हिन्दी मे पढ़ने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें ।
Mahatma Gandhi’s Introduction:
Mahatma Gandhi is one of the greatest personalities in India, who needs no introduction. He is like a library in himself, where there’s always more to know and read. The nation will always remember the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, to Indian history and politics. His unparalleled courage, determination, and implementation in the struggle for independence, from persistently fighting till the end to uprooting British rule, will forever guide the nation. Let’s learn more about this great soul who played a crucial role as a guardian and guide in the struggle to free India.
Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi:
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, a place in the Kathiawar district of British India, now in Gujarat state. His father’s name was Karamchand Gandhi and his mother’s name was Putlibai. His father was the Diwan of Porbandar. Putlibai was his father’s fourth wife, as his first three wives died during childbirth. He had two brothers named Laxmidas and Karsandas, and a sister named Raliyatbe.
Mahatma Gandhi got married to Kasturba Gandhi, also known as Kasturba Makhanji Kapadia, before completing the age of 14, on May 1883. Their first child was born in 1885 but survived only for a few days. Later, they had four sons: Harilal in 1888, Manilal in 1892, Ramdas in 1897, and Devdas in 1900. In 1944, Kasturba Gandhi passed away in Pune.
Gandhi Ji completed his high school education in Rajkot in 1887 and went to England in 1889 to study law, obtaining a degree from the University of London in 1891. Upon returning, he started practicing law in Rajkot and Bombay but was not successful. Later, a South African Indian businessman named Abdullah invited him to assist in a legal case, and in 1893, Gandhi Ji went to South Africa. There, witnessing discrimination against Indians ignited a sense of injustice in him, and he resolved to do something about it. An incident in which he was thrown off a train in Pietermaritzburg while traveling from Durban to Pretoria due to his skin color further fueled his determination. It was on that day that Gandhi Ji decided that one day he would expel the British from his country, and he fulfilled this promise on August 15, 1947.
Gandhi Ji established the Natal Indian Congress in 1894. He established the Phoenix Settlement in 1904 and the Tolstoy Farm in 1910. His first experiment with Satyagraha, or passive resistance, was in 1906.
Return to India and Role in the Freedom Struggle:
Gandhi Ji returned to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915, and landed at Apollo Bunder in Mumbai, which is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India. After returning from South Africa, he met Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who became his political mentor and guided him into active Indian politics. In 1916, Gandhi Ji established the Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad. His first significant step in All India politics was the Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar. It was against the exploitation of farmers in the Champaran district, who were forced to grow indigo and sell it to European planters at a fixed price. This struggle was also known as the ‘Tinkathia’ system. During this Satyagraha, NG Ranga opposed Gandhi Ji. It was during this Satyagraha that Rabindranath Tagore gave him the title of ‘Mahatma.’ After the success of Champaran, his next step was
During the Ahmedabad textile mill dispute, there was contention over increasing the wages of the mill workers. The cause of the dispute was the plague bonus, which the mill owners wanted to abolish after the end of the plague, but the workers, due to the increased cost of living because of World War I, demanded the continuation of this bonus. Ultimately, after the protest, the workers’ demand was accepted, and the demand for a 35% bonus was agreed upon.
In the Kheda district of Gujarat, despite the crop failure, farmers were being forced to pay taxes, which worsened their condition. Therefore, Gandhi Ji and Vitthalbhai Patel led a movement here, and the government announced that only those farmers who could pay taxes would be charged, thus ending the agitation. This movement was launched to reinstate the authority of the Khalifa. It happened because Indian Muslims had supported the British in World War I on the condition that they would not interfere in their religious matters and protect their religious sites. However, after the end of the war, the British government reneged on its promises and, under the Treaty of Sevres between Britain and Turkey, stripped the Sultan of Turkey of all his rights. At that time, the Sultan of Turkey was highly respected in the Islamic world, and they all considered him their Khalifa. But after the British government’s actions, they started resenting the government.
During the Calcutta session (September 1920) under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai, the proposal of the Khilafat Movement was accepted. This movement faced the most opposition from Chittaranjan Das. Some other Congress leaders, such as Jinnah, Annie Besant, and Bipin Chandra Pal, also opposed it and left the Congress. This movement ended in 1924 when a government was formed in Turkey under the leadership of Kamal Pasha, and the position of Khalifa was abolished.
Gandhi Ji initiated this movement on August 1, 1920. In the Nagpur session of Congress in December 1920, the proposal of non-cooperation movement was passed. Tilak Swaraj Fund was established in 1921 to fund this movement, and within 6 months, 1 crore rupees were collected. One new aspect that emerged during this movement was the abandonment of the idea of achieving independence through legal means, and the active opposition to the government’s policies came to the forefront.
During this movement, Kashi Vidyapeeth and Aligarh Muslim University were established. Lord Reading came to India as Viceroy in 1921, and the era of repression began. Many leaders were arrested, with Muhammad Ali being the first. In November 1921, black flags were shown during the visit of the Prince of Wales to India, which angered the government, leading to the beginning of harsh repression. On February 5, 1922, during a procession of farmers in the Gorakhpur district of the United Provinces, the administration opened fire, leading to the angry mob blowing the bugle, resulting in the death of 21 policemen, including a sub-inspector. Disturbed by this incident, Gandhi Ji called a meeting of the Congress Committee in Bardoli on February 12, where the suspension of the non-cooperation movement was announced. Subsequently, Gandhi Ji was arrested by the government on March 22 and sentenced to 6 years in prison, but later, he was released on February 5, 1924, for undergoing an operation (intestinal operation). During these two years, the Congress split into two factions – Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Group and Rajgopalachari and Patel Group.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Death Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, in Birla House by Nathuram Godse. His funeral procession was 8 kilometers long. Later, Godse was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging on November 15, 1949. Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial is located at Rajghat (New Delhi).
Other Names of Mahatma Gandhi
- Mahatma – Given by Rabindranath Tagore
- Father of the Nation – Given by Subhas Chandra Bose
- Bapu – Given by Jawaharlal Nehru
- Malang Baba – Given by Khudai Khidmatgars
- Magician – Given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
- Half-naked Fakir – Given by Winston Churchill
- Man of the Century – Given by Albert Einstein
Books Written by Mahatma Gandhi
- ‘Hind Swaraj’ written in 1909
- ‘Satyagraha in South Africa’
- ‘On Non-Violence’
- ‘The Words of Gandhi’
- ‘Non-Violent Resistance’
Honors and Awards In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi was chosen as the Person of the Year by Time magazine. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times but was not selected.
Other Important Facts about Mahatma Gandhi
- Mahatma Gandhi’s oldest ashram was Phoenix (Durban).
- He referred to untouchables as Harijans.
- On April 12, 1919, Rabindranath Tagore wrote a letter to Mahatma Gandhi, addressing him as ‘Mahatma’ for the first time.
- On June 4, 1944, Subhas Chandra Bose addressed Mahatma Gandhi for the first time as ‘Father of the Nation’ via radio from Singapore.
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