Snezana divac biography of mahatma gandhi
When a European magistrate in Durban asked him to take off his turban, he refused and left the courtroom. On a train voyage to Pretoria, he was thrown out of a first-class railway compartment and beaten up by a white stagecoach driver after refusing to give up his seat for a European passenger. In , after the Transvaal government passed an ordinance regarding the registration of its Indian population, Gandhi led a campaign of civil disobedience that would last for the next eight years.
During its final phase in , hundreds of Indians living in South Africa, including women, went to jail, and thousands of striking Indian miners were imprisoned, flogged and even shot. Finally, under pressure from the British and Indian governments, the government of South Africa accepted a compromise negotiated by Gandhi and General Jan Christian Smuts, which included important concessions such as the recognition of Indian marriages and the abolition of the existing poll tax for Indians.
He supported the British war effort in World War I but remained critical of colonial authorities for measures he felt were unjust. He backed off after violence broke out—including the massacre by British-led soldiers of some Indians attending a meeting at Amritsar—but only temporarily, and by he was the most visible figure in the movement for Indian independence.
The iconic Indian activist, known for his principle of nonviolent resistance, had humble beginnings and left an outsized legacy. As part of his nonviolent non-cooperation campaign for home rule, Gandhi stressed the importance of economic independence for India. By promoting the principle of self-reliance, he encouraged Indians to produce their own goods and boycott British products.
Gandhi's ability to mobilize the masses around issues of injustice inspired widespread participation in the independence movement, making him a unifying figure and a catalyst for change, ultimately leading to India's independence in Gandhi's activism reached a pivotal moment in with the Salt March, a significant act of civil disobedience against British regulation in India.
The British government imposed a heavy tax on salt, a staple in Indian diets, while prohibiting Indians from collecting their own salt. In response, Gandhi launched a mile march from Sabarmati to the Arabian Sea, which symbolized nonviolent resistance and galvanized the Indian populace. Beginning on March 12, , Gandhi and his followers walked for 24 days, attracting attention and support along the way.
Upon reaching the coast, Gandhi publicly defied the law by collecting salt, marking a crucial step in the struggle for Indian independence. The Salt March sparked widespread civil disobedience across India, leading to thousands of arrests, including Gandhi himself. This moment of defiance not only challenged British authority but also unified Indians from various backgrounds against colonial rule.
The march not only intensified nationalistic sentiments but also drew international attention to the Indian independence movement, earning Gandhi recognition as a global icon of peace and nonviolent protest. They wed at the tender age of 13 in an arranged marriage, which was typical of the time. Despite the traditional nature of their union, Kasturba became a steadfast partner in Gandhi's life and work.
Their relationship was marked by mutual respect, with Kasturba actively participating in Gandhi's campaigns for civil rights and independence. She often accompanied him during his travels and demonstrations, sharing his burden and supporting his visions for social reform and justice in India. Kasturba's unwavering support helped Gandhi maintain his focus on their shared goals, even as their personal lives faced challenges.
At the age of 78, Gandhi undertook another fast to try and prevent the sectarian killing. After 5 days, the leaders agreed to stop killing. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth. Gandhi said his great aim in life was to have a vision of God. He sought to worship God and promote religious understanding. He sought inspiration from many different religions: Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and incorporated them into his own philosophy.
On several occasions, he used religious practices and fasting as part of his political approach. Gandhi felt that personal example could influence public opinion. Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting or walking. It is no exaggeration to say that they alone are real, all else is unreal.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. Last updated 1 Feb Interesting and unusual facts about Mahatma Gandhi. Hindus — Famous Hindus from the era of the Mahabharata to modern day India. Indians of the Independence Movement. He stood out in his time in history. Non violence as he practised it was part of his spiritual learning usedvas a political tool.
I just dipped into this ti find out about the salt march. Gandhi was a lawyer who did not make a good impression as a lawyer. His success and influence was mediocre in law religion and politics. He rose to prominence by chance. He was neither a good lawyer or a leader circumstances conspired at a time in history for him to stand out as an astute leader both in South Africa and in India.
In his first courtroom case, a nervous Gandhi blanked when the time came to cross-examine a witness. He immediately fled the courtroom after reimbursing his client for his legal fees. Gandhi grew up worshiping the Hindu god Vishnu and following Jainism, a morally rigorous ancient Indian religion that espoused non-violence, fasting, meditation and vegetarianism.
Living in South Africa, Gandhi continued to study world religions. He immersed himself in sacred Hindu spiritual texts and adopted a life of simplicity, austerity, fasting and celibacy that was free of material goods. After struggling to find work as a lawyer in India, Gandhi obtained a one-year contract to perform legal services in South Africa.
When Gandhi arrived in South Africa, he was quickly appalled by the discrimination and racial segregation faced by Indian immigrants at the hands of white British and Boer authorities. Upon his first appearance in a Durban courtroom, Gandhi was asked to remove his turban. He refused and left the court instead. Refusing to move to the back of the train, Gandhi was forcibly removed and thrown off the train at a station in Pietermaritzburg.
From that night forward, the small, unassuming man would grow into a giant force for civil rights. Gandhi formed the Natal Indian Congress in to fight discrimination. Gandhi prepared to return to India at the end of his year-long contract until he learned, at his farewell party, of a bill before the Natal Legislative Assembly that would deprive Indians of the right to vote.
Snezana divac biography of mahatma gandhi
Fellow immigrants convinced Gandhi to stay and lead the fight against the legislation. After a brief trip to India in late and early , Gandhi returned to South Africa with his wife and children. Gandhi ran a thriving legal practice, and at the outbreak of the Boer War, he raised an all-Indian ambulance corps of 1, volunteers to support the British cause, arguing that if Indians expected to have full rights of citizenship in the British Empire, they also needed to shoulder their responsibilities.
After years of protests, the government imprisoned hundreds of Indians in , including Gandhi. Under pressure, the South African government accepted a compromise negotiated by Gandhi and General Jan Christian Smuts that included recognition of Hindu marriages and the abolition of a poll tax for Indians. In Gandhi founded an ashram in Ahmedabad, India, that was open to all castes.
Wearing a simple loincloth and shawl, Gandhi lived an austere life devoted to prayer, fasting and meditation. In , with India still under the firm control of the British, Gandhi had a political reawakening when the newly enacted Rowlatt Act authorized British authorities to imprison people suspected of sedition without trial. In response, Gandhi called for a Satyagraha campaign of peaceful protests and strikes.