Rell sunn biography of mahatma gandhi

He immersed himself in sacred Hindu spiritual texts and adopted a life of simplicity, austerity, fasting and celibacy that was free of material goods. After struggling to find work as a lawyer in India, Gandhi obtained a one-year contract to perform legal services in South Africa. When Gandhi arrived in South Africa, he was quickly appalled by the discrimination and racial segregation faced by Indian immigrants at the hands of white British and Boer authorities.

Upon his first appearance in a Durban courtroom, Gandhi was asked to remove his turban. He refused and left the court instead. Refusing to move to the back of the train, Gandhi was forcibly removed and thrown off the train at a station in Pietermaritzburg. From that night forward, the small, unassuming man would grow into a giant force for civil rights.

Gandhi formed the Natal Indian Congress in to fight discrimination. Gandhi prepared to return to India at the end of his year-long contract until he learned, at his farewell party, of a bill before the Natal Legislative Assembly that would deprive Indians of the right to vote. Fellow immigrants convinced Gandhi to stay and lead the fight against the legislation.

After a brief trip to India in late and early , Gandhi returned to South Africa with his wife and children. Gandhi ran a thriving legal practice, and at the outbreak of the Boer War, he raised an all-Indian ambulance corps of 1, volunteers to support the British cause, arguing that if Indians expected to have full rights of citizenship in the British Empire, they also needed to shoulder their responsibilities.

After years of protests, the government imprisoned hundreds of Indians in , including Gandhi. Under pressure, the South African government accepted a compromise negotiated by Gandhi and General Jan Christian Smuts that included recognition of Hindu marriages and the abolition of a poll tax for Indians. In Gandhi founded an ashram in Ahmedabad, India, that was open to all castes.

Wearing a simple loincloth and shawl, Gandhi lived an austere life devoted to prayer, fasting and meditation. In , with India still under the firm control of the British, Gandhi had a political reawakening when the newly enacted Rowlatt Act authorized British authorities to imprison people suspected of sedition without trial. In response, Gandhi called for a Satyagraha campaign of peaceful protests and strikes.

Violence broke out instead, which culminated on April 13, , in the Massacre of Amritsar. Troops led by British Brigadier General Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed demonstrators and killed nearly people. Gandhi became a leading figure in the Indian home-rule movement. Calling for mass boycotts, he urged government officials to stop working for the Crown, students to stop attending government schools, soldiers to leave their posts and citizens to stop paying taxes and purchasing British goods.

Wikiquote Wikidata item. American surfer. Early life [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Cancer battle and death [ edit ]. Family [ edit ]. Legacy [ edit ]. Accolades [ edit ]. Filmography [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 3, This form of protest was not just about resisting unjust laws but doing so in a way that adhered to a strict code of non-violence and truth, or Satyagraha.

His readings of various religious texts and the works of thinkers like Henry David Thoreau also contributed to his philosophy. Satyagraha , a term coined by Gandhi, combines the Sanskrit words for truth satya and holding firmly to agraha. Satyagraha called for non-violent resistance to injustice, where the satyagrahi practitioner of Satyagraha would peacefully defy unjust laws and accept the consequences of such defiance.

This approach was revolutionary because it shifted the focus from anger and revenge to love and self-suffering. Gandhi believed that this form of protest could appeal to the conscience of the oppressor, leading to change without the need for violence. In implementing Satyagraha, Gandhi ensured that it was accessible and applicable to the Indian people.

He simplified complex political concepts into actions that could be undertaken by anyone, regardless of their social or economic status. Satyagraha was demonstrated through the boycotting of British goods, non-payment of taxes, and peaceful protests. One of the key aspects of Satyagraha was the willingness to endure suffering without retaliation.

Gandhi emphasized that the power of Satyagraha came from the moral purity and courage of its practitioners, not from the desire to inflict harm on the opponent. The effectiveness of Satyagraha was evident in various campaigns led by Gandhi, both in South Africa and later in India. In India, the Satyagraha movement gained momentum with significant events such as the Champaran agitation against the indigo planters, the Kheda peasant struggle, and the nationwide protests against the British salt taxes through the Salt March.

These movements not only mobilized the Indian people against British rule but also demonstrated the strength and resilience of non-violent resistance. Through Satyagraha, Gandhi sought to bring about a moral awakening both within India and among the British authorities. He believed that true victory was not the defeat of the opponent but the achievement of justice and harmony.

After spending over two decades in South Africa, fighting for the rights of the Indian community there, Mahatma Gandhi decided it was time to return to India. His decision was influenced by his desire to take part in the struggle for Indian independence from British rule. In , Gandhi arrived back in India, greeted by a nation on the cusp of change.

Upon his return, he chose not to plunge directly into the political turmoil but instead spent time traveling across the country to understand the complex fabric of Indian society.

Rell sunn biography of mahatma gandhi

This journey was crucial for Gandhi as it allowed him to connect with the people, understand their struggles, and gauge the extent of British exploitation. He established an ashram in Ahmedabad, which became a base for his activities and a sanctuary for those who wanted to join his cause. His efforts during these early years back in India laid the groundwork for the massive civil disobedience campaigns that would follow.

This act allowed the British authorities to imprison anyone suspected of sedition without trial, sparking widespread outrage across India. Gandhi called for a nationwide Satyagraha against the act, advocating for peaceful protest and civil disobedience. The movement gained significant momentum but also led to the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre , where British troops fired on a peaceful gathering, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

In , Gandhi announced his retirement from politics in, as well as his resignation from the Congress Party, in order to concentrate his efforts on working within rural communities. Drawn back into the political fray by the outbreak of World War II , Gandhi again took control of the INC, demanding a British withdrawal from India in return for Indian cooperation with the war effort.

Instead, British forces imprisoned the entire Congress leadership, bringing Anglo-Indian relations to a new low point. Later that year, Britain granted India its independence but split the country into two dominions: India and Pakistan. Gandhi strongly opposed Partition, but he agreed to it in hopes that after independence Hindus and Muslims could achieve peace internally.

Amid the massive riots that followed Partition, Gandhi urged Hindus and Muslims to live peacefully together, and undertook a hunger strike until riots in Calcutta ceased. In January , Gandhi carried out yet another fast, this time to bring about peace in the city of Delhi. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.