Mahatma Gandhi was a recognized Indian activist who fought during the 1920s to 1940s for the end of the English colonial regime and for the independence of India . Gandhi's activism is particularly known for developing a non-violent method of demonstration known as Satyagraha . Gandhi's life tragically ended after he was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist.
The early years of Gandhi's life
Mahatma Gandhi (the term “mahatma” means “great soul”) was born on October 2, 1869, but registered as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi . Gandhi was born in Porbardar, on the west coast of India, and his parents were named Karmachand Gandhi and Putlibai Gandhi. Gandhi's father – Karmachand – was governor of the region they inhabited in India during the period of the British Empire.
Gandhi's appreciation for religion was due to the great influence of his mother, known for being a fervent religious and devoted to Vishnu, a god of Hinduism, a traditional religion of India. Gandhi's biographers portray him as a child with a shy personality and, therefore, did not have any prominence during his school years.
As soon as he turned 13, according to the tradition of that part of India, Gandhi married a girl named Kasturba Gandhi (at the time of their marriage, she was 14). A few years after their marriage, Gandhi moved to London, England so that he could study law and become a lawyer.
Gandhi left in 1888, temporarily leaving his wife and son. While in England, Gandhi deepened his religious knowledge, especially Hinduism, by reading sacred texts and also became a vegetarian, starting to attend a social club for vegetarians in London.
he returned to India in 1891 after finishing his studies. Once back in India, he tried to look for a job in the law business. Gandhi's trajectory as a lawyer did not take off, mainly due to the difficulties caused by his shyness. In 1893, Gandhi was offered a job in South Africa and so, again, he left his family, this time in order to work.
Gandhi's activism in South Africa
It was the situations of prejudice experienced by Gandhi in South Africa that turned him into a great activist in defense of the Indians. The Indians suffered from the discriminatory actions of both the colonial authorities and the local population of European origin. A remarkable situation for Gandhi happened during a train trip to Pretoria, in 1893.
During this trip, Gandhi was asked to withdraw from first class – the place he had paid to be – because a white passenger had been annoyed by his presence. Gandhi's refusal to comply with the request to retire to third class - a place destined for blacks - caused him to be expelled from the locomotive.
Other situations, such as the enactment of discriminatory laws against the Indian population in South Africa, convinced Gandhi of the need to fight for the defense of the rights of Indians in that region. Over time, Gandhi became a leader for the local Indian community, and during his militancy, Satyagraha was born. , your concept of non-violent protest.
Gandhi in the struggle for Indian independence
All in all, Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa, becoming a great local name for the defense of Indians. Gandhi's work in South Africa earned him notoriety, and by the time he returned to India in 1914 he was already a well-known personality in the country. However, because of the First World War, he only started activism for Indian independence in 1919.
In India, Gandhi made the Satyagraha known internally , a principle by which he defended the protest in a non-violent way through demonstrations of resistance and civil disobedience. Gandhi's intention with these actions was to make the one who committed the injustice realize the harm he was doing and repent. It was because of his role in India's independence that Gandhi was nicknamed the "mahatma" (great soul).
From the 1920s to the 1940s, Gandhi encouraged actions of disobedience civil to encourage the population to rise up against the rulers and weaken colonial rule in India. Gandhi's role in independence activism led to him being arrested by the British authorities several times.
Gandhi's leadership in civil disobedience had a profound impact at two different times. In the first one, Gandhi encouraged the Indian population to produce their own clothes and to stop buying clothes from English merchants. To set an example, Gandhi took with him a handloom.
The hand loom carried by Gandhi generated so much impact that it became a national symbol of India and is now emblazoned on the country's flag. Another well-known event was the “Salt March ”, March 1930. At this event, Gandhi led a crowd on a march to the Indian coast so they could extract salt. This was because the local authorities had imposed a tax on the price of salt purchased by Indians.
Gandhi's performance continued through the 1930s and 1940s amid the growing conflicts between Hindu Indians and Muslim Indians. Despite Gandhi's efforts to combat the escalation of violence, rivalry between the sides only increased. British colonial rule in the region ended in August 1947, however, the rivalry between Muslims and Hindus led the country to division. From that division, the Muslim part of India became Pakistan.
The partition of India was the reason for Gandhi's death in 1948. On January 30th, Gandhi was shot at by the Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse and died instantly. Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi because he held him responsible for the split between Pakistan and India. He was arrested, tried and sentenced to death, being executed in 1949.
Criticisms of Gandhi
After Gandhi's death, several studies were conducted on his life. Many studies have pointed out numerous criticisms of various actions carried out by Gandhi. The big highlights go to the racist view that Gandhi possessed of the South Africans, treating them as inferiors; Gandhi's neglect of the Dalits , the Untouchables; the way he treated his wife and the sexist opinions that he owned.
*Image credits:Andrea Izzotti and Shutterstock