Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi. 'Father of the Nation' for a country with a billion people. The Mahatma was assassinated by religious zealots more than half a decade ago but his legacy continues in the concepts he pioneered and in the social reforms he initiated. The bespectacled, Khadi-clad image of Mahatma Ghandi is indelibly engraved on the conscience of every Indian and on October 2 every year, on the eve of his birth anniversary, a grateful nation pays homage to this frail-bodied man who had the vision and courage to take on the might of the British Empire.
Over the years, Mahatma's principles of Satyagraha and nonviolence have transcended geographical boundaries and they have been employed by activists elsewhere in the world fighting oppressive regimes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used nonviolent civil disobedience while fighting the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans in the United States. The Nelson Mandela-led African National Congress overthrew the minority white South African government after decades of peaceful non cooperation movement.
While the Mahatma's ideology has inspired such epoch-making movements in different corners of the world, unfortunately Gandhi's tenets have been largely consigned to textbooks in his homeland. The younger generation by and large has been oblivious to Bapu's principles and the entire country is torn apart by violent separatist movements. Our politicians may have taken to wearing immaculate white khadi kurtas, but their inner souls are very much stained by blots of corruption. It is about time people embraced the principles of Gandhiji in letter and spirit so as to usher in a vibrant, peaceful world
Gandhi Autobiography
Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography, 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth,' is undoubtedly one of the most influential books in the 20th century for the insight it provides into the life and vision of the Mahatma. In the introduction of the book Mahatma reveals that although he didn't intend to write an autobiography, it was bound to take the shape of one filled as it was with his lifelong experiments with truth.
In the autobiography Gandhi chronicles his life from early childhood to the year 1920. Gandhi's life post-1920 doesn't find any mention in the book since he opined "my life from this point onward has been so public that there is hardly anything about it that people do not know..." The autobiography first appeared as a series in the weekly Gujarati magazine Navajivan during 1925-28 which was published from Ahmedabad.
The title of the book, 'My Experiments with Truth,' couldn't have been more apt for it illustrates the life of a man who made it a lifelong mission to discover truth or Satya. Apart from elaborating on the tenets of truth and nonviolence, Gandhi also discusses the deep influence of spiritualism and religion on his life and principles. As one ruffles through the pages, one is left awestruck at the vast wisdom of the Mahatma.
The original Gujarati version of the 'My Experiments with Truth' was first published in a book-form by Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad in two volumes. After the first publication, the book was revised and translated into English by Gandhi's close associate and personal secretary Mahadev Desai.
Facts about Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi's life is so much entwined with the Indian freedom movement that rarely do people endeavor to acquaint themselves with other facets of his eventful life. We provide below some interesting facts about Mahatma Gandhi:
The Birth of 'Mahatma'
Mahatma Gandhi was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and the title 'Mahatma' was accorded to him much later. Mahatma literally translates to 'great soul' in Sanskrit. Even though opinion is ambivalent as to how Gandhi came to be known as Mahatma, people generally believe that noted poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore bestowed the title of 'Mahatma' on Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi and the Boer War
Despite his lifelong pursuit of nonviolence, Gandhi found himself embroiled in a war at an early stage of his life, albeit in a humanitarian role. During his stay in South Africa the Second Boer War broke out and Gandhi organized a volunteer medial unit of free Indians and indentured laborers called the Indian Ambulance Corps. This unit provided exemplary medical service to wounded black South Africans and post -war Gandhi became a decorated sergeant of the Corps.
The Gandhi Statue in Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa was the place where Gandhi was shoved out a train 1893 after refusing to move from the first class to a third class coach while holding a first class ticket. This unsavory incident proved to be landmark event in Gandhi's life as he made it a mission to protest such incidents of racial abuse. The downtown of Pietermaritzburg city now hosts a commemorative statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi and the Nobel Prize
It is indeed a sad irony that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest exponent of peace and nonviolence, was never deemed eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize. After four previous nominations, Gandhi was chosen for the Prize in 1948, but because of his unfortunate assassination the Nobel Committee had to shelve their plans and the Peace Prize was not awarded that year.
Mahatma Gandhi and the Time Magazine
Time Magazine, the famous U.S. publication, named Mahatma Gandhi the Man of the Year in 1930. In 1999 the magazine declared Mahatma the runner-up to noted scientist Albert Einstein as the "Person of the Century".
Mahatma Gandhi in Popular Culture
Mahatma Gandhi fell to an assassin's bullets way back in 1948. But the visions and the philosophy of the Mahatma are as much relevant today as they were more than half a decade ago. His teachings and ideology have struck a chord with people from all over the world and many have attempted to portray Mahatma Gandhi's life through different creative avenues. As such one comes across a plethora of examples where the life and the works of the Mahatma have been depicted in popular media platforms such as film, literature, and the theater.
Film
The 1982 film, Gandhi, is perhaps the most acclaimed tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's life. The film, directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, went on to sweep the Academy Awards that year by winnings eight Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. But as far as social impact is concerned, the 2006 Bollywood movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai wins hands down for its role in awakening a whole generation of Indian youngsters to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. The film, featuring popular actor Sanjay Dutt in the lead role, coined the term Gandhigiri to bring home the relevance of Gandhi's tenets in today's world.
Theater
The play 'Mahatma vs. Gandhi' directed by Feroz Khan and starring Naseeruddin Shah as Mahatma, seeks to explore the complex father-son relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal Gandhi. The play 'Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy,' directed by Pradeep Dalavi, is an autobiographical take on the life of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. The play generated much controversy for the supposedly unbiased portrayal of the circumstances in which Gandhi's murder was plotted and carried out by Godse.
Television and Internet
While films and plays based on Mahatma Gandhi's life are basically serious productions, the same cannot be said about the depictions in television and the Internet. While the MTV cartoon 'Clone High' featured the clone of Gandhi as one of the main characters, the cartoon 'Time Squad' on Cartoon Network has an episode where Gandhi is portrayed as craving for a career in tap dancing, instead of leading the Indian freedom struggle. In the first week of 2007, a video posted in the video-sharing website Youtube.com sparked off a controversy for showing a man dressed as Gandhi gyrating to music and doing a pole dance.
Life of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1969 at Porbandar, located in the present day state of Gujarat. His father Karamchand Gandhi was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbandar. Gandhi's mother Putlibai was a pious lady and under her tutelage Gandhi imbibed various principles of Hinduism at an early age.
In 1883, all of 13 and still in high school, Gandhi was married to Kasturbai as per the prevailing Hindu customs. For a person of such extraordinary visionary zeal and resilience, Mahatma Gandhi was by and large an average student in school and was of a shy disposition. After completing his college education, at his family's insistence Gandhi left for England on September 4, 1888 to study law at University College, London. During his tenure in London, Mohandas Gandhi strictly observed abstinence from meat and alcohol as per his mother's wishes.
Upon completion of his law degree in 1891, Gandhi returned to India and tried to set up a legal practice but could not achieve any success. In 1893, when an Indian firm in South Africa offered him the post of legal adviser Gandhi was only too happy to oblige and he set sail for South Africa. This decision alone changed the life of Gandhi, and with that, the destiny of an entire nation. As he descended in South Africa, Gandhi was left appalled at the rampant racial discrimination against Indians and blacks by the European whites.
Soon Gandhi found himself at the receiving end of such abuse and he vowed to take up the cudgels on behalf of the Indian community. He organized the expatriate Indians and protested against the injustices meted out by the African government. After years of disobedience and non-violent protests, the South African government finally conceded to Gandhi's demands and an agreement to this effect was signed in 1914. A battle was won, but Gandhi realized the war that was to be waged against the British awaits his arrival in India. He returned to India the next year.
After reaching India, Gandhi traveled across the length and breadth of the country to witness first hand the atrocities of the British regime. He soon founded the Satyagraha Ashram and successfully employed the principles of Satyagraha in uniting the peasants of Kheda and Champaran against the government. After this victory Gandhi was bestowed the title of Bapu and Mahatma and his fame spread far and wide.
In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi called for the non-cooperation movement against the British Government with the sole object of attaining Swaraj or independence for India. Even though the movement achieved roaring success all over the country, the incident of mob violence in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh forced Gandhi to call off the mass disobedience movement. Consequent to this, Mahatma Gandhi took a hiatus from active politics and instead indulged in social reforms.
The year 1930 saw Gandhi's return to the fore of Indian freedom movement and on March 12, 1930 he launched the historic Dandi March to protest against the tax on salt. The Dandi March soon metamorphosed into a huge civil disobedience movement. The Second World War broke out in 1939 and as the British might began to wane, Gandhi called for the Quit India movement on August 8, 1942. Post World War, the Labour Party came to power in England and the new government assured the Indian leadership of imminent independence.
The Cabinet Mission sent by the British government proposed for the bifurcation of India along communal lines which Gandhi vehemently protested. But eventually he had to relent and on the eve of independence thousands lost their lives in communal riots. Gandhi urged for communal harmony and worked tirelessly to promote unity among the Hindus and Muslims. But Mahatma's act of benevolence angered Hindu fundamentalists and on January 13, 1948 he was assassinated by Hindu fanatic Nathuram Godse.
Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi
The evolution of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi into the 'Mahatma ' of our times very much hinges on the principles that were the guiding light of his life. Till his last breath, Gandhiji unflinchingly adhered to these philosophies often referred by the collective term 'Gandhism'. Over the years the thoughts and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi have inspired generations across the world and they have often been the bedrock of civil rights movements waged against oppressive regimes.
Truth
Truth or 'Satya' was the sovereign principle of Mahatma Gandhi's life. The Mahatma's life was an eternal conquest to discover truth and his journey to that end was marked by experiments on himself and learning from his own mistakes. Fittingly his autobiography was titled 'My Experiments with Truth.' Gandhi strictly maintained that the concept of truth is above and beyond of all other considerations and one must unfailingly embrace truth throughout one's life.
Satyagraha
Gandhiji pioneered the term Satyagraha which literally translates to 'an endeavor for truth.' In the context of Indian freedom movement, Satyagraha meant the resistance to the British oppression through mass civil obedience. The tenets of Truth or Satya and nonviolence were pivotal to the Satyagraha movement and Gandhi ensured that the millions of Indians seeking an end to British rule adhered to these basic principles steadfastly.
Nonviolence
The principle of nonviolence or Ahimsa has been integral to many Indian religions and Mahatma Gandhi espoused for total nonviolence in the Indian freedom struggle. He was determined to purge the Satyagraha movement of any violent elements and incidents of violence by Satyagrahis in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh led him to call off the civil disobedience movement. Gandhi's adoption of vegetarianism is often regarded a manifestation of his faith in the principles of nonviolence.
Khadi
Khadi, an unassuming piece of handspun and hand-woven cloth, embodies the simplicity synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi's persona. After renouncing the western attire of his advocacy days in South Africa, Gandhi embraced the practice of weaving his own clothes from thread he himself spun and encouraged others to follow suit. Mahatma used the adoption of Khadi as a subtle economic tool against the British industrial might and also as a means of generating rural employment in India.
Mahatma Gandhi Quotes
Throughout his life, Mahatma Gandhi held certain principles dear to his heart and unfailingly adhered to them. The ebullient speaker that he was, the Mahatma's words were pearls of wisdom that inspired an entire nation to embrace his principles and tread the path showed by him. Following are some famous quotes by Mahatma Gandhi that captured the essence of Gandhi's values and beliefs:
- Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.
- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
- As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.
- The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.
- You must be the change you want to see in the world.
- Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
- One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds.
- I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
- Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.
- The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh did not live long. In fact Bhagat Singh was all of 24 years when he was sent to the gallows along with fellow comrades Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar. But during this short span, Bhagat Singh shone like a gleaming meteor in the Indian sky and inspired millions with his heroic battle against the oppressive British regime.