Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi was a nationalist, anti-colonialist, and lawyer. He organised a nonviolent mass uprising against British rule in India, which eventually led to the country's independence.
In India, Mahatma Gandhi is regarded as the nation's founding father.
On October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat's princely state of Kathiawar, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born.
His father, Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi, held the position of dewan in the state of Porbandar. Putlibai, his mother, was a native of Junagadh. The youngest of four kids, Mohandas was. He has a sister and three brothers.
As was customary at the period, Mohandas married 14-year-old Kastubai Makhanji Kapadia at the age of 13.
The same year he and his wife lost their first child was 1885, the year his father passed away. Four kids were eventually born to the Gandhi marriage over time.
Mahatma Gandhi's education
Gandhi Ji attended primary school in Rajkot, where his father had moved to take a position as dewan to the Thakur Sahib. At the age of 11, he enrolled at Rajkot's Alfred High School.
Gandhi Ji graduated from a high school in Ahmedabad in 1887 when he was 18 years old. Later, after enrolling, he left the Bhavnagar institution. He had also enrolled in a college in Bombay before eventually leaving.
Later, in 1888, he relocated to London to attend the university college to study law. He received an invitation to register at Inner Temple to become a barrister after completing his studies.
At the age of 22, following the death of his mother, he made his way back to India.
He was unable to build a prosperous legal career in either Rajkot or Bombay.
He relocated to Durban, South Africa, in 1893 on a one-year contract to handle Abdullah, a Gujarati businessman,'s legal issues.
During 1800s, South Africa
During the 1840s and 1850s, the British colonised and settled in the South African provinces of Natal and Cape. There were two independent Boer (British and Dutch settlers)-ruled states: Transvaal and Orange Free State. Boer is the Afrikaans and Dutch word for settler farmer. The minority white population, which dominated the administration of colonial regions (Natal and Cape), maintained racial segregation between government-defined races in all spheres.
This resulted in the creation of three societies: whites (of British and Dutch or Boer descent), blacks, and coloureds (of mixed racial origin), which included ethnic Asians (Indians, Malayans, Filipinos, and Chinese).
When white people hired forced Indian labourers (Girmityas), particularly from south India, to work on sugar estates, Indian immigration to South Africa started in the 1860s. Later, a large number of Indian traders—mostly meman Muslims—also emigrated. The third generation, made up of the former indentured labourers' offspring, had relocated to South Africa by the 1890s.
Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
1893: In South Africa, Mohandas Gandhi saw severe racial discrimination against Asians. He experienced the infamous event on his travel from Durban to Pretoria, when a white man at Pietermaritzburg station threw him out of a first-class compartment. When he arrived in Johanessburg, the hotels turned him down for accommodation.
His lengthier stay in South Africa and efforts to organise the Indian workers so they could stand up for their rights were spurred on by these events. In an effort to organise the Asian people there to fight the tyranny, he began teaching English to them.
1894: After the conclusion of his Abdullah case in 1894, he continued to work there with the intention of helping Indians fight a bill that would have denied them the right to vote. He organised the Indian community into a cohesive political force by founding the Natal Indian Congress.
1899-1902: The Boer War
With the Boer War, Britain gained authority over Transvaal and Orange Free State in addition to Natal and the Cape Province.
Gandhi volunteered to start the Natal Indian ambulance corps at this time, a team of stretcher-bearers. It assisted in the treatment and evacuation of injured British soldiers and was made up of indentured labour and supported by the Indian community.
Gandhi Ji believed that by aiding British war operations, he would be able to gain the support of the British imperial government and raise awareness of the condition of Indians living there. In recognition of his service to the British empire, he was also given the Queen's South Africa Medal.
The struggle for Indians in South Africa was in a moderate stage till 1906. Gandhi focused his efforts at this time on submitting petitions and memorials to the legislatures, the colonial secretary in London, and the British parliament.
1906: South Africa's Civil Disobedience
Civil disobedience, also known as the Satyagraha, or the second phase of the movement, resulted from the failure of moderate tactics.
For the purpose of assisting the destitute and establishing a communal living practise, he founded two settlements: the Phoenix settlement in Durban and the Tolstoy farm in Johannesburg.
His first notable protest was against the government's law requiring Indians to obtain certificates of registration that contained their fingerprints and were required to be carried on the person at all times. Gandhi created a passive resistance organisation in response.
Gandhi and his adherents were imprisoned. Later, the government consented to repeal the law in exchange for voluntary registration by Indians. They were duped into registering, and they again protested by setting their diplomas on fire in front of everyone.
1908: The already-existing outcry over the new rule restricting the movement of Indians between provinces grew. Gandhi and others received prison terms and lengthy physical labour terms.
1910: Gandhi Ji established the Tolstoy farm in Johannesburg to prepare the satyagrahis for the challenging jail environment and to advance the fight.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale met Gandhi in Durban and they became fast friends on his 1911 state visit to South Africa to celebrate King George V's coronation.
1913: The satyagraha against the government's several harsh legislation persisted. Many Indian women joined the fight against the law invalidate weddings not performed in accordance with Christian rituals.
Gandhi started a final mass movement that included more than 2000 men, women, and kids. They were imprisoned and subjected to horrible conditions and laborious tasks. The entire Indian community was affected by this.
Gokhale attempted to raise awareness of the situation in South Africa in India, and as a result, Viceroy Hardinge demanded an investigation into the crimes.
Gandhiji, Viceroy Hardinge, CR Andrews—a Christian missionary and supporter of Indian independence—and General Smuts of South Africa engaged in a number of discussions. As a result, the administration gave in to the majority of Indian demands.
1915: Gandhiji’s return to India
1915: Gandhi Ji returned to India upon Gokhale's request, as relayed by CF Andrews (Deenbandhu), to assist in the country's freedom struggle.
Gandhi's period is the name given to the final stage of the Indian National Movement.
The National Movement's undeniable leader was Mahatma Gandhi. His nonviolent and Satyagraha principles were used to overthrow the British government. The nationalism movement became widely popular thanks to Gandhi.
Gandhi travelled throughout India for a year after his 1915 return at Gokhale's request. To settle his Phoenix family, he later founded an ashram near Ahmedabad.
He began advocating for the abolition of indentured labour in India and has since carried on in South Africa.
Gandhiji became a member of the Indian National Congress, learning about Indian politics and concerns; Gokhale later served as his political mentor.
1917: At this time, World War I was still raging, and Britain and France were facing challenging circumstances. The British and French armies in France had both suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Germany.
The Russian government was under threat from the revolution, and the country's war effort had failed.
Although America had joined the conflict, no American soldiers had yet arrived at the front lines.
The British army badly needed reinforcements, so they turned to India for assistance. Several Indian leaders had accepted Viceroy Chelmsford's invitation to a war conference. Gandhi accepted the invitation and travelled to Delhi to take part in the conference.
Gandhiji decided to support the inclusion of Indians in the British war effort after attending the viceroy's war conference. In Gujarat's Kaira district, he ran a recruitment drive.
He once more had the view that Indian support would cause the British administration to sympathise with them after the war.
Early Gandhiji movements
Before Gandhi was given the title of a national mass leader, his early movements included the Champaran Satyagraha, Kheda Satyagraha, and Ahmedabad Mill Strike.
1917: Champaran Satyagraha
Gandhiji organised the first civil disobedience movement in 1917 with the Champaran Satyagraha. Gandhi was tasked with investigating the issues facing the indigo planters by Rajkumar Shukla.
On a 3/20ths of the whole amount of land known as the tinkatiya system, European planters had been compelling travellers to cultivate indigo.
Gandhi organised civil disobedience or passive resistance against the tinkatiya system. down the end, the authorities gave down and let Gandhi ask around among the villagers. Gandhi was proposed as a member of the committee that the government established to investigate the situation.
Inspired by Gandhi, famous lawyer Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, and others offered their services for free to represent the indigo growers in court.
Gandhi was successful in getting the government to dismantle the system and pay the peasants back for the ill-gotten gains.
Kheda Satyagraha, 1918
Gandhi's first non-cooperation movement was the Kheda Satyagraha.
The Gujarati district of Kheda had crop failure in 1918 as a result of the drought. According to the revenue code, farmers are eligible for remission if their production is less than one-fourth of what is typically produced. Gujarat Sabha made a petition to the authorities asking for a revenue assessment for 1919, but they rejected it.
Gandhi encouraged the peasants to withhold their money and backed their cause. Many young nationalists, like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik, joined Gandhi's movement during the Satyagraha.
A group of distinguished individuals, led by Sardar Patel, visited communities and provided political advice and directives.
The taxes were suspended for the years 1919 and 1920 as a result of the government's eventual decision to reach an agreement with the farmers, and all confiscated property was also given back.
1918: Ahmedabad mill strike
Gandhi was on his first hunger strike at the time. He got involved in a disagreement about the termination of the plague bonus between Ahmedabad mill owners and the workers.
The employees were only willing to accept a 20% bonus in exchange for a 50% pay increase that the workers demanded.
In search of justice, the striking workers came to Anusuiya Sarabai, who asked Gandhi for assistance. He urged the employees to go on strike, to practise nonviolence, and to fast until they died in order to fortify their determination.
The strike was ultimately called off, and the workers received a 35% pay rise as a result of the mill owners' decision to bring the matter to a tribunal.
Gandhiji’s active involvement in the Indian National Movement
The Khilafat Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement were only a few of the large-scale movements that Gandhi actively participated in throughout the Indian Freedom Struggle.
1919: Khilafat movement
Gandhi supported the Ottoman Empire, which had lost the war, in an effort to win the support of Muslims in his fight against the British.
In order to stop the movement, the British passed the Rowlatt Act. Gandhi demanded a widespread Satyagraha to protest the act.
Gandhi's emergence as a national figurehead was facilitated by the Rowlatt Satyagraha. The unfair Rowlatt Act, which the British passed, was opposed by the Rowlatt Satyagraha.
The Jallianwala Bagh tragedy happened on April 13, 1919. On April 18, Mahatma Gandhi ended the civil disobedience action after realising the violence was getting worse.
1920: Non-Cooperation Movement
Gandhi persuaded the Congress leaders to launch the Khilafat and Swaraj Non-Cooperation Movement. The non-cooperation programme was approved at the 1920 Nagpur Congress session.
1922: Gandhi left the movement for non-cooperation as a result of the Chauri Chaura incident.
Gandhi left the political scene when the non-cooperation movement was over and concentrated on his social reform activities.
1930: The Salt March and The Civil Disobedience Movement
Gandhi claimed that he would organise a march to violate the salt law since it granted the government a monopoly over salt production and distribution.
Gandhi and his supporters marched from his ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarati seaside town of Dandi, where they defied the law by obtaining natural salt and making salt by boiling saltwater.
Additionally, it was the start of the civil disobedience movement.
Gandhi Irwin's pact, signed in 1931
Gandhi agreed to Irwin's offer of a cease-fire, put an end to the civil disobedience movement, and agreed to represent the Indian National Congress at the second round table conference in London.
The civil disobedience movement was revived by him after his return from London, but by 1934 it had lost steam.
Poona Pact of 1932
B.R. Ambedkar and Gandhi came to an agreement over communal prizes, but ultimately they worked towards a shared objective for the advancement of the society's underprivileged groups in India.
1934: Gandhi left the Congress party because he disagreed with the party's stance on a number of different topics.
In 1936, during the Congress session in Lucknow, which was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi returned to active politics.
1938's Tripuri session saw a battle of ideologies between Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhi, which sparked the Tripuri crisis within the Indian National Congress.
1942: Quit India movement
The final and most important stage of India's national struggle coincided with the start of World War II.
The Quit India movement began in 1942 after the Cripps mission's failure.
Gandhi was detained at Pune's Aga Khan Palace after being arrested. During this time, Gandhi's wife Kasturba passed away following her 18-month incarceration, and in 1944, Gandhi experienced a serious malaria attack.
On May 6, 1944, he was released before the war was over. Gandhi called off the uprising as World War II was drawing to a close and the British made it plain that control would be given to Indians; as a result, all political prisoners, including Congress leaders, were freed.
Partition and independence
Gandhiji was against the division of India based on religion.
While the Muslim league called for dividing and leaving India, he and Congress demanded that the British leave India.
Gandhi made numerous attempts to assist Congress and the Muslim league in coming to a corporate and achieving independence, but all of these failed.
Gandhiji urged for peace among his compatriots rather than celebrating the country's freedom and the end of British control. He has never supported the division of the nation.
During the partition of the rest of India, his demeanour was crucial in keeping the peace and preventing a Hindu-Muslim riot.
Death of Mahatma Gandhi
30th January 1948
Gandhiji was killed instantly when Nathuram Godse shot him three times in the chest from close range as he was heading to the Birla House in New Delhi to attend a prayer meeting.
The legacy of Mahatma Gandhi
He upheld non-violence and simplicity of living throughout his entire life, in both his ideals and practises as well as his beliefs. The nation affectionately refers to him as Bapu, the father of the nation, and he had a profound influence on many great leaders.
He advocated for the advancement of outcasts and referred to them as Harijan, which is Hindi for "children of God."
Gandhi is credited with receiving the title of Mahatma from Rabindranath Tagore.
He was referred to as the Father of the Nation for the first time by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Millions of people all across the world were inspired by Gandhi's philosophy.
Nelson Mandela and other notable international leaders adopted Gandhiji's teachings and way of life. Consequently, his influence is still felt quite strongly on a global scale.
Literary works of Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhiji was a prolific writer who produced numerous essays during the course of his lifetime. He published a number of publications, including the Gujarati newspaper Harijan, the English-language Young India, and Indian views in South Africa.
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