Gandhi.docx

Gandhi.docx

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Gandhi

TimelineofGandhi'sLife

1869

MohandasKaramchandGandhiborninPorbandarinGujarat.

1893

GandhileavesforJohannesburgforpracticinglawandisthrownoutofafirstclassbogiebecauseheiscolored.

1906

MohandasK.Gandhi,37,speaksatamassmeetingintheEmpireTheater,Johannesburg onSeptember11andlaunchesacampaignofnonviolentresistance（satyagraha）toprotestdiscriminationagainstIndians.TheBritishGovernmenthadjustinvalidatedtheIndianMarriage.

1913

MohandasGandhiinTransvaal,SouthAfricaleads2,500Indiansintotheindefianceofalaw,theyareviolentlyarrested,Gandhirefusestopayafine,heisjailed,hissupportersdemonstrate.OnNovember25,andNatalpolicefireintothecrowd,killingtwo,injuring20.

1914

MohandasGandhireturnstoIndiaatage45after21yearsofpracticinglawinSouthAfricawhereheorganizedacampaignof“passiveresistance”toprotesthismistreatmentbywhitesforhisdefenseofAsianimmigrants.HeattractswideattentioninIndiabyconductingafast--thefirstof14thathewillstageaspoliticaldemonstrationsandthatwillinauguratetheideaofthepoliticalfasting.

1930

AcivildisobediencecampaignagainsttheBritishinIndiabeginsMarch12.TheAll-IndiaTradeCongresshasempoweredGandhitobeginthedemonstrations（see1914）.CalledMahatmaforthepastdecade,Gandhileadsa165-milemarchtotheGujaratcoastoftheArabianSeaandproducessaltbyevaporationofseawaterinviolationofthelawasagestureofdefianceagainsttheBritishmonopolyinsaltproduction

1932

Gandhibeginsa"fastuntodeath"toprotesttheBritishgovernment'streatmentofIndia'slowestcaste"untouchables"whomGandhicallsHarijans--"God'schildren."Gandhi'scampaignofcivildisobediencehasbroughtriotingandhaslandedhiminprison,buthepersistsinhisdemandsforsocialreform,heurgesanewboycottofBritishgoods,andafter6daysoffastingobtainsapactthatimprovesthestatusofthe"untouchables"（Dalits）

1947

Indiabecomesfreefrom200yearsofBritishRule.AmajorvictoryforGandhianprinciplesandnon-violenceingeneral.

1948

GandhiisassassinatedbyNathuramGodse,aHindufanaticataprayermeeting

Introduction

Gandhiwasnoemperor,notamilitarygeneral,notapresidentnoraprimeminister.Hewasneitherpacifistnoracultguru.WhowasGandhi?

Ifanything,MohandasK.Gandhiwasaconstantexperimenter.Spirituality,religion,self-reliance,health,education,clothing,drinks,medicine,childcare,statusofwomen,nofieldescapedhissearchfortruth.HisthoughtswhenappearedintheformoftalkorarticlebecameofficialwordsofactionwiththemassesofIndia.Hewasamanwhodidwhathesaidandledan exemplaryandatransparentlife.Notmanypeoplecanclaim"Mylifeisanopenbook".ThereweremillionsofIndianswhotreatedGandhi'ssuggestionsassupremecommandsandacteduponthem（hencethenameMahatma）.BorninGujarat,fluentwithHindiandEnglish,andresidinginthemindsofmillions,GandhijiwasabletouniteIndialikenoneother.Anadamant（坚定不移的）idealist,courageousfighter,adeepthinker,andagreatleaderofmenandideas,itwaspossibleforhimtodothatbecauseheidentifiedhimselfwithstrugglesandpainsofthecommonIndians.Hequicklybecamethesolevoiceofthedowntroddenandtheexploited.TheycompletelybelievedthatGandhijiunderstoodtheirdifficultiesandwouldprovidejusticeforthem.AmongGandhiji'sdiscipleswerekings,royals,untouchables,rich,poor,foreigners,andwomen.Whenthisselflessandpuremanbecameleaderof thenation,hegaveaclearandunambiguousdirectiontotheHimalayanproblemsfacingIndia.Mostimportantofthemwerepoverty,religiousconflict,exploitation, ignoranceandcolonizationbytheBritish. 

EarlyYears

MohandasKaramchandGandhi（1869-1948）,alsoknownasMahatmaGandhi,wasborninPorbandarinthepresentdaystateofGujaratinIndiaonOctober2,1869.HewasraisedinaveryconservativefamilythathadaffiliationswiththerulingfamilyofKathiawad.HewaseducatedinlawatUniversityCollege,London.In1891,afterhavingbeenadmittedtotheBritishbar,GandhireturnedtoIndiaandattemptedtoestablishalawpracticeinBombay,withoutmuchsuccess.TwoyearslateranIndianfirmwithinterestsinSouthAfricaretainedhimaslegaladviserinitsofficeinDurban.ArrivinginDurban,Gandhifoundhimselftreatedasamemberofaninferiorrace.HewasappalledatthewidespreaddenialofcivillibertiesandpoliticalrightstoIndianimmigrantstoSouthAfrica.HethrewhimselfintothestruggleforelementaryrightsforIndians.

SeeAlso:

ParentageandChildhoodfromGandhi'sautobiography

ResistancetoInjustice

GandhiremainedinSouthAfricafortwentyyears,sufferingimprisonmentmanytimes.In1896,afterbeingattackedandhumilatedbywhiteSouthAfricans,Gandhibegantoteachapolicyofpassiveresistanceto,andnon-cooperationwith,theSouthAfricanauthorities.PartoftheinspirationforthispolicycamefromtheRussianwriterLeoTolstoy,whoseinfluenceonGandhiwasprofound.GandhialsoacknowledgedhisdebttotheteachingsofChristandtothe19th-centuryAmericanwriterHenryDavidThoreau,especiallytoThoreau'sfamousessay"CivilDisobedience."Gandhiconsideredthetermspassiveresistanceandcivildisobedienceinadequateforhispurposes,however,andcoinedanotherterm,Satyagraha（fromSanskrit,"truthandfirmness"）.DuringtheBoerWar,GandhiorganizedanambulancecorpsfortheBritisharmyandcommandedaRedCrossunit.AfterthewarhereturnedtohiscampaignforIndianrights.In1910,hefoundedTolstoyFarm,nearDurban,acooperativecolonyforIndians.In1914thegovernmentoftheUnionofSouthAfricamadeimportantconcessionstoGandhi'sdemands,includingrecognitionofIndianmarriagesandabolitionofthepolltaxforthem.HisworkinSouthAfricacomplete,hereturnedtoIndia.

CampaignforHomeRule

Gandhibecamealeaderinacomplexstruggle,theIndiancampaignforhomerule.FollowingWorldWarI,inwhichheplayedanactivepartinrecruitingcampaigns,Gandhi,againadvocatingSatyagraha,launchedhismovementof non-violentresistancetoGreatBritain.When,in1919,ParliamentpassedtheRowlattActs,givingtheIndiancolonialauthoritiesemergencypowerstodealwithso-calledrevolutionaryactivities,SatyagrahaspreadthroughoutIndia,gainingmillionsoffollowers.AdemonstrationagainsttheRowlattActsresultedinamassacreofIndiansatAmritsarbyBritishsoldiers;in1920,whentheBritishgovernmentfailedtomakeamends,Gandhiproclaimedanorganizedcampaignofnon-cooperation.Indiansinpublicofficeresigned,governmentagenciessuchascourtsoflawwereboycotted,andIndianchildrenwerewithdrawnfromgovernmentschools.ThroughoutIndia,streetswereblockedbysquattingIndianswhorefusedtoriseevenwhenbeatenbypolice.Gandhiwasarrested,buttheBritishweresoonforcedtoreleasehim.

EconomicindependenceforIndia,involvingthecompleteboycottofBritishgoods,wasmadeacorollaryofGandhi'sSwaraj（fromSanskrit,"self-governing"）movement.Theeconomicaspectsofthemovementweresignificant,fortheexploitationofIndianvillagersbyBritishindustrialistshadresultedinextremepovertyinthecountryandthevirtualdestructionofIndianhomeindustries.Asaremedyforsuchpoverty,Gandhiadvocatedrevivalofcottageindustries;hebegantouseaspinningwheelasatokenofthereturntothesimplevillagelifehepreached,andoftherenewalofnativeIndianindustries.

GandhibecametheinternationalsymbolofafreeIndia.Helivedaspiritualandasceticlifeofprayer,fasting,andmeditation.Hisunionwithhiswifebecame,ashehimselfstated,thatofabrotherandsister.Refusingearthlypossessions,heworetheloinclothandshawlofthelowliestIndianandsubsistedonvegetables,fruitjuices,andgoat'smilk.IndiansreveredhimasasaintandbegantocallhimMahatma（great-souled）,atitlereservedforthegreatestsages.Gandhi'sadvocacyofnonviolence,knownasahimsa（non-violence）,wastheexpressionofawayoflifeimplicitintheHindureligion.BytheIndianpracticeofnonviolence,Gandhiheld,GreatBritaintoowouldeventuallyconsiderviolenceuselessandwouldleaveIndia.

TheMahatma'spoliticalandspiritualholdonIndiawassogreatthattheBritishauthoritiesdarednotinterferewithhim.In1921theIndianNationalCongress,thegroupthatspearheadedthemovementfornationhood,gaveGandhicompleteexecutiveauthority,withtherightofnaminghisownsuccessor.TheIndianpopulation,however,couldnotfullycomprehendtheunworldlyahimsa.AseriesofarmedrevoltsagainsttheBritishbrokeout,culminatinginsuchviolencethatGandhiconfessedthefailureofthecivil-disobediencecampaignhehadcalled,andendedit.TheBritishgovernmentagainseizedandimprisonedhimin1922.

Afterhisreleasefromprisonin1924,Gandhiwithdrewfromactivepoliticsanddevotedhimselftopropagatingcommunalunity.Unavoidably,however,hewasagaindrawnintothevortexofthestruggleforindependence.In1930theMahatmaproclaimedanewcampaignofcivildisobedience,callingupontheIndianpopulationtorefusetopaytaxes,particularlythetaxonsalt.Thecampaignwasamarchtothesea,inwhichthousandsofIndiansfollowedGandhifromAhmedabadtotheArabianSea,wheretheymadesaltbyevaporatingseawater.OncemoretheIndianleaderwasarrested,buthewasreleasedin1931,haltingthecampaignaftertheBritishmadeconcessionstohisdemands.InthesameyearGandhirepresentedtheIndianNationalCongressataconferen