Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Early Life
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar, in the present-day Indian state of Gujarat. His father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his deeply religious mother was a devoted practitioner of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, an ascetic religion governed by tenets of self-discipline and nonviolence. At the age of 19, Mohandas left home to study law in London at the Inner Temple, one of the city’s four law colleges. Upon returning to India in mid-1891, he set up a law practice in Bombay, but met with little success. He soon accepted a position with an Indian firm that sent him to its office in South Africa. Along with his wife, Kasturbai, and their children, Gandhi remained in South Africa for nearly 20 years.
Gandhi faced unfair treatment as an Indian immigrant in South Africa. When a European magistrate in Durban told him to remove his turban, he refused and walked out of the courtroom. On a train trip to Pretoria, he got kicked out of a first-class train carriage and was beaten by a white stagecoach driver because he wouldn’t give up his seat for a European passenger. This experience changed Gandhi, and he started working on the idea of satyagraha, which means “truth and firmness.” It’s a way of peacefully resisting and not cooperating with authorities.
Three years in London
Gandhi left a basic college in Bombay because it was all his family could afford. A family friend, Mavji Dave Joshiji, who was a Brahmin priest, suggested that he should study law in London. In July 1888, Gandhi’s wife, Kasturba, had their first surviving son, Harilal. Gandhi’s mother and uncle were hesitant about him leaving his family and going so far away. To convince them, Gandhi made a promise in front of his mother that he would not consume meat, alcohol, or engage with women. His brother Laxmidas, who was already a lawyer, supported Gandhi’s plan to study in London and offered financial help. With his mother’s permission and blessing, Gandhi left for Mumbai in August 1888, and from there, he sailed to London.
In London, Gandhi attended University College, where he studied English literature, and also joined the Inns of Court School of Law in Inner Temple to become a barrister. Despite his initial shyness, he overcame it by participating in a public speaking group. He also became interested in the welfare of London’s poor dockworkers. In 1889, a significant labor strike took place in London, with dockers demanding better pay and conditions. Gandhi and an Indian friend visited Cardinal Manning, who had helped mediate the dispute and thanked him for his role in resolving the strike.
Leader of a Movement
Gandhi believed in nonviolent protest for India’s self-rule and emphasized the importance of economic independence. He encouraged the production of homespun cloth called “khaddar” to replace British-imported textiles. Gandhi’s simple lifestyle, prayer, fasting, and meditation earned him the nickname “Mahatma,” meaning “the great-souled one.”
He led the Indian National Congress (INC) and organized massive boycotts of British goods and institutions that represented British control in India, including schools and legislatures. Although there were sporadic outbreaks of violence, Gandhi eventually halted the resistance movement, which disappointed some of his followers.
A Divided Movement
In 1922, British authorities arrested Gandhi for sedition, and he was sentenced to six years in prison. However, he was released in 1924 after undergoing surgery for appendicitis. For several years, he stayed away from active politics. In 1930, he launched a new civil disobedience campaign against the British government’s tax on salt, a move that particularly affected India’s poorest citizens.
In 1931, Gandhi stopped the resistance movement and agreed to represent the Congress Party in talks with the British government after they made some concessions. However, some of his party colleagues, like Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who spoke for India’s Muslim minority, became frustrated with Gandhi’s methods and what they saw as a lack of real progress.
When Gandhi returned to India, he was arrested by the colonial government, which had become more aggressive. He started hunger strikes to protest the mistreatment of India’s poorer classes, whom he called “Harijans,” or “children of God.” These fasting actions caused a stir among his followers and led to quick reforms by the Hindu community and the government.
In 1934, Gandhi retired from politics and left the Congress Party to focus on working in rural communities. However, he re-entered politics when World War II broke out, taking control of the INC. He demanded that the British leave India in exchange for Indian support in the war, but the British responded by imprisoning the entire Congress leadership, causing significant tension in Anglo-Indian relations.
Partition and Death of Gandhi
In 1947, when the Labor Party came to power in Britain, negotiations about Indian independence began. They involved the British, the Congress Party, and the Muslim League led by Jinnah. Later that year, India gained its independence, but it was split into two separate nations: India and Pakistan. Gandhi didn’t like this division, but he accepted it, hoping that Hindus and Muslims could live together peacefully within their respective countries.
After Partition, there were widespread riots, and Gandhi urged Hindus and Muslims to coexist peacefully. He even went on a hunger strike until the riots in Calcutta stopped.
In January 1948, Gandhi undertook another fast, this time to promote peace in Delhi. On January 30, just 12 days after ending his fast, Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi. He was on his way to an evening prayer meeting when he was shot by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who was angry at Gandhi for trying to negotiate with Jinnah and other Muslims. The next day, about a million people followed Gandhi’s procession through the streets of Delhi, and he was cremated on the banks of the sacred Jumna River.
