Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi. He was born on October 2nd, 1869, in Porbandar in western India. Back then, it was under British rule. He was born into a wealthy family in the third-tier caste. Moreover, his father was a politician in the region. An influence on Gandhi’s life came from his mother, a devoted Hindu.
Gandhi married at only 13 years to Kasturba. They had six children together. At a young age, he wanted to become a doctor. Despite that, when he was 18, he traveled to London to study law. After returning to India, Gandhi started a law business in Bombay. But, he was unsuccessful and shut down.
Further, Gandhi moved to South Africa. He expected to stay there for only a few months. However, his stay lasted 21 years. That is where he first encountered racism. Indians in South Africa had strictly limited rights. For example, they were not allowed to walk on pavements.
✟ January 30, 1948, New Delhi, India
Thus, Mahatma Gandhi decided to fight for their rights. At one point, a white person threw him out of a train simply due to his race. That led him to the concept of passive resistance. Gandhi opposed violence. In Africa, he proved himself as a great political leader.
The Struggle for Indian Independence
Further, he returned to India in July 1914. In 1919, Gandhi started a passive resistance campaign. However, he backed off for a short while after the Amritsar massacre later that year. He spent two years in prison in the 1920s.
At the age of 60, in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi, along with a hundred thousand more, set out on a 400-kilometer journey. Upon arrival to Gujarat, he committed a symbolical crime – taking salt from the sea. The event was later named the Salt March. Moreover, Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress.
Further, the struggle for independence continued during World War II. After the war, the British Government finally agreed. But, a dispute broke out between the Muslims and the Hindus. Therefore, on August 15th, 1947, two countries emerged, India and Pakistan. The Hindus were not happy with this settlement and gave fault to Gandhi. On January 30th, 1948, he was shot and died at the age of 78. Mahatma “Great Souled” Gandhi is a symbol of freedom and civil rights.
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mahatma Gandhi
