14th August 2020

 Musings.......

Freedom Fighters- Part 14 

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - The Mahatma 

Father of our Nation 

At this point of time what more can be said about this great "Yugpurush" that hasn't already been said or that is not known !

Born October 2nd, 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. His father was a diwan of Porbandar.  

At the age of 9, he went to study in Rajkot, however had to discontinue his studies owing to his marriage to Kasturba Gandhi at the age of 13 years.  Later he joined Sayamal Das College in Bhavnagar in 1888. 

Gandhi got the chance of studying law in London and joined the Inner Temple -one of the four London Law Colleges where he studied and practiced law. 

Here Gandhi joined the Vegetarian society, was introduced by friends to the Bhagavat Gita which played a prominent part throughout his life. Gandhi was also influenced at this time by the philosophies of Leo Tolstoy, John Ruskin and Henry David Thoreau. 

Upon returning to India after completing his degree in 1893, Gandhi started his practice in Bombay, however was unsuccessful. 

After 2 years of struggle, Gandhi left for Natal, South Africa and started working as the legal counsel for Indian merchant Dada Abdullah.  

In 1893, Gandhiji was travelling to Pretoria, Transvaal when he was thrown out of the first class compartment of a train despite having a valid ticket, as it was reserved for Whites only. This incident deeply impacted Gandhijis life. 

In 1894 Gandhiji established the Natal Indian Congress to work for the rights of Indians in South Africa. 

In 1907, Gandhi for the first time used Satyagraha- non violent protest to oppose the Asiatic Registration Act (The Black Act). Mass protests were organized under Gandhijis leadership. After 7 years of protest, the Black Act was repealed in 1914. 

Gandhiji returned to India in January of 1915. 

Gandhi in India - 

Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress at the behest of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. 

Gandhis first major achievement came in 1917 in the Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar. The Champaran agitation was the first Civil Disobedience movement that Gandhi put to practice and won. 

1918 saw the Kheda Satyagraha in Nadiad, Gujarat. This was the first Non- Cooperation movement in practice. 

The Ahmedabad mill strike of 1918 was the first Hunger Strike.

Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda demonstrated to the people the efficacy of the technique of Satyagraha. 

Gandhi found his feet among the masses and he acquired respect and commitment of the youth and elderly. 

Gandhiji called for a mass protest at the all India level against the Rowlatt Act of 1919- which was to investigate the " seditious conspiracy" of the Indian people. 

Gandhi organized a Satyagraha Sabha where youngsters from the Home Rule Leagues and the Pan Islamists alike participated. 

From this date onwards, the orientation of the national movement turned to the masses permanently. Gandhi said that salvation would come when masses were awakened and become active in politics.  Getting the common man sensitized for the cause of Independence movement is  for me the biggest contribution of Gandhi. 

April 13, 1919 the entire nation was stunned by news of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.  Gandhijis call for  nationwide Satyagraha against the Rowlatt act began on April 6th and had isolated incidents of violence in many parts of India which was transformed into riots post Jallianwala Bagh. 

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere of total violence, Gandhi withdrew the movement on April 18th. 

The Indian National Congress under Gandhi decided to support the Khilafat Movement in Nov 1919.  It was felt this was a golden opportunity to create Hindu- Muslim unity and also to bring the Muslim masses into the National movement. 

The idea to support the Khilafat movement was a bold step on the part of Gandhi for which initially he faced flak even within the Congress. 

In September 1920, at the historic Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress, the Non- Cooperation Movement ( NCM) was announced till Khilafat and Punjab wrongs were removed and Swaraj was established. 

In February, 1922 the Chauri Chaura incident where 22 policemen were killed in the violence led Gandhiji to withdraw abruptly from the Non- cooperation movement in the Bardoli Session of INC. In March 1922, Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years in jail. 

With the NCM of Gandhi the nationalist sentiment reached every nook and corner of the country and politicised every strata of population. 

Gandhi was released from prison after 2 years. In the historic 1929 Lahore session of INC, under Nehrus presidency, Congress adopted "purna swaraj" as its aim. 

January 26, 1930 was fixed as Indias First Independence ( Swarajya) day. 

On March 2nd 1930, Gandhi along with 78 of his followers started the Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi protesting against the unfair salt tax. The March ended on April 6th by breaking the salt law. 

This marked the beginning of Gandhijis Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). 

Gandhi and most Congress leaders were arrested and saw massive mass participation from among all sections of society.  

This CDM culminated with the Gandhi-Irvin Pact of 1931 when Gandhi along with other Congress leaders and political prisoners were released and salt tax revoked. 

Gandhi agreed to participate in return, in the Second Round Table Conference. However all three conferences did no good for India and finally culminated in the Government of India Act of 1935. 

In the meantime CDM was resumed in December 1931 and Gandhi was arrested on January 1932. The movement was suspended after winning independence in peoples hearts by 1934. 

We know about the Communal Award by British PM Ramsay McDonald in August 1932 and the subsequent Poona Pact led on by Gandhijis fast onto death in Yerwada jail, Poona. 

The Individual Satyagraha and periods of Constructive work by Congress followed. 

In 1942 Gandhi called for the Quit India Movement. Gandhi was arrested and held in jail for 2 years. 

Gandhi opposed the partition of India on religious lines.

Gandhi did not spent Independence Day (Aug 15th)  celebrating the end of British rule. He was pained by the religious violence and riots and spent the day fasting and spinning in Calcutta. 

On 30th January 1948 Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist and member of Hindu Mahasabha and RSS. 

The involvement of RSS in planning and execution of the Mahatma is now proven without doubt. 

The honorific "Mahatma" first applied to Gandhiji in South Africa is now used throughout the world. 

Truth, Non- Violence, Sarvodaya, and Satyagraha and their significance constitute the Gandhian Philosophy and are the four pillars of Gandhian thought. 

Gandhijis " Hind Swaraj" was published in Gujarati in 1909. 

He edited several newspapers-" Indian Opinion", Young India in English and Navjivan and Harijan in Gujarati. 

Gandhijis autobiography is " The Story of My Experiments with Truth" 

Mahatma Gandhi will be remembered forever as he spread the message of nonviolence, truth, faith in God and also fought for Indias Independence. His methods have inspired millions over the world including  Martin Luther King,  Nelson Mandela and Aung San Su Kui. 

Any amount of praise or adulation would not do justice to an article on Gandhi. It would take a lifelong to completely understand the Great man and his ideals. 

I would like to end with what British Classical Scholar Gilbert Murray prophetically wrote about Gandhi in 1918- 

" should be very careful how they deal with a man who cares nothing for sensual pleasure, nothing for riches, nothing for comfort or praise, or promotion, but is simply determined to do what he believes to be right. He is a dangerous and uncomfortable enemy, because his body which you can always conquer gives you so little purchase upon his soul " 

Food for Thought.......

RC