MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI

CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER - KNOWN AS FATHER OF THE NATION IN INDIA

Known as 'Mahatma' (great soul), Gandhi was the leader of the Indian

nationalist movement against British rule, and is widely considered the father of

his country. He was a peacemaker. His doctrine of non-violent protest to

achieve political and social progress has been hugely influential.

GANDHI…the early yearsBorn on 2nd October 1869 in Gujarat, India.

Gandhi went to England to study to become a

barrister/lawyer in 1888. He learned Latin and

French and became a lawyer after which he

returned to India.

In 1893 he moved to Natal in South Africa to

work as a legal advisor for a Gujarati

businessman there

Gandhi in South Africa 1893 - 1913In SA, Indians were ill-treated and disgraced. They were called

‘coolies’. It was his first experience on a train to Pretoria that

changed the course of Gandhi’s life.

He decided at this point to fight all injustices with the weapon of

Truth and he called this Satyagraha. He became a successful

lawyer and gave inspiring speeches to stop the injustice. He went

back to India after 3 years.

When he returned to SA with his family, Gandhi was mobbed by angry South Africans and hurt badly. The South African Govt. wanted Gandhi to complain about the white people that did this to

him, but he refused and this had a very good effect on the whites.

He continued to fight against the Black Act in SA and led 6000 Indians to repeal several laws that were to their detriment. He never once used violence even though they were hit by the police.

Gandhi and IndiaGandhi returned to India in 1914 and set up the

Satyagraha Ashram in Gujarat. He did all the

work that his workers would do and set an

example.

By 1916, Gandhi and his speeches were well

known. He travelled all over India to help the

poor and listen to their worries. He eventually

gave up wearing fancy clothes and wore a one-

piece loin cloth.

Gandhi became very involved in India’s struggle for freedom against the British empire and colonialism.

He used his philosophy of satyagraha – a policy of non-violence and non cooperation to achieve independence.

He was jailed for 2 years also. In 1946 he negotiated with the Cabinet Mission to have a new structure and eventually India received her independence in 1947.

After independence, there was a lot of Hindu & Muslim fighting (because the Britsh mapped the countries of Pakistan and India as separate). This hurt Gandhi as he believed in non-violence. He started to fast to ask people to stop fighting.

He was assassinated by a Hindu in Delhi while trying to resolve this conflict in 1948.

Gandhi’s Legacy

Even after his death, Gandhi's commitment to

non-violence and his belief in simple living—

making his own clothes, eating a vegetarian diet

and using fasts for self-purification as well as a

means of protest—have been a beacon of hope

for oppressed and marginalized people

throughout the world.

What is so special about

Gandhi?FAITH IN HIMSELF “Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.”

RESISTANCE & PERSISTENCE “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win.”

FORGIVENESS “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

BELIEFS “Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it”

NON VIOLENCE “An eye for an eye would soon make the whole world blind.”

“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your

actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”

Inspiration to the world

A Short Film from Freedom Riders

http://video.pbs.org/video/1568403914/