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Mahatma Gandhi: A Structured Overview

1. Early Life and Education

Father’s Profession:
- Karamchand Gandhi was the Diwan (Chief Minister) of the princely states of Porbandar, Rajkot, and Wankaner.
Education:
- Received early education in Rajkot.
- Studied at Samaldas Arts College in Bhavnagar in 1885.
- Studied law at the Inner Temple in London.
Personal:
- Married Kasturba at the age of 13.

2. South Africa Period (1893-1915)

Duration: Lived in South Africa for approximately 21 years.
Pivotal Incident: Was thrown out of a first-class train compartment at the Pietermaritzburg railway station due to racial discrimination.
Key Initiatives:
- Started the Natal Indian Congress in 1894.
- Established the Phoenix Settlement (his first and oldest ashram) near Durban in December 1904. It was reopened on February 27, 2000.
- Built the Tolstoy Farm.
Publications: Published the magazine ‘Indian Opinion’.
Work & Philosophy: Adopted ‘Seva Dharma’ (the duty of service), volunteering in charity hospitals and aiding wounded soldiers.
Economic Principle: First propounded the principle of Trusteeship in South Africa in 1903.

3. Philosophy and Ideology

Core Principles:
- The twin principles of his envisioned ‘Ram Rajya’ were Truth and Non-violence (Ahimsa).
- Viewed Non-violence as a means to attain Truth.
Means and Ends:
- Believed “Wrong means never take us to right ends.”
- Stated that means and ends are inseparable.
- Was a strong supporter of the principle: “What is morally wrong can never be politically right.”
Political Ideology:
- A supporter of Philosophical Anarchism, advocating for a stateless society based on voluntary cooperation.
- His ideology was a unique blend: described as “An Individualist among Socialists and a Marxist among Socialists.”
- Aimed for a classless, stateless society but through non-violent means.
- View of Politics: Viewed as an activity for public welfare. Key features of his model were Ethics, Religion, and Humanity. Authority was not a feature.
Views on Violence: Considered the persistence of poverty to be the cruelest form of violence.
Views on Family Planning: Advocated for self-control as the method.
Influences:
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale was his political guru.
- The book “Unto the Last” by John Ruskin profoundly transformed his life (core message: “The good of the individual is contained in the good of all.”).
- Also influenced by Henry David Thoreau (Civil Disobedience) and Leo Tolstoy (Non-Violence).

4. Concept of Satyagraha

Terminology: Coined by Gandhi; a combination of “Satya” (truth) and “Agraha” (insistence), meaning insistence on truth.
Weapon & Aim:
- The weapon is Ahimsa (Non-violence).
- The aim is not to defeat the enemy, but to change their thinking.
- A Satyagrahi must have no ill feelings towards the enemy and must be firm in their belief.
Strategy:
- The first step was Fasting (a “Fire Arrow”).
- The last step was a Strike.

5. Return to India and Early Movements (Chronological Order)

Return: Returned to India from South Africa in 1915.
Initial Advice: Gopal Krishna Gokhale advised him to spend his first year in India ‘with his ears open but his mouth shut.’
Ashram: Established the Sabarmati Ashram (initially Satyagraha Ashram) on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in 1917. It spanned 36 acres.
Early Movements:
1. Champaran Satyagraha (1917)
  - First Satyagraha and first Civil Disobedience Movement in India.
  - Against the oppressive tinkathia system of indigo plantation.
  - Key Associates: Rajkumar Shukla (who persuaded Gandhi), Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Mahadev Desai.
  - Not Associated: Jai Prakash Narayan.
  - Opposition: N.G. Ranga opposed it.
  - Scope: A local movement.
  - Government Response: A committee was formed with Gandhi as a member (F.G. Slay was chairman).
  - Title: Rabindranath Tagore first called him ‘Mahatma’ during this satyagraha.
2. Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918)
  - Dispute between mill workers and owners over a ‘Plague Bonus’; workers demanded a 35% wage increase.
  - Key Associate: Anasuya Behn (Sister of Ambalal Sarabhai).
  - First: Gandhi used a “fast unto death” (hunger strike) as a weapon for the first time here.
  - Result: Successful; workers won their demand.
3. Kheda Satyagraha (1918)
  - A peasant protest against high revenue demands by the British government during a famine.
  - It was not related to the proposal of introducing the Permanent Settlement in Gujarat.
Other Key Actions:
- Instrumental in the abolition of the ‘indentured labour’ system in the British Empire.
- First Public Speech in India: Delivered at the foundation ceremony of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi in February 1916.

6. Broader Involvement in the Freedom Struggle

Congress Involvement:
- First attended an Indian National Congress session as a delegate for South African Indians at the Calcutta Session in 1901.
- At the time of India’s Independence (1947), he was not a member of the Indian National Congress (having resigned in 1934).
Movements He Led:
- Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement (1930), Quit India Movement (1942).
Movements He Did NOT Lead:
- Swadeshi Movement (1905-1911): He was in South Africa.
- Bardoli Satyagraha (1928): Led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-1925): Did not participate directly (advised and visited later); it was against untouchability, led by T.K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan, et al.
World War I: Contrary to some beliefs, he did support the resolution on recruiting Indians for WWI at Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’.
Government Response: Consequent to the breaking of the Salt Law, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal.

7. Associates and Followers

Indian Associates:
- Subhash Chandra Bose: First called Gandhi the ‘Father of the Nation’ (on Azad Hind Radio in 1944).
- Pyare Lal: Gandhi’s secretary during the Noakhali tour.
- J.B. Kripalani: A Gandhian follower whose profession was teaching.
- Jamnalal Bajaj: A close capitalist associate; AICC treasurer, cotton merchant, and banker. Gandhi called him his “fifth son.”
International Associates:
- Charles Andrews (Deenbandhu): Close English compatriot.
Muslim Leaders:
- Maulana Shaukat Ali accompanied Gandhi on his visit to Chhattisgarh in 1920.

8. Specific Events and Locations

Travels in India:
- First visited Chhattisgarh on December 20, 1920, at Dhamtari in Raipur.
- During Partition riots, visited Noakhali in Bengal and Bihar to calm communal tensions.
Imprisonment: Imprisoned in Yerwada Jail (Pune), which he referred to as a ‘Mandir’ (temple). He wrote a book titled ‘Yerwada Mandir’.

9. Economic Views (Gandhian Economy)

Emphasized an economy based on non-violence.
Opposed centralization (a cause of exploitation) and mechanization in India’s context.
Trusteeship: Believed capitalists should act as trustees of wealth for the benefit of all.
Believed the socio-economic improvement of untouchables could be achieved by establishing cottage industries for them.
Gandhian Innovation: A modern concept meaning “to produce more from less input for more people.”
Economic Boycott and Swadeshi:
- Advocated for the boycott of British-made goods because India was a major market for them.
- Believed that “Destruction is the best method of dealing with foreign clothes” to show respect for one’s country.

10. Death and Legacy

Assassination: assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse.
Legacy:
- Following his death, Jawaharlal Nehru said, “The light has gone out of our lives.”
- Lord Mountbatten referred to him as a “one-man boundary force” for his efforts to stop communal violence during Partition.

11. Contextual Information

International Influences on the early national movement (pre-Gandhi):
- Victory of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War (shattered the myth of European invincibility).
- Revolutionary Movement in Ireland (influenced Indian revolutionaries).
- Boxer Movement in China (an anti-imperialist uprising).
- Italian-Abyssinian War (Ethiopia’s defeat of Italy was celebrated).
Indigo Cultivation: Its decline in India was primarily due to its unprofitability after the invention of synthetic dyes in Germany.

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