Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) was born on October

2, 1869, into a Hindu Modh family in Porbanadar, Gujarat, India. His
father, named Karamchand Gandhi, was the Chief Minister (diwan) of the
city of Porbanadar. His mother, named Putlibai, was the fourth wife; the
previous three wives died in childbirth. Gandhi was born into the vaishya
(business caste). He was 13 years old when married Kasturbai (Ba)
Makhanji, through his parents arrangement. They had four sons. Gandhi
learned tolerance and non-injury to living beings from an early
age. Gandhi studied law at the University of Bombay for one year, then
at the University College London, from which he graduated in 1891, and
was admitted to the bar of England.

He returned to Bombay and practiced law there for a year, then went to
South Africa to work for an Indian firm in Natal. There Gandhi
experienced racism: he was thrown off a train while holding a valid first
class ticket and pushed to third class. Later he was beaten by a
stagecoach driver for refusing to travel on the foot-board to make room
for a European passenger.

Gandhian Methods and Principles

Truth, violence,
Sarvodaya, and
Satyagraha, and their
significance constitute
Gandhian philosophy
are the four pillars of
Gandhian thought.
Gandhian ideologies
shaped the creation of
institutions and
practices where
the voice and
perspective of everyone
can be articulated,
tested, and
transformed. According
to him, democracy
provided the weak with
the same
chance as the strong.
His philosophy is not
only simultaneously
political, moral, and
religious, it is
also traditional and
modern, simple and
complex.
Truth, violence, Sarvodaya, and Satyagraha, and their significance constitute Gandhian philosophy are
the four pillars of Gandhian thought. Gandhian ideologies shaped the creation of institutions and
practices where the voice and perspective of everyone can be articulated, tested, and transformed.
According to him, democracy provided the weak with the same chance as the strong.

A few of his principles are talked about below:

1. Truth and nonviolence: They are the twin cardinal principles of Gandhian thoughts.For Gandhiji,
truth is the relative truth of truthfulness in word and deed. He said without truth it is impossible to
observe any principles or rules in our life.Gandhiji's philosophy of non-violence originates from the
Sanskrit word 'Ahimsa'. He believed that non-violence is the greatest weapon against any brute force.

2. Satyagraha: Gandhiji called his overall method of nonviolent action Satyagraha. He showed people to
win over greed and fear with love. It is a method of securing rights by personal suffering and not
inflicting injury on others

3. Swaraj: Though Swaraj means self-rule, Gandhiji gave it an altogether new meaning. Gandhi's Swaraj
encompasses all spheres of life. For him, Swaraj meant freedom for the meanest of his countrymen and
is to be attained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority.

4. Swadeshi: The adjectival form, means one’s own country.It is the interdependence of community and
self-sufficiency.Gandhiji believed this would lead to independence (swaraj), as British control of India
was rooted in control of her indigenous industries. Swadeshi was the key to the independence of India
and was represented by the charkha or the spinning wheel.gainst all injustice, oppression, and
exploitation.

Education

It is a method of
securing rights by
personal suffering and
not
inflicting injury on
others.
 The origin of
Satyagraha can be
found in the
Upanishads, and in the
teachings of Buddha,
Mahavira.
3. Swaraj: Though
Swaraj means self-rule,
Gandhiji gave it an
altogether new
meaning. Gandhi's
Swaraj encompasses all
spheres of life. For him,
Swaraj
meant freedom for the
meanest of his
countrymen and is to be
attained by
educating the masses to
a sense of their capacity
to regulate and control
authority.
4. Swadeshi: The
adjectival form, means
one’s own country, but
can be
loosely translated in
most contexts as self-
sufficiency.
 It is the focus on
acting within and from
one's own community,
both
politically and
economically.
 It is the
interdependence of
community and self-
sufficiency.
 Gandhiji believed
this would lead to
independence (swaraj),
as
British control of India
was rooted in control of
her indigenous
industries. Swadeshi
was the key to the
independence of India
and
was represented by the
charkha or the spinning
wheel.
Gandhiji gave a scheme of basic education, also known as Wardha scheme of education. The aim of true
education, in his opinion, should be to make the students self-supporting and self-reliant and to realise
the dignity of labour and manual work.

he believed that Education was the most powerful instrument of human social transformation and
should inculcate values like social service, service to the nation and ‘humanity.’ Gandhi frequently
asserted that mass illiteracy is a curse that hampers the development of a nation. He wrote: " I am a firm
believer in the principle of free and compulsory primary education for India". Gandhi felt that education
should not only increase knowledge but also develop culture in heart and hand. Another of Gandhi's
interests lay in character building. Education without character building was not education according to
him. He considered a strong character as the basic of a good citizen. So the issues of character building
through value-based education on the one hand and that of integrating science and technology on the
other hand have to go together.So we, in the contemporary situation, have to draw a balanced
evaluation of science because its progress has a great role to play in determining the directions of value
education.In order to bring about social change we have to channelize human values through education.

Economy:

He advocated the concept of swadeshi and was opposed to large scale industries. He stressed the need
for reliance on cottage industries as it would make India self-sufficient He encouraged Khadi for self-
reliance and swadeshi, and gave importance to ‘Labour and Sweat’. Gandhiji fought for the interest of
peasant in Champaran and Kheda, and labourers in Ahmadabad.

He was for balanced economic growth and decentralisation of economy. He tried to harmonise the
relationship between the labourers and the capitalist by the concept of Trusteeship, where the profit of
a factory is shared by both the capitalist and the labourers for common good. Thus, he was against
capitalism and not the capitalist.
The earning beyond the minimum requirement must be used for the benefit of the community. This
principle is quite applicable to our present times. People are so desperate for the acquisition of property
and material wealth that they often tend to get involved in violence. He insisted on enlarging the
domestic markets by the promotion of village industries and production of Khadi to meet the demands.
This model, even in the present time, has universal application. He says that mass production is to be
blamed for world crisis and if the production and distribution are done in the required areas, there
would be no fraud. He also insists on the localization of production and distribution.

Swadeshi

The formal proclamation of the Swadeshi movement was made on August 7, 1905, with the passing of
the ‘Boycott’ resolution in a meeting at the Calcutta town hall which brought about the unification of the
hitherto dispersed leadership. On the day the partition was put into effect i.e. October 16, 1905, a hartal
was called in Calcutta and a day of mourning was declared. People fasted and no fire was lit in the
cooking hearth.

People paraded the streets singing Bande Mataram. The people of Bengal tied rakhis on each others’
wrists as a symbol of solidarity.This peculiar form of mass protest of ‘swadeshi and boycott’ attained
popularity among the new members of the Congress, who were more impatient than the moderates to
see a positive response to their efforts.

The Swadeshi Movement is an important marker in Modern Indian History. Although this was regarded
as a cultural movement celebrating the rich harvest of history – the rich traditions like folk music,
paintings, the culture of Bengal was highlighted. But very soon, it got integrated with the political
upheavals that followed after the partition of Bengal. the Swadeshi movement can be called as a nursery
of the further course that the Indian National Movement was to take. The programmes and ideas that
were practiced during the Swadeshi movement became the hallmark of the Gandhian movement as
well.

Satyagraha

Satyāgraha, is a specific manifestation of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance, synonymous with

"holding firmly to truth" or "truth force." A practitioner of satyagraha is referred to as a satyagrahi. The
term satyagraha was coined and developed by Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948), who applied this principle
in the Indian independence movement and earlier struggles in South Africa advocating for Indian rights.
Gandhi decided to unite the "coloured" people and fight for their rights after seeing the disgusting racist
injustice in South Africa. Gandhi first used Leo Tolstoy's phrase "passive resistance" to describe the mass
uprising against the discriminatory administration. Yet, Gandhi was concerned about the phrase "passive
resistance" because it was unfamiliar to him, and its connotations were insufficient to emphasise the
virtues of truth and moral bravery Gandhi associated with peaceful political struggle. Moreover, it
separated political goals from underlying intellectual principles, placing political goals first. Gandhi
wanted an Indian phrase that could include all of these revolutionary elements.
Gandhi sought to bring about this awakening by emphasising moral influence and self-purification rather
than violent measures. He firmly believed that Satyagraha might effect a change of heart.
Fundamentally, the goal of Satyagraha is to change the wrongdoer, awaken his sense of justice, and
demonstrate to him that he cannot carry out his intended wrongdoing without the direct or indirect
cooperation of the injured. In contrast to aggressive resistance, which aims to hurt the opponent, it aims
to end antagonisms without hurting the opponents.

Ahimsa

"Nonviolence is an active force of the highest order. It is soul force or the power of Godhead within us.
Imperfect man cannot grasp the whole of that essence - he would not be able to bear its full blaze, but
even an infinitesimal fraction of it, when it becomes active within us, can work wonders."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Generally, ahimsa means non-violence. But to Gandhi, “it has much higher, infinitely higher meaning. It
means that you may not offend anybody; you may not harbour uncharitable thought, even in
connection with those who consider your enemies. To one who follows this doctrine, there are no
enemies. A man who believes in the efficacy of this doctrine finds in the ultimate stage, when he is
about to reach the goal, the whole world at his feet. If you express your love- ahimsa-in such a manner
that it impresses itself indelibly upon your so called enemy, he must return that love. This doctrine tells
us that we may guard the honour of those under our charge by delivering our own lives into the hands
of the man who would commit the sacrilege. And that requires far greater courage than delivering of
blows”.

For Gandhi, to profess nonviolence with sincerity or even to write a book about it was, not adequate.
The practice of nonviolence is by no means a simple matter, and Gandhi never intimated that it was. As
a discipline, a "code of conduct," true nonviolence demands end, less vigilance over one's entire way of
life because it includes words and thought as well as actions." The significance of ahimsa is that, as part
of the moral abstentions, it is considered before the spiritual, physical, or mental angas. Also, it
underlies the other moral abstentions, namely; satya, i.e., truth or not lying; asteya, i.e., not
stealing, aparigraha, non-grasping or non-possesion, and brahmacarya, i.e., celibacy. For
Gandhi, ahimsa means: non-injury, nonviolence, non-harm, the renunciation of the will to kill and the
intention to hurt any living thing, the abstention from hostile thought, word or deed, and compassion
for all living creatures. Nonviolence is the law of the human race and is infinitely greater than and
superior to brute force.
THE REMOVAL OF UNTOUCHABILITY

Gandhi conducted an intensive crusade against untouchability all over the country, including in the
Princely States, travelling over 20,000 kilometres by train, car, bullock cart and on foot, collecting money
for the recently founded Harijan Sevak Sangh, propagating the removal of untouchability in all its forms
and practices, and urging social workers to go to the villages for the social, economic, cultural and
political uplift of the „Untouchables‟. Ambedkar seldom took note of it; „Dalits‟ today do not celebrate
it; and Gandhi biographers pass over it in a few paragraphs. Yet, there is nothing in the annals of Indian
history to which it can be compared. Untouchability was one of Gandhi‟s central concerns. In both
words and actions, Gandhi attacked untouchability in ways that were radical for a „caste Hindu‟. Despite
being a „caste Hindu‟, Gandhi identified himself with the „Untouchables‟. He said in 1934, “as a savarna
Hindu, when I see that there are some Hindus called avarnas, it offends my sense of justice and truth,”
and “if I discover that Hindu shastras really countenance untouchability as it is seen today, I will
renounce and denounce Hinduism.”

Significantly, Gandhi worked for the ending of the caste system itself, which was responsible for the
caste and other socio-economic disabilities of the „Untouchables‟.Gandhi‟s goal of equality remained
the same throughout, though the manner in which it was sought to be executed differed responding to
the changing „context‟ over time and also of space as seen in the case of South Africa and India.

Mass movement

Mohandas K. Gandhi launched and directed three major campaigns in the Indian Independence
Movement: noncooperation in 1919-1922, the civil disobedience movement and the Salt Satyagraha of
1930-1931, and the Quit India movement from about 1940-1942.

Mohandas Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement—launched by the Salt March—is a critical case for
understanding civil resistance. Although by itself it failed to bring Indian independence, it seriously
undermined British authority and united India’s population in a movement for independence under the
leadership of the Indian National Congress (INC). It further signaled a new stage in the struggle for
Indian swaraj (self-rule) and facilitated the downfall of the British Empire in India. The Salt March was
not only the most widely-celebrated moment in Gandhi’s career as a freedom fighter, but it is
paradigmatic of his approach: it is a highly-symbolic and dramatic exercise in civil resistance,
contextualized among a variety of other nonviolent actions (boycotts, civil disobedience, picketing)
strategically focused on a relatively narrow goal. It mobilized mass participation, included widespread
civil disobedience, had a profound cultural resonance, and attracted worldwide attention through the
media. The people were united, the British Empire’s façade of civility exposed, and pillars of its vast
power shaken.

Conclusion

Mahatma Gandhi became renowned as Mahatma (great soul) for his fearless, unselfish, and peaceful
philosophies, as well as his attempts to bring socio political change. Gandhi, who helped India achieve
freedom, served as an inspiration for nonviolent civil rights and social reform organisations around the
globe. Gandhi is known for his ideas, which sparked global campaigns for civil rights and independence.
Gandhian ideology has historically piqued attention on the academic, intellectual, political, social, and
economic fronts.Gandhi stands out from others because he doesn't distinguish between theory and
practice. Truth and nonviolence were values that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi espoused.

As the world struggles with terrorism and other forms of violence, Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolence
philosophy is extremely important. Gandhi's philosophy can be used to address today's global concerns,
including those connected to human rights, sustainable development, climate change, sociopolitical
instability, war and peace, terrorism, political and administrative corruption. Today, this philosophy
needs to be put into practice since it is a crucial component of satyagraha to stand up for the truth
without resorting to violence. Even today, as the government works to make India self-sufficient,
Gandhi's concept of swadeshi is still widely held. To honour persons from lower castes and in opposition
to the caste system, Gandhiji used the term "harijan." Gandhi envisioned a society where there was no
hunger, no unemployment, no poverty, a healthy environment, and everyone had access to education
and good health. Gandhi's view of socialism was more social in its approach than political. These
Gandhian philosophies will keep influencing Indian policymakers. Gandhi played a significant role in
bringing women out of their domestic work and make them self reliant which is still relevant today.

Even after so many years, Gandhiji's beliefs continue to enlighten both India and the rest of the globe.
His political accomplishments gave us independence. Thus, in order to live a happy, prosperous, healthy,
peaceful, and sustainable existence, every person should adhere to the core Gandhian ideologies.

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