Mahatma Gandhi

"Satyagraha" is the theory of passive political resistance that Gandhi developed during British rule in India. Gandhi believed a leader did not have to kill in order to get what they want, but instead advocated using passive protests to make an effect on their situation. Gandhi, born on October 2, 1869, was named Mohandas K. Gandhi. He married at an early age to a girl named Kasturbai, who stood by him during all of his protests. Gandhi had always lived in an area where the British ruled. He started out his childhood in India, living in a place now known as Gujarat, then to England where he went to school to become a lawyer, and South Africa where he practiced. In the one year he lived there, he was thrown off the bus for not moving for an English man. Later that year, South Africa had declared laws that only applied to Indians regarding them needing to register. He did not forgive them nor the British government for putting those laws into play, so he decided to try and free India from British rule using satyagraha. A hero must be courageous, believe in their ideas and be brave. They must be trustworthy and truthful, and dependable and reliable at all times. Gandhi was this man, just a regular, everyday person who made a huge difference. Mahatma Gandhi, whose name means "the holy person", exemplified these traits as he used nonviolent means to free India.

Gandhi had the courage and the strength to believe and live by satyagraha when fighting against the British Empire. He practiced law in South Africa which like England and India was ruled by the British: "At first, Gandhi remained loyal to the English empire, but in 1906 that allegiance turned to anger. The South African Government passed an ordinance that year requiring all Indians to register with authorities and to carry that registration at all times. Gandhi reacted by organizing a movement of passive resistance-hunger strikes, mass demonstrations, and marches. This movement, known as satyagraha ("holding the truth"). " (Gandhi, Mohandas (1869-1948)). Gandhi gained followers and supporters with his nonviolent protests by "organizing a movement of passive resistance". He went against the British laws to help gain India's independence. He did this through "hunger strikes, mass demonstrations, and marches" which kept to his idea of satyagraha. One of his most effective protests was known as the Salt March. Gandhi was tired of Indian's being taxed on salt so, "In 1930, to protest the government's heavy tax on salt, Gandhi led a two-hundred-mile march to the Indian Ocean to take salt directly from the sea. This "Salt March" released long-held Indian anger, and a swell of protest and unrest swept across India. Thousands were imprisoned. Gandhi was arrested and jailed" (Gandhi, Mohandas (1869-1948)). Gandhi's leadership shows he was daring enough to bring the salt tax attention to the British. "This 'Salt March' released long-held Indian anger" shows that India wanted their independence, but never had a leader strong enough to stand up to the British until Gandhi came along and organized this march. Gandhi was a courageous leader who held strong to his beliefs in satyagraha while organizing protests and leading the salt march.

Gandhi through his non-violent protest, opinions and careful decision making became a trustworthy hero for India. People of India strongly trusted Gandhi and his ideology and beliefs in satyagraha: "Most of the politicians in India agreed with him and all of his ideas of fighting without guns" (Raman Bhikha). Since "most of the politicians. agreed" with him showed that he was trusted and able to free India with his own opinions and ideas. Even those Indians that wanted to retaliate and use weapons". agreed with. all of his ideas of fighting without guns" demonstrated that Gandhi's protest ideas were gaining support of the masses. Besides the political support Gandhi also had the support of the people when it came to making changes for the whole of India. "When I was a boy I went to boarding school when the cotton protest occurred. We all participated in the protest which meant those people in the village would spin cotton into thread and give it to one of the villagers with a hand loom. My wife, before we met, was part of a village and helped spin the cotton along with her mom and sisters. Their whole village only had one person who owned and knew how to operate a hand loom because of how poor they were. The hand loom person would then loom the cotton thread into clothes for us to wear. We wore it to show the British that they couldn't take advantage of us poor villagers, such as my family, to provide them with profits coming from the cotton industry in which we labored over" (Raman Bhikha). When Bhikha says "we all participated in the protest" he states everyone he knew, villagers, and even the boarding schools followed one of Gandhi's acts of satyagraha because they trusted that Gandhi's ideas would lead India to freedom. Gandhi was seen as the leader that held the faith of India by uniting them, "to show the British they couldn't take advantage over us poor villagers. " based on a common interest. Gandhi used satyagraha to gain trust from his followers to help support him in his nonviolent campaigns such as the cotton protest.

Gandhi's consistent method and practice of freedom through peace made him a dependable figure for the people. Gandhi spoke in many places in India and Europe. With each speech he gained new followers and supporters: "These became his home, his political base, and the site of his experiments with a simple religious life which would enable him and his associates, now both European and Indian, to follow what he perceived as Truth" ("Mahatma Gandhi"). "These became his home" signifies that his life revolved around the campaigns and protests proving that he worked hard to make sure satyagraha was effective. He "followed what he perceived as the Truth" means he felt as if God (the Truth) put him on Earth to free India. He felt as if God depended on him to make changes which made him work twice as hard because he did not want to let God or his people down. Knowing that his protests were not as effective as before he worked even harder, ". in the later 1940s Gandhi felt (and rightly) that Indian experiments with satyagraha had not been true satyagraha, but merely strategic uses of his suggested programmes." (Mahatma Gandhi). "Programmes" is a planned series of future events. He had planned his protests and speeches to gain India's independence. ". shared his total principled commitment to non-violence. " displays Gandhi's commitment to his non-violent protests and the effect they would have on India in the end. Gandhi displayed dependability as he lived and worked for India's independence every day to ensure that satyagraha would be effective.

"The holy person" gained India's independence through his courage with his protests, trust from his people, and consistent dependability. Gandhi made a difference in India's history and the world by following his belief in satyagraha. No one had ever used nonviolence as the means to gain justice as did Gandhi. Later on people like Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Malcolm X used his ideas to formulate peaceful protests that worked for their cause. Gandhi inspires me because he freed my ancestors through peaceful demonstration, hard work and perseverance. Gandhi taught me that if I want to make a difference I have to become a leader, be courageous in my beliefs, trustworthy and dependable for my supporters. He showed everyone in India that you can have your own beliefs and with the right way of expressing them you can get them across. A hero does not have to be famous, just everyday people can make a difference.