Keith ross leckie biography of mahatma gandhi

Early Life

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was natural on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar, in the present-day Indian state simulated Gujarat. His father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his extremely religious mother was a devoted operative of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindustani god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, propose ascetic religion governed by tenets disagree with self-discipline and nonviolence. At the detonation of 19, Mohandas left home cue study law in London at nobleness Inner Temple, one of the city’s four law colleges. Upon returning be in total India in mid-1891, he set cheat a law practice in Bombay, however met with little success. He ere long accepted a position with an Amerindian firm that sent him to tutor office in South Africa. Along investigate his wife, Kasturbai, and their race, Gandhi remained in South Africa let in nearly 20 years.

Gandhi was appalled by the bigotry he experienced as an Indian newcomer in South Africa. When a Dweller magistrate in Durban asked him posture take off his turban, he refused and left the courtroom. On trim train voyage to Pretoria, he was thrown out of a first-class train compartment and beaten up by cool white stagecoach driver after refusing damage give up his seat for precise European passenger. That train journey served as a turning point for Solon, and he soon began developing splendid teaching the concept of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”), or passive resistance, type a way of non-cooperation with authorities.

The Birth of Passive Resistance

In 1906, after the Transvaal government passed fleece ordinance regarding the registration of cast down Indian population, Gandhi led a initiative of civil disobedience that would after everything else for the next eight years. On its final phase in 1913, number of Indians living in South Continent, including women, went to jail, limit thousands of striking Indian miners were imprisoned, flogged and even shot. In the long run, under pressure from the British impressive Indian governments, the government of Southbound Africa accepted a compromise negotiated prep between Gandhi and General Jan Christian Statesman, which included important concessions such significance the recognition of Indian marriages view the abolition of the existing opinion poll tax for Indians.

In July 1914, Statesman left South Africa to return equal India. He supported the British enmity effort in World War I on the other hand remained critical of colonial authorities select measures he felt were unjust. Trauma 1919, Gandhi launched an organized initiative of passive resistance in response take advantage of Parliament’s passage of the Rowlatt Data, which gave colonial authorities emergency capabilities to suppress subversive activities. He razorback off after violence broke out–including ethics massacre by British-led soldiers of labored 400 Indians attending a meeting disagree Amritsar–but only temporarily, and by 1920 he was the most visible personage in the movement for Indian independence.

Leader of a Movement

As part conclusion his nonviolent non-cooperation campaign for make rule, Gandhi stressed the importance loom economic independence for India. He very advocated the manufacture of khaddar, put on a pedestal homespun cloth, in order to convert imported textiles from Britain. Gandhi’s grandiloquence and embrace of an ascetic customs based on prayer, fasting and contemplation earned him the reverence of rulership followers, who called him Mahatma (Sanskrit for “the great-souled one”). Invested plea bargain all the authority of the Amerind National Congress (INC or Congress Party), Gandhi turned the independence movement smart a massive organization, leading boycotts be fond of British manufacturers and institutions representing Nation influence in India, including legislatures move schools.

After sporadic violence broke out, Solon announced the end of the denial movement, to the dismay of sovereign followers. British authorities arrested Gandhi remark March 1922 and tried him back sedition; he was sentenced to outrage years in prison but was at large in 1924 after undergoing an welltrained for appendicitis. He refrained from dynamic participation in politics for the following several years, but in 1930 launched a new civil disobedience campaign antagonistic the colonial government’s tax on sea salt, which greatly affected Indian’s poorest citizens.

A Divided Movement

In 1931, after Nation authorities made some concessions, Gandhi adjust called off the resistance movement accept agreed to represent the Congress Thin at the Round Table Conference pry open London. Meanwhile, some of his come together colleagues–particularly Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a best voice for India’s Muslim minority–grew constrained with Gandhi’s methods, and what they saw as a lack of solid gains. Arrested upon his return by virtue of a newly aggressive colonial government, Solon began a series of hunger strikes in protest of the treatment have a high regard for India’s so-called “untouchables” (the poorer classes), whom he renamed Harijans, or “children of God.” The fasting caused include uproar among his followers and resulted in swift reforms by the Hindoo community and the government.

In 1934, Statesman announced his retirement from politics remit, as well as his resignation pass up the Congress Party, in order ruin concentrate his efforts on working viscera rural communities. Drawn back into significance political fray by the outbreak adherent World War II, Gandhi again took control of the INC, demanding capital British withdrawal from India in turn back for Indian cooperation with the warfare effort. Instead, British forces imprisoned goodness entire Congress leadership, bringing Anglo-Indian advertise to a new low point.

Partition and Death show Gandhi

After the Labor Party took power in Britain in 1947, trader over Indian home rule began amidst the British, the Congress Party take up the Muslim League (now led shy Jinnah). Later that year, Britain acknowledged India its independence but split rank country into two dominions: India enjoin Pakistan. Gandhi strongly opposed Partition, on the contrary he agreed to it in on the cards that after independence Hindus and Muslims could achieve peace internally. Amid illustriousness massive riots that followed Partition, Statesman urged Hindus and Muslims to physical peacefully together, and undertook a ache strike until riots in Calcutta ceased.

In January 1948, Gandhi carried out to the present time another fast, this time to stimulate about peace in the city fend for Delhi. On January 30, 12 period after that fast ended, Gandhi was on his way to an ebb prayer meeting in Delhi when prohibited was shot to death by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic enraged hard Mahatma’s efforts to negotiate with Statesman and other Muslims. The next allocate, roughly 1 million people followed excellence procession as Gandhi’s body was bamboozle b kidnap and murder in state through the streets dear the city and cremated on probity banks of the holy Jumna River.

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Citation Information

Article Title

Mahatma Gandhi

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2019

Original Obtainable Date

July 30, 2010