“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – M. K. Gandhi
2 October of Every year, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) is observed with prayer tributes and services across the nation. Now in 2019, India will be celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is a political ethician who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British Rule was born on October 2, 1869 in a Hindu family in coastal Gujarat’s Porbandar, Gandhi’s (popularly known as Bapu) relentless work to ensure India’s Independence from British colonialism. Gandhi is fondly remembered as the Father of the Nation, he is known to have inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on 2 October, is not only commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, but is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.
In Indian Politics, the period from 1920 to 1947 had been described as the Gandhian Era. During this period, Gandhi’s final word on behalf of the chalking out a programme for the national movement, and the Indian National Congress in negotiating with the British Government for constitutional reforms.
Mahatma Gandhi led to the national freedom struggle against the British rule. The most comical thing about this struggle was that it was completely nonviolent. Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October, 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. After finishing his education in India, he went to England in 1891 and qualified as Barrister. In 1894, Gandhi went to South Africa in connection with a law suit. Gandhi started his the political career in South Africa where he launched a Civil Disobedience Movement against the maltreatment meted out to Asian settlers. He returned to India in 1916, and took up the leadership of National Freedom Struggle.
After the death of congress leader and freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak on August, 1920, Gandhi became virtually the sole navigator of the ship of the congress. Gandhi had whole heartedly supported the British during the 1st World War (1914-1919). After the finish of war, however, did not bring the promised freedom for India. So Gandhiji started many movements to force the British to concede India its Independence. The well known being: Non Co-operation Movement (1920), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) and Quit India Movement (1942). The British passed the Rowlett Act in 1919 to deal with the revolutionaries. Gandhi made the Rowlett Act an issue and appealed to the people to observe peaceful demonstration on April 6, 1919. Gandhi’s call for peaceful demonstration met with very great response. In Punjab and Delhi, it led to mass demonstrations. The Jallianwala Massacre (1919) was a sequel of this trouble. The Indian people were deeply shocked by this way the British conducted themselves.
Gandhi them started a non-co-operation in 1920 against the British rule. Gandhi started his Civil Disobedience with his famous ‘Dandi March’ in 12th March 1930 to break the salt laws. Many leaders and persons courted arrest. After that followed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact for the participation of the congress in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931. Sir Stafford Cripps came to India in March 1942 with his proposals which were rejected by all political parties. The unsuccessful of the Cripps Mission led to unprecedented disturbances. Disappointed and disillusioned, the congress passed at Bombay the Quit India Resolution (August 8, 1942).
The British were asked to leave India immediately. The moving spirit behind the resolution was Gandhi. The Leave India Movement was the greatest challenge to the British Empire. Gandhi was a great leader, a great social reformer and a saint. He was truthful, pious and religious. He believed in simple living and high thinking. Everybody who came in contact with him were so deeply attracted by his personality. Gandhi was a Champion of democracy and was deadly opposed to dictatorial rule. Gandhi showed the World and India the path of truth and non-violence. He confidenced that it was truth alone that prevailed in the end. Gandhi believed that real India lived in more than five lakhs villages raised. According to him India’s real liberation depended on Swadeshi i.e. use of khadi encouragement to village, boycott of foreign goods and cottage industries.
Gandhi
began to work night and day for the freedom of his country. He and his brave
supporters went to jail again and again, and suffered terrible hardships.
Thousands of them were beaten, starved, and ill treated and killed, but they
remained true to their master. At last his good efforts bore fruit and on
August 15, 1947, India became free and independent. Gandhi conquered the mighty
British Empire not with swords or guns, but by means of strange and utterly new
weapons of truth and Ahinsa. He worked all through his life for Hindu-Muslim
Unity and the eradication of untouchability.
Gandhi worked hard for the improvement of the Harijans, the name given by him
to the untouchables. Gandhi declared untouchability a sin against Man and God.
Gandhi wrote his famous autobiography ‘My
Experiments with Truth’. Gandhi always stood for general harmony, but he
himself was shot dead by a religious fanatic Nathuram Godse on 30th January,
1948. The whole World sorrowed his death.
“If they had not hurled Gandhi out of the train in South Africa, the English would not have too much trouble from him.” Gandhi, the young Attorney, promised to oppose such unfair treatment- through nonviolent and other non-co-operation means. Gandhi’s ultimate search was for righteous conduct. The means are more vital than the end, he maintained; with the right means, desired ends will follow. In time, he was proven right- almost always. His actions and struggles were but external demonstrations of his struggle to evolve his own value system. So, The Mahatma Gandhi better known as the father of the Nation because it was he who got freedom for us. He was the maker of Modern India.
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