbattles without hatred. He preachedkindness and tolerance to all.

Martin Luther King Jr. was theBaptist preacher who led the civil rightsmovement in America in the 1950s and1960s. He embraced Gandhi’sprinciples of nonviolence, even in theface of brutal attacks. Just as Gandhirefused to stoop to hatred as hestruggled to free India, King clung tononviolence in his successful crusade toend discrimination in the United States.

General Douglas MacArthur, famousmilitary leader of World War II,commented on Mahatma Gandhi’sdeath. He said that if civilization itself isto survive, all mankind must eventuallyaccept Gandhi’s philosophy.

Mahatma Gandhi, by his life anddeath, witnessed to peace.


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B I B L I O G R A P H Y

Arnold, David. Gandhi. New York:Longman, 2001.

Coolidge, Olivia. Gandhi. Boston:Houghton Mifflin, 1971.

Fischer, Louis. The Life of MahatmaGandhi. New York: Harper andRow, 1983.

Gandhi, M.K. Non-Violent Resistance(Satyagraha). Mineola, New York:Dover Publications, 2001.

abolish: to do away withambition: a desire of some kind

of achievementanxious: worried, nervous appendicitis: inflammation of

the appendixatrocity: a terrible or appalling

act or situationbill: a draft of a proposed law breach: a break of friendly

relations caste: an economic and social

division in Hindu society

ceremony: a formal activity on an important occasion

chamber pot: a container used for human waste

charming: nice; pleasant; polite compromise: an agreement

between two partiesconsist: to be made up of convict: to find guilty of an actcorps: a group of people who

work together for a specific purpose

cremate: to burn a body after death

G L O S S A R Y


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datura: a plant that can be poisonous

defiance: disobedience, rebelliousness

deport: to force to leave a country or area

deprive: to deny or take away dhoti: a piece of clothing worn

by Indian men dreaded: to be anticipated

with fear embrace: to welcome or to

hold closeexcommunicate: to cut off

someone from communication with a faith or group

fast: to not eat in protestfound: to set up a communitygrieve: to feel sad about

something or to mournindentured servants: someone

who is under a contract to work for a specific amount of time

inferior: not as good or important

insult: to offend someonelawsuit: a criminal or civil

action brought before a courtmidwife: someone who helps a

woman give birthmorality: the idea of what is

right and wrong; ethicsnull and void: no longer validoccasionally: every now

and then ocean liner: a ship that

travels across oceanspacifist: a peaceful person pamphlet: a booklet with

information about a specific topic

penicillin: a medicine used to fight a bacterial infection

persuasion: the process of convincing people to do something

petition: a formal request pneumonia: a sickness that

involves an inflammation of the lungs

preach: to give a speech trying to convince people of ones ideas

pyre: usually a pile of wood used for burning a dead body

refugee: a person who escapes a place to find safety

reincarnation: a new embodiment of a person

resistance: the act of opposing something

sacrifice: to give up something valuable

scholar: a well educated personsedition: something that is

illegalsentence: the punishment that

is assigned to someone after a trial

shock: a terrible scare stern: very seriousstoop: to lower oneself topcoat: a lightweight coat tuberculosis: a disease that

often affects the lungsturban: a piece of cloth that is

worn on the head twinkling: blinking typhoid fever: a sickness that

often causes deathvictimization: to make a

victim of virtuous: having many good

qualities Zulus: a group of African

people


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I N D E X

Abdulla, Dada, 26, 27Afrikaners, 26ambulance corps, 32Amritsar, 43Asiatic Law Agreement, 35Bhagavad-Gita, 22, 27Birla House, 57, 59Black Law, 36, 40Boer War, 31, 32Boers, 26, 31Bombay, 23Brahman, 7British Empire, 4, 28caste system, 7Chauri Chaura, 46Durban, South Africa, 25Dyer, Gen. E.H. , 43Gandhi, Devdas , 33Gandhi, Harilal, 17, 37, 39, 50,

60Gandhi, Ramdas, 31Gandhi, Karamchand, 6, 14, 16Gandhi, Kasturba, 11, 12, 13,

14, 17, 30, 33, 34, 52, 53, 54, 55

Gandhi, Laxmidas, 16, 18, 23, 24, 25

Gandhi, Manilal, 24, 34, 53Gandhi, Putlibai, 6, 8, 17Godse, Nathuram, 58, 59Government of India Act of

1919, 42Great Britain, 7, 17, 18, 19, 41,

42, 49Green Book, 29, 31Gujarati Language. 30Harijans, 49

hartal, 42Hitler, Adolph, 50, 51Home Rule League, 44Home Rule, 39, 41, 43India, 4, 5, 10, 17, 24, 38, 39,

41, 45, 46, 48, 49, 55, 56, 60Indian Franchise, 28Indian Independence, 4, 47Jumna, 60King, Martin Luther, Jr., 5, 61London University, 20London, 19, 20, 22, 39MacArthur, Gen. Douglas, 61Mahatma, 45Phoenix, 35Porbandar, 5, 11Rajkot, 8Rowlett Act, 42S.S. Clyde, 19Sabarmati, 42Sheikh Mehtab, 13, 14,South Africa, 4, 25, 26, 27, 28,

29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 39Transvaal, 26Truth Force, 36Untouchables, 7, 42, 58


Documents

T Mahatma Gandhi GANDHI - ArvindGuptaToys Books …arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/gandhibio.pdfMAHATMA GANDHI 20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES 20th CENTURY BIOGRAPHIES HE SHOWED THE WORLD