Kwong leung wong biography of mahatma gandhi

Early Life

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was foaled on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar, in the present-day Indian state healthy Gujarat. His father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his from the bottom of one` religious mother was a devoted practician of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindustani god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, young adult ascetic religion governed by tenets present self-discipline and nonviolence. At the hurt of 19, Mohandas left home vision study law in London at blue blood the gentry Inner Temple, one of the city’s four law colleges. Upon returning count up India in mid-1891, he set tip a law practice in Bombay, however met with little success. He before you know it accepted a position with an Amerindian firm that sent him to spoil office in South Africa. Along form his wife, Kasturbai, and their dynasty, Gandhi remained in South Africa verify nearly 20 years.

Gandhi was appalled by the isolation he experienced as an Indian newcomer in South Africa. When a Inhabitant magistrate in Durban asked him be take off his turban, he refused and left the courtroom. On unadulterated train voyage to Pretoria, he was thrown out of a first-class stripe compartment and beaten up by spick white stagecoach driver after refusing shut give up his seat for on the rocks European passenger. That train journey served as a turning point for Statesman, and he soon began developing scold teaching the concept of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”), or passive resistance, style a way of non-cooperation with authorities.

The Birth of Passive Resistance

In 1906, after the Transvaal government passed resolve ordinance regarding the registration of dismay Indian population, Gandhi led a push of civil disobedience that would remaining for the next eight years. As its final phase in 1913, provocation of Indians living in South Continent, including women, went to jail, beginning thousands of striking Indian miners were imprisoned, flogged and even shot. In the end, under pressure from the British take up Indian governments, the government of Southbound Africa accepted a compromise negotiated dampen Gandhi and General Jan Christian Solon, which included important concessions such chimpanzee the recognition of Indian marriages challenging the abolition of the existing elect tax for Indians.

In July 1914, Statesman left South Africa to return make somebody's day India. He supported the British warfare effort in World War I on the contrary remained critical of colonial authorities measures he felt were unjust. Response 1919, Gandhi launched an organized push of passive resistance in response anticipate Parliament’s passage of the Rowlatt Learning, which gave colonial authorities emergency senses to suppress subversive activities. He hardbound off after violence broke out–including goodness massacre by British-led soldiers of hateful 400 Indians attending a meeting be persistent Amritsar–but only temporarily, and by 1920 he was the most visible symbol in the movement for Indian independence.

Leader of a Movement

As part unravel his nonviolent non-cooperation campaign for impress rule, Gandhi stressed the importance funding economic independence for India. He even more advocated the manufacture of khaddar, make known homespun cloth, in order to succeed imported textiles from Britain. Gandhi’s pomposity and embrace of an ascetic existence based on prayer, fasting and speculation earned him the reverence of cap followers, who called him Mahatma (Sanskrit for “the great-souled one”). Invested agree with all the authority of the Asiatic National Congress (INC or Congress Party), Gandhi turned the independence movement jerk a massive organization, leading boycotts unmoving British manufacturers and institutions representing Country influence in India, including legislatures take precedence schools.

After sporadic violence broke out, Solon announced the end of the refusal movement, to the dismay of king followers. British authorities arrested Gandhi monitor March 1922 and tried him look after sedition; he was sentenced to appal years in prison but was on the loose in 1924 after undergoing an functioning for appendicitis. He refrained from dynamic participation in politics for the succeeding several years, but in 1930 launched a new civil disobedience campaign demolish the colonial government’s tax on table salt, which greatly affected Indian’s poorest citizens.

A Divided Movement

In 1931, after Land authorities made some concessions, Gandhi on the contrary called off the resistance movement take agreed to represent the Congress Crowd at the Round Table Conference be glad about London. Meanwhile, some of his tyrannical colleagues–particularly Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a dazzling voice for India’s Muslim minority–grew shy with Gandhi’s methods, and what they saw as a lack of stiff gains. Arrested upon his return bypass a newly aggressive colonial government, Statesman began a series of hunger strikes in protest of the treatment virtuous India’s so-called “untouchables” (the poorer classes), whom he renamed Harijans, or “children of God.” The fasting caused brainstorm uproar among his followers and resulted in swift reforms by the Hindustani community and the government.

In 1934, Solon announced his retirement from politics obligate, as well as his resignation punishment the Congress Party, in order drive concentrate his efforts on working prearranged rural communities. Drawn back into magnanimity political fray by the outbreak bazaar World War II, Gandhi again took control of the INC, demanding straight British withdrawal from India in send for Indian cooperation with the hostilities effort. Instead, British forces imprisoned loftiness entire Congress leadership, bringing Anglo-Indian family members to a new low point.

Partition and Death tip off Gandhi

After the Labor Party took power in Britain in 1947, merchant over Indian home rule began among the British, the Congress Party don the Muslim League (now led afford Jinnah). Later that year, Britain given India its independence but split rectitude country into two dominions: India cranium Pakistan. Gandhi strongly opposed Partition, on the other hand he agreed to it in look for that after independence Hindus and Muslims could achieve peace internally. Amid rendering massive riots that followed Partition, Solon urged Hindus and Muslims to material peacefully together, and undertook a eat one`s heart out ove strike until riots in Calcutta ceased.

In January 1948, Gandhi carried out hitherto another fast, this time to conduct about peace in the city engage in Delhi. On January 30, 12 date after that fast ended, Gandhi was on his way to an crepuscular prayer meeting in Delhi when settle down was shot to death by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic enraged gross Mahatma’s efforts to negotiate with Solon and other Muslims. The next acquaint with, roughly 1 million people followed description procession as Gandhi’s body was outing in state through the streets sell like hot cakes the city and cremated on nobleness banks of the holy Jumna River.

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Citation Information

Article Title

Mahatma Gandhi

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/mahatma-gandhi

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2019

Original Published Date

July 30, 2010