Mohandas Karamchand GandhiLIFE & WORKS

Mahatma was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar. Mohandas or Mohan was youngest of the three sons of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi. His father had been Prime Minister successively in three Kathiawar States. He was straight and true as steel, known for his steadfastness and loyalty. The little house were Gandhi was born is today known as the "Kirti Mandir". Even as a child Gandhi was deeply influenced by his mother Putlibai’s deeply religious and austere beliefs. He did his primary schooling at Porbandar, and his high school at Albert High School, Rajkot. Gandhi showed no particular brilliance, played no games, and was quite an introvert. He read little beyond text books, but respected his teacher, and was determined not to copy from his neighbour’s answer sheets. Marriage with Kasturba, at the age of thirteen, was almost play. But Gandhi began as a jealous and possessive husband; he wanted to make his illiterate wife an ideal one. The other person he was much attached to was his eldest brother Laxmidas. When their father was no more, it was Laxmidas who helped to educate him and send him to England for legal studies. Putlibai let Gandhi go abroad only after he vowed to lead a simple & religious life. For a while Gandhi was tempted to follow westerners. But soon he returned to simplicity. A vegetarian by tradition he soon became one by conviction, joining and working actively for the London Vegetarian Society. He was called to the Bar in June 1891. The Crossroads In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to handle a case. But though his legal work was soon over, he stayed on for 21 years, fighting against racial discrimination and for the rights of the Indian Community. South Africa was the turning point of his life, where his perfectly normal life ceased to exist and he became a human rights activist, ever so staunch in his belief of achieving independence through ahimsa (non-violence). Ashram Settlement In founding and running his Ashram settlement at Phoenix and Tolstoy farm, Gandhi was much influenced by Tolstoy and Ruskin towards leading a simple community life. The third of "the moderns" who impressed Gandhi was Raj Chandra, the Jain philosopher and intellectual. Service in hour of need During the Boer war and the Zulu rebellion he helped the British Raj at the hour of its need, by raising Indian Ambulance and Stretcher-barer Corps which served close to the line of fire. Gandhi was awarded medals for this service. The India Struggle The Natal India Congress founded by Gandhi in 1894, on lines similar to the Indian National Congress, and later the British Indian Committee in theTransvaal fought against restrictions on Indian trade, movement and residence. During the campaign against the ‘Black’ Registration Act, Gandhi lit a grand bonfire of thousands of the registration certificates. The Homecoming The Passive Resistance Struggle was to be long-drawn-out. Thousands of satyagrahis suffered imprisonment, loss of property, trade. Tolstoy farm was built by Gandhi on land donated by Kallenbach, as a colony for housing satyagrahis families. They did farming, grew fruit, followed simple crafts and conducted school — all noble experiment in community living. After Gandhi, Polka and Kallenbach were arrested and jailed. Woman too courted imprisonment. Later the government released them and set up the Solomon commission of inquiry C. F. Andrews and Person visited South Africaand interceded with the Government. Gandhiji left South Africa in July 1914. In England, enroute to India, a great war broke out, during which time Gandhiji helped raise an Indian Volunteer Corps. In December, Gandhiji and Kasturba sailed for India In India with Kasturba, clad in simple Kathiawadi clothes, Gandhi turned to Gokhale, his "Political Guru", for guidance. He was advised to closely study the political scenario in India, while refraining for making political speeches. Hero’s welcome The man in South Africa, had striven valiantly, through satyagraha, for his peoples' honour and human dignity, received Hero’s welcome anywhere. He traveled widely north and south, mostly by third class of the railways. Visiting Shantiniketan to meet Gurudev—Rabindranath – Tagore – was like going on a pilgrimage. Honoured by all In Madras Natesan described Gandhi as the embodiment of godliness and the wisdom of the saint Kasturba as the incarnation of wifely virtue. In may 1915, Gandhi settled down at Kochrab, near Ahmedabad, where he founded the Satyagraha ashram. Honours came to him-the Kaiser-I-Hind and other medals for his ambulance services in war. Champaran Satyagraha Outwards trappings meant little to Gandhi. At Banaras he blamed the Princes for their love of finery. At Allahabad he declared material progress of little worth without morality. Gandhi's first satyagraha test in India came in Champaran, Bihar in 1917 and it led to inquiry into the evil Indigo system and help to end it. Sabarmati Ashram When in 1917 plague broke out at Kochrab, Gandhi move his Ashram to Sabarmati Hriday Kunj became his abode ; Kasturba lived in separate Kuti, bound by her husband’s vow of brahmacharya, close at hand were the grounds where Gandhi gathered Ashram inmates, morning and evening, prayer. Satyagraha again Lokmanya Tilak dominated Indian politics at this time. But, in 1918, Gandhi emerged into National Leadership through satyagraha – for remission of land revenue in famine-stricken Kheda district; also the Ahmedabad Mills-hands’ strike, during which he fasted lest strikers weaken. At prayer meetings under a tree, he called for discipline and concern for duties, not merely rights. Bitter Fruit The end of the great war brought India no freedom, only more repression. Gandhi called for country-wide hartal to protest against the Rowlatt Act. Of 1919. in mosques and on beaches he preached Satyagraha; pacified rioters atBombay and Ahmedabad; but Jallianwala in Punjab was to witness an unprecedented and cold blooded massacre. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre People massed in thousands, to protest against Govt. repressive policy, at Jallianwala Bagh. Determine to "Make an example of them", the Government ordered troops to fired on the unarmed crowd. Hundreds died. Martial low and a reign of terror followed. Deeply shocked Gandhi returned his war decorations, decided to non-cooperate with a government that was evil. Non-cooperation is Born The Indian National Congress at Calcutta approved of non-cooperation: boycott of law-courts, government educational institutions and foreign goods. Gandhi saw it as the only alternative to violence for redress of the Khilafats and thePunjab wrongs. The founding of Gujarat Vidyapith in November 1920 was a symbol of the national re-awakening. Swaraj fund-Swadeshi "Swaraj in one year" was Gandhi’s slogan. Leaders of many shades came together, as at Madras, but few trusted Swaraj could came so quickly. The people rising to Gandhi’s call, raise a 10 million rupee memorial fund for Tilak who died on August1, 1920. a year, later a spectacular bonfire of foreign cloth ushered in the era of Swadeshi. From Yerawada to Belgaum 1922 saw an eclipse: following violence at Chauri Chaura, Gandhi suspended non-cooperation. Arrested for seditious writings for Young India and tried, March 18, he was sentenced to six years, but an operation of appendicitis brought early release from Yerawada Prison. 1924 was to see him once again at helm at a Belgaum congress. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘Unity’ Fast In September 1924, Gandhi imposed on himself at 21 days fast to end Hindu-Muslim tension, an act of religion which taught him to love all equally. It restored peace in the riot-ridden country, brought all leaders together, let to sum cleansing of hearts. It resulted in a communal truce. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deshbandhu’s Death 1925 was a year of calamity: Deshbandhu C. R. Das, Swarajist leader, died in June at Darjeeling where Gandhi had just spent some days with him. It had brought nearer, the Mahatma who preached non-cooperation, and Deshbandhu who gave fight to the Government to the councils. Disconsolate at his death, Gandhi wrote a touching obituary in the glow of the funeral pyre. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On many fronts 1925-28 provided two landmarks of Gandhi’s leadership; Vaikom Satyagraha for giving untouchables use of temple roads, and the founding of All-India Spinner’s Association. For the rest the stage was occupied by Lajpat Ray, martyred during the Simon Commission boycott, hero of the Bardoli Satyagraha, Motilal Nehru, author of the Constitution Report, and Jawaharlal, champion of the "Complete Independence" resolution at the Calcutta congress. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------