Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (http://www.teachnet.ie/fwilliams/2006/images/Gandhi1.jpg)

"A non-violent revolution is not a program of 'seizure of power', but it is a program of transformation of relationships.” M. Gandhi. He was a man of freedom, not only letting it empower him, but also letting others feel the feeling of it. Gandhi is a hero of modern India; he was a man who changed the lives of millions by removing the oppressor who had taken advantage of them for several hundred years. Gandhi was a man who was not only in the fight for freedom for himself but for millions of other foreigners not only living in India, but also around the world. He is a hero because he gave freedom to millions of people around the world and also sparked the creation of the largest democracy in the world.

Gandhi had an amazing method of getting his point across, it is one that is effective and follows the rules of the law. His weapons were peace and speech, not guns and fists. He was so into this mantra that even when he thought things might get ugly he called off his protests. He even wrote letters to leaders around the world encouraging peace. One of the leaders he wrote a letter to was Hitler, he told him to respect everyone and try peace not violence. He was a man who worked his magic in rallying a crowd to listen to his ideas and carry out their own views in a peaceful manner.

Some may ask, why is Gandhi a hero; well he achieved freedom in one of the largest countries in the world. In his country he created a party and rallied the country behind him. He removed the oppressor and let Indians govern themselves in a fair way. He not only fought xenophobia in India, but he did it in South Africa as well. It was here he not only fought for Hindus, but for people of all races and religions. He fought racism and certainly won the battle.

Gandhi is an hero important to me for a variety of reasons. He is a man of freedom and believed in the greater good. He was not corrupted by power; he still gave his life for the people of his country. He is also part of my roots. He gave freedom to Papa’s family; and removed the British oppressor.

Gandhi is a hero because he brought freedom to India; he was the man who removed the tyrant. He brought freedom to India and created the largest democracy in the world. Mahatma Gandhi is an inspirational figure not only in India but also around the world. “Oh God!” These are the last words that came out of the mouth of one of the greatest leaders to ever walk the earth. He was a man who achieved freedom without hurting anyone; he massively improved the lives of millions with words, not fists.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or more commonly known as Mahatma (Great Soul), Gandhi was the greatest freedom fighter to ever live. He was born to an affluent family; his Dad was the prime minister of a small state that was heavily associated with the British India. At 13 he was married to a woman named Kasturbai Makhanji, he had his first son at 15. At 19 he traveled to London, England to train as a barrister (lawyer), unfortunately he didn’t succeed at law due to his shyness. While in London he created a chapter of the Theosophical Society that was devoted to the study of Hindu and Buddhist literature. His mother also passed away so he traveled back to Bombay to stay with his family. While in Bombay Gandhi struggled to establish a law practice, instead he started a business that published petitions. Two years into the business he ran into difficulty with the British and had to close down the business. He then signed with an Indian law firm that transferred him to South Africa. In South Africa there was much discrimination against him, in particular he was kicked out of first class on a train because he was brown, even though he had a ticket. This seemed to ignite the flame within him; he would now start to lead the procession of different ethnic groups against the oppressive governments. By the time he returned to India he was now a well-known hero; he would now join the fight for Indian Independence. Gandhi wanted to free India from British rule because he believed that Indians were being oppressed and taken advantage of by the British and that if Indians governed themselves no one would have been taken advantage of. Gandhi fought for independence in a way never before seen. He fought by speaking and leading rallies that were completely peaceful. And instead of telling Indians to break away from the British, he told his people to join the army and create a sense of nationalism. As this effect became more evident, the British started to get angry; they subsequently massacred many Hindus who supported Gandhi. It was after this that Gandhi wanted to take control of the India and have Indians governs themselves. He started telling to his followers to support only Indian goods and not British goods, to start were Khadi (a cloth type of clothing that is Indian) instead of wearing British textiles. There was a mass movement behind his words; eventually Gandhi was tried and jailed for sedition. After he was released he started several other movements including the Salt March to try and help India become independent. As time moved on his influence in politics grew and he was soon well renowned for this. During World War II he supported non-violence and didn’t pick sides. By the end of the war it was agreed that he would stop the civil disobedience movement in return for release of all political prisoners (100,000). Soon after that Gandhi and the government called for the British to “Quit India”, they soon did and Muslims said they wanted independence, so the Indian Independence Act was created and there was partition, displacing upwards of 10 million people, even though Gandhi was against it. During the massive move it is estimated that there were just below 1 million people killed (my papa, grandpa, and his family were some of the millions of people who were displaced). In the deal for partition there was some money that was given to Pakistan to help start up their country. Some Hindu extremist groups saw this as “weakening” the Hindu nation and Gandhi was assassinated for this. He was cremated and his ashes were spread around India.