Mahatma Gandhi was the primary leader of India’s independence movement and also the architect of a form of non-violent civil disobedience that would influence the world. Until Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, his life and teachings inspired activists including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Name: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Born: 2 October 1869 (Porbandar, Gujarat)

Known for: Being the father of the nation, political activism leading to Indian independence, nonviolence (ahimsa)

Occupation: Lawyer, activist, writer, politician

Died: 30 January 1948

Cause of death: Assassination through gunshot by Nathuram Godse


Introduction

He was the youngest son from his father, Karamchand Gandhi’s fourth marriage to Putlibai Gandhi.

Karamchand Gandhi did not have much elementary education but was capable to be the dewan of Porbandar.

He went on to become the dewan of Rajkot later on.

Mohandas Gandhi was a mediocre student who won the occasional prizes and scholarships who was - “good at English, fair in Arithmetic and weak in Geography; conduct very good, bad handwriting.”

He got married at the age of thirteen to Kasturba Makhanji Kapadia.

They went on to have four children - Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, Devdas.

Education

He liked to be a doctor but coming from a background of Vaishnava faith, they were against vivisection.

To attain a good post in the high posts in one of the states in Gujarat, he had to be a barrister.

He went to England and joined the Inner Temple which is one of the four London law colleges.

He struggled with more issues than academic problems, especially vegetarianism became a major struggle for him.

He came under constant pressure from his friends about how vegetarianism is going to wreck his studies and health.

But then he found a vegetarian restaurant and a book reasoning the goodness of vegetarianism.

He became a member of the executive committee of the London Vegetarian Society, contributing articles to its journal and attending its conferences.

Early Career

He had a lot of issues practising law.

His fear of public speaking took a toll on him as he could not get any prestigious barrister jobs back in India.

This led to him moving to South Africa and taking a job there.

South Africa taught him a lot about the disparities between the white and the coloured.

India (1915-1947)

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)

It began because of the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Ended with the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922.

It led to the arrest of Gandhi and many other prominent leaders.

Civil Disobedience Movement(1930)

Dandi March (12th March - 6th April 1930)

Time Man of the Year 1930

Gandhi and 78 trusted volunteers marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (384 km) in 25 days.

Resulted in the Government of India Act 1935 which granted large measures of autonomy to the provinces of British India.

Quit Indian Movement (1942)

It was opposed by Hindu Mahasabha, All India Muslim League, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Communist Party of India, and the Princely States.


Quotes mentioned in the podcasts from Britannica:

“Gandhi had critics in his own country and indeed in his own party. The liberal leaders protested that he was going too fast; the young radicals complained that he was not going fast enough; left-wing politicians alleged that he was not serious about evicting the British or liquidating such vested Indian interests as princes and landlords; the leaders of the untouchables doubted his good faith as a social reformer; and Muslim leaders accused him of partiality to his own community.”

“Scholars have continued to judge Gandhi’s place in history. He was the catalyst if not the initiator of three of the major revolutions of the 20th century: the movements against colonialism, racism, and violence.”

Book mentioned in the episode:

The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle Edition | MP3 CD | Audio Cassette

Fin

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