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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: The Originator Of Non Violent Civil Disobedience

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985 words
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Introduction Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 to 1948), also known as the father of India, was an active politician who fought for the independence of the country from Britain. Commonly known as Mahatma (Great Soul), Gandhi stood for the rights of the poor. Being the leader of Indian National Congress, he was the main voice of all political campaigns. Gandhi introduced new techniques of non-violent civil disobediences. Even though the national freedom was one of his key achievements, his vision was primarily to help people achieve the ‘real freedom’ (Ramakrishna, 2013). With his subtle, yet creative and astute national campaigns, he led India to independence. Gandhi: The Originator of Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Gandhi’s two key principles …show more content…

In this essay, the author

  • Explains that mohandas karamchand gandhi, also known as the father of india, was an active politician who fought for the independence of the country from britain.
  • Explains that gandhi's two key principles of truth and nonviolence were the foundations of his campaigns. india’s independence from britain is testament to his great achievements.
  • Explains that gandhi's disruptive thinking was due to the environment he was born and raised in.
  • Compares gandhi's rebellious nature with his traditional nature. gandhi wore traditional clothes, ate simple food, and made his own clothes.
  • Explains that gandhi's move to south africa in 1893 was a turning point in his life. after being humiliated by an englishman for travelling first class, he felt motivated to fight for indians.
  • Explains how gandhi persuaded indians to join him in the ‘non-cooperative’ protest in 1920s. gandhi was confident about the outcome of the movement.
  • Explains that gandhi encouraged people to make their own clothes. he spent one hour per day spinning wool into yarn and created his own style statement.
  • Explains that gandhi started the salt march in 1930 with only 78 people. the international media coverage helped gandhi gain the much-needed international support. creativity happens when a person introduces changes and the changes are adopted
  • Explains that gandhi took divergent, yet flexible approaches to tackle national issues. disruptive thinking demands for fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration as the four key creative skills.
  • Explains how gandhi kicked off the 'quit india' movement in 1942 when britain announced the lack of resources to rule india. gandhi persuaded indians to fight for freedom together as a team.
  • Explains that gandhi's intelligence, domain knowledge, and prevalent social, economic and political situations contributed to his overall personality development and creative thinking. his achievements are the result of his persistence and persuasion that lasted for 55 years.

As his father was a politician, Gandhi had closely observed and experienced politics. Even though Gandhi was an average student, he completed his education in law from the UK (Gandhi, 1955). Also, he had international work experience. His rich experience, knowledge and exposure played a significant role in helping Gandhi come up with solutions to social problems. Detailed knowledge is required for a creative treatment to a problem (Weisberg, 1993). Gandhi was quite rebellious since childhood. Against the wish of his father, he went abroad to study law. His stubborn nature had made him a remarkable protestor of all times. On the contrary, Gandhi was quite traditional in many ways; he wore traditional clothes, ate simple food, made his own clothes, to name a few. Creative people have contrasting personality traits, and are rebellious as well as conservative at the same time (Csikszentmihalyi 1996). Gandhi’s move to South Africa in 1893 was a turning point in his life. After being humiliated by an Englishman for travelling first class, Gandhi felt motivated to fight for Indian in South Africa. He became their collective voice. From 1893 to 1906, he resisted regional laws in various ‘nonviolent’ ways. Motivation has a significant impact on an individual’s creative performance (Guilford, …show more content…

He kept building upon his principles to come up with unique ways of resistance. Disruptive thinking demands for fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration as the four key creative skills (Guilford 1967; Baer 2014). Most of his campaigns lasted for a long period of time, and therefore creating an ever-lasting impact on people. For example, the fight for Indians in South Africa started off in 1893 and continued until his return to India in 1906. Sustainable persistence for a long period of time gives birth to creativity (Kneller, 1967). In 1942, when the Britain Empire announced the lack of resources to rule India, Gandhi immediately kicked off the ‘Quit India’ movement with a speech. Since he was addressing to religious audiences, he referred nonviolence as “God’s gift.” Different thinking styles lead to creativity (Bilton, 2007). With his quirky twist to the speech, Gandhi persuaded Indians to fight for their freedom together as a team. Content is the key in enrolling and encouraging followers, and without missing the opportunities Gandhi used charismatic themes in his speeches (Bligh and Robinson,

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