For as long as I can remember, people have viewed the importance of this man (point at picture) as a universal figure of peace and equality. The faith experience and dedication of the father of non – violence are forged in his native India, in London and in his early struggles in favor of the dignity of Indian immigrants in South Africa. This man is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who came to be known as the ‘Mahatma ‘meaning the great soul – the most respected and inspiring political leader of India.
Mohandas was born in 1869 at Porbandar, a little town on the west coast of India, in the region of Gujarat, a place alive with culture and a diversity of religions – A place I can relate to in more ways than one as I grew up both in Bombay and later in Hong Kong where many different nationalities come together to form a melting pot of diverse religions and cultures. This kind of exposure, I believe is very important as it helps us understand and appreciate other cultures and religions and leads to the tolerance of one another. Wouldn’t you like to be understood?
The young Gandhi was just a normal Indian boy of his time who went to study law in London. His early days in London were quite trying for on one hand he saw himself as a citizen of the British Empire and so dressed as a perfect English gentleman on the other hand he realized he was quite different as he was a strict vegetarian and one who was brought up to heed and respect his elders . Although Gandhi was born almost a century and a half earlier than me, I myself on arriving in New Zealand experienced many similar feelings, as I attended a catholic school in keeping with my beliefs and felt myself no different from the others, only to realize that some among them saw me as ...
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... imposing taxes on salt. He launched protest demonstrations, which proclaimed non –cooperation, British made goods were rejected and the salt tax opposed. He only wore clothes made from Indian hand woven fabric .These events were responsible for bringing India closer to obtaining her Independence, in a unique manner without much violence, despite the reluctance of the British, as India was the Jewel in the British Crown.
Gandhi has had followers and imitators in many parts of the world. Passive resistance was adopted by African Americans led by Martin Luther King Jr., the Solidarity movement in Poland and the Burmese resistance against their Military rulers to name a few . Not all have brought victory. Gandhi’s influence is still strong. He remains one of the few great positive figures of the 20th Century, a century that has known horror and genocide of every sort.
Mohandas Gandhi was a non-violent promoter for Indian independence.He was married young at 13,and went to London to go to law school.Gandhi got his degree there and was on his way to being a lawyer.He went to his first case,but couldn't even speak. Gandhi then got invited to South Africa from a businessman. Gandhi’s luck their was no good either.European racism came to him,after he got kicked off of a train,because he was “colored” and was holding a first class ticket.When Gandhi fought back because of it,was arrested and was sent to jail.After this, he became know as as a leader.Gandhi returned to India in 1896,and he was disgusted by it.British wanted them to wear their clothes,copy their manners,accept their standards of beauty,but Gandhi refused.Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class and wealth.Gandhi tried so hard and was more successful then any other man in India.They won independence in 1947. Gandhi’s non-violent movement worked because,Gandhi used clever planning, mass appeal, conviction, and compassion to win independence for India.
Mohandas Gandhi was born into a Hindu family of the Vaisya caste. This was the third ranking caste in the class structure of Hinduism. This class was for farmers and merchants. The whole system was so complex that in Gandhi’s lifetime it had begun to disintegrate. Gandhi’s father and grandfather were not farmers or merchants. They were prime ministers of the tiny principality of Porbandar in Gujarat. Mohandas was extremely shy. He rushed to and from school, too nervous to talk to any of his classmates. Then a pretty and strong-willed girl was married to him by an arranged marriage at the age of 13. Her name was Kasturbai. A marriage at this age was typical in Hindu custom. He was a strict husband and kept control over actions. Kasturbai disliked this. They didn’t spend more than the first five years of their marriage together, since it was typical for the girl to visit her family. At this point in his life, he was very depressed. He was little and suffered fears that didn’t bother his wife. An athletic and older boy who was Muslim fascinated him. He told Mohandas to eat meat if he wanted to become bigger and stronger. He said the Indians were weak and small people, because they didn’t eat meat, and this is why the British, who did, had the strength to rule over them. This was against his religion, but he tried anyway. He ate the meat in secrecy, but after a few meals he stopped. He didn’t like the taste of meat and fe...
“ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.
Gandhi was not born poor or untouchable but to a respectful merchant class family (Bush 23). He did a lot of self-searching as a young man before becoming the “Mahatma” Indians respected and followed. Prior to achieving his status as an honored
Gandhi was a well knowledgeable and unique person who found hope in struggles that he never thought would shape who he was. Gandhi was born in a Hindu family, and even though he was the youngest he made a huge impact on others (“Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi” pg 3). He had his older brother who helped him with his education when his father passed away (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi was very religious even when he was little his brothers tried to make him eat meat (it wasn’t bad to eat meat in Hinduism when you are little), but he refused (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi respected his religion and was a respectful towards others.
Gandhi disciplined his men very well to a point where his men would follow his orders under any circumstances. While resisting the to the steel clus the salt tax got publicized and that could win support around the world. This is how Gandhi used disciplined civil disobedience to make his movement work.
Martin Luther King once said, “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him”. Throughout history, people have committed numerous acts of crime from stealing to fighting, to war. These acts of violence had never done any good to mankind but had continuously harmed mankind. Mahatma Gandhi was a leader who had promoted and inspired people across the world to continue the acts of Ahimsa. Gandhi spread his acts of Ahimsa inspiring the American Civil Rights Movement, Nelson Mandela, and Harper Lee showing that Gandhi’s beliefs of non violence should be continued.
...es of past leaders Gandhi gained new perspective and subsequently avoided repeating the past; this lead him to attempt to embark upon a new path--one perceived as better for India. None of this would have been possible without the perspective gained through studying India’s brutal past. Subsequently his efforts and strategies were later emulated by other civil rights activists, effectively impacting the general society. Clearly, the perspective gained through looking back on one’s mistake would be impossible without adversity, which serves as the origin for remediation; society would not be able to progress without certain duress.
Gandhi asked the India people to refuse to buy British made goods. This would severely wreaking their economy considering the fact that most of their products were sold in smaller nations that were under their control. If the Indians refused to buy the British made goods, then surely enough England's economics would begin to fall. Gandhi had also asked the Indian people to refuse to attend government schools, refuse to pay British taxes, and refuse to vote in elections. With all of this boycotting, the British government would grow very angry. Gandhi was successful in his boycott over British cloth, cloth was of importance in Britain. Gandhi had asked all Indians to weave their own cloth instead of buying it from England. Gandhi used himself as an example as he devoted two hours of his life daily to weaving his own cloth and even wearing it. As you can imagine, due to this boycott, British cloth sales had dropped
Within the next century, two historical figures, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., founded the art of nonviolent resistance. The act of civil disobedience in the past has changed history, while in the present, conflicts are being fought with
In the year of 1919, a crowd of 379 nonviolent protesters were murdered by British Indian Army troops. These protestors were killed because they were Indian. Racism was already existent in many countries that were colonized by Britain. Gandhi, a social reformer came to a realization that Indians deserve equal rights and that such acts were in humane and unacceptable. So what made Gandhi’s peaceful movement such a success? It was his civil disobedience practice, which he reached through nonviolent protests, embracing the enemy, and accepting jail time.
...Because of Gandhi’s power, his flaw, and his catastrophe, one would say that Gandhi fits the model of a Greek tragic hero. Gandhi’s power was his heightened goodness, proven by his innumerable civil disobedience acts, where he continued to fight even while he was regularly jailed. His flaw was his tolerance and acceptance of everyone which led to his catastrophic assassination by Nathuram Godse. Gandhi’s teachings of nonviolence and peace still live on today, as they have inspired many other human rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Gandhi’s teachings are responsible for the successes of civil rights movements in other countries. He not only helped free India from British rule, but also gave people new thoughts about violence and imperialism around the world. Even today, India continues to live and remember the tutelage of Gandhi.
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- 2 October 1869 - 30 January 194 was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He is also known as Mahatma which means “The Great Soul”. He was committed to pacifism, that there should be no violence.(1) He had three concepts to follow in his life for independence of India: Satyagraha, Ahimsa and Swaraj.
It was between 1915 and his assassination in 1945 that he struggled for India's freedom. Gandhi's teachings of non-violent resistance, known as satyagraha, has had a lasting effect and influence on the world today. He has been the role model for many famous, influential people such as American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and former South African President Nelson Mandela. His continued influence can still be felt today in many non-violent peace organizations around the world bearing his name or teaching his philosophy.