Mahatma Gandhi


Essay # 1

"Lives of great men all remind us,

We can make our lives sublime." 

Mahatma Gandhi was the Father of the Nation. His real name was Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi. He was the son of the Diwan of Rajkot. He got his early education in Rajkot and later on, at the age of fourteen he went to England. He returned to India after doing his law.

In 1893, he went to South Africa to fight for the cause of the freedom of Indians. He fought the British Government there in order to relieve the Indians from the cruelties of the British. He had bitter experiences of South Africa, which changed the way of his life.

On his return to India in 1915, he joined the Indian National Congress. He threw himself, heart and soul, into India's struggle for freedom. He wanted to end the foreign rule in the country. Mahatma Gandhi started his non-cooperation movement in 1919. He loved non-violence. He boycotted foreign goods. For three decades, he remained the guiding deity of the Congress.

He was both a saint and a politician. Throughout his wonderful career, he dominated the field of politics in India. At last, he brought her freedom on August 15, 1947.

As a man, he was a noble specimen of humanity and led a saintly life. He preached and practiced truth and nonviolence. For about four decades, his contribution to political, social, educational, religious, and ethical topics commanded respect and attention both at home and abroad. His stress was never on the intellectual approach to a problem but on the character of the Indian people. Though he had a poor physique, yet he had something of steel in him.

During his troubled life, he realized that the greatest power lay in the masses of Indian women and he awakened them to the cause of freedom. He brought them out of their thresholds.

Thus, it is seen that Gandhi fought not only for the freedom of people but for the emancipation of women, their education, for removing ignorance of the people, and their advancement whatever Gandhiji achieved it was through his peaceful means, non-violence, Ahimsa, and above all truth

Gandhiji led a very simple life. He was lean and thin, wore only a 'dhoti', and lived like a poor Indian villager. He had a great love for the poor people of India. He started the movement to remove untouchability. He wanted to establish Hindu Muslim unity by removing their basic doubts. He worked hard for removing illiteracy, for improving agriculture, and encourages cottage industry. He was against the mechanism but favored the mechanism that helped people in earning their bread.

India became free under his leadership on 15th August 1947 but this great son of India met his death at the hands of a fanatic Nathu Ram Godse on January 30, 1948. Though Gandhi has disappeared from the scene of India, his imprint will remain in the hearts of Indians forever.


Essay # 2

Mahatma Gandhi


Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as 'Mahatama Gandhi' was born into a Hindu family in Porbandar, Gujarat, in 1869. He was the son of Karamchand Gandhi, the Diwan of Porbandar and Putlibai. Gandhiji was very much influenced by the Jain culture of Gujarat. From his early age, he learnt the doctrines of non-injury to living beings, vegetarianism, fasting for self-purification, and mutual tolerance between members of various creeds and sects.

In May 1883, at the age of 13, he was married to Kasturba Makhanji. They had four sons Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas Gandhi.

Gandhiji was the main political and spiritual leader of India at the time of the independence movement. He was the founder of Satyagraha - the resistance of oppression through mass civil disobedience. He strongly believed in Ahimsa which led India to independence and inspired many movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhiji is generally known and addressed in India and across the world as 'Mahatma Gandhi' and 'Bapu'. Gandhiji is one of the most famous Indians ever to have walked on the planet. His campaigns of passive opposition and civil disobedience proved to be quite popular. After successfully studying Law at University College, London, Gandhiji returned to India. He tried to put up a law firm in Bombay in 1891 but soon found an offer to work as a legal advisor in Durban, South Africa.

Apartheid was blooming in South Africa, so anybody who was not white was treated as a lower or second class citizens. Gandhiji decided to launch his method of passive resistance and non-cooperation in Africa. It was by no means a simple journey for him. He was regularly imprisoned and was callously beaten several times. He campaigned for nearly twenty years.

After the First World War, Gandhiji decided to return to his home India. His philosophy was well accepted in India and very soon had many followers that frequently practiced passive resistance. The British government didn't like the campaigning and declared it to be revolutionary Consequently, British troops crushed many innocent Indians at a protest in 1920.

This caused Gandhiji to activate a policy of noncooperation towards the British Indians began withdrawing their children from the government-run schools and masses of people came on the streets to protest against the Britishers. In retaliation, the British imprisoned Gandhiji but was soon released.

In 1924, Gandhiji was forced to put an end to the campaign of non-cooperation due to the increasing incidence of violence from India towards Britain.

Six years later, he started another campaign against the payment of tax and many of his followers joined him on a demonstration march towards the sea. In 1934, he officially resigned from politics, having been imprisoned several times. Whenever he was imprisoned, he would go on fasting in protest.

The British detested this because they knew that if he died the repercussions from the Indian masses would be disastrous, He asked the British to 'Quit India'. He gave the mantra: 'Door Die' to the people of India.

In 1947, India gained independence that Gandhiji had worked towards for a long time. He was against partition though, the country was divided. He devoted the rest of his life to prayers, fasting, and meditation. He only ate fruits, vegetables, and milk. He gave up his personal comfort to bring everyone together.

In the early evening hours of 30 January 1948, Gandhiji met the then India's Deputy Prime Minister and a close friend in the freedom struggle, Vallabhai Patel and then went to his prayers. At 10 minutes past 5'O clock, with one hand each on the shoulders of Abha and Manu, who was recognized as his walking sticks', Gandhiji moved towards the garden where the prayer meeting was held. He was busy greeting the audience when a youth came up to him and bent down and took out a revolver out of his pocket and shot at him three times in his chest. The bloodstains appeared over Gandhi's white woolen shawl. Gandhi blessed his killer, He Ram! He Ram! and died on the spot.