Mahatma Gandhi Essays

Mahatma Gandhi Philosophy
During the period of British colonies in India, Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) led his community to
protest against its harsh policies. Gandhi played an important role as a political figure and primarily
as a social reformer in political movements. The Father of the Nation established and employed his
philosophy including satyagraha, swaraj, and ashima in Indian nonviolent civil disobedience. In this
period, Gandhi's decision to be celibate and to adopt Bramacharya was consistent with his political
philosophy.
While Gandhi was well–known as a political leader, he was primarily a social reformer. Through
power of a political figure, he could reform Indian society. First reason, his philosophy originated
from his childhood. It matured gradually until he took political activities at his middle age. In his
childhood, "She impressed him most with her spirit of self–sacrifice. As a devout Hindu in pursuit of
self–purification ... He makes clear that the decisive influence on his life came from his mother" (5).
At the age of thirteen, he realized that "the wife is ...as free as the husband to choose her own path ...
For a male living at this time in any society, this was an uncommon insight, yet consistent with
Gandhi's later commitment as a political activist to the emancipation of women" (6). At age of
eighteen, he learnt to be tolerant of other religions. The syncretic spirit of Hinduism helped him to
define "religion...in its broadest sense, meaning thereby self–realization or knowledge
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Mahatma Gandhi
.THE IMPACT OF GANDHI AND HIS STYLE OF MOBILIZATION ON THE POLICIES AND
CULTURE OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
Shanice Crawford
December 20, 2017
This paper posits to discuss in detail the impact of Gandhi and his style of mobilization on the
policies and culture of the Indian Subcontinent. Mahatma Gandhi, (1869–1948), was born Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi in Porbandar, Gujarat, in North WestIndia. His father was an administrator in
Porbandar, while his mother was a devout religious personality. Mahatma Gandhi is generally
regarded to be the Father of the modern Indian nation, on account of his role in shaping its modern
history. Gandhi, an accomplished lawyer and human rights campaigner, initially in South Africa,
made his debut into the Indian political scene in 1915. As the foremost leader in the Indian
independence movement, Gandhi acquired international repute, and his policy of peaceful civil
resistance has over the decades offered inspiration for political movements, and civil rights
campaigns across the globe. In addition to developing non–violent strategies for political struggle, he
influenced the Indian regeneration program that spearheaded the struggle for Indian independence.
Gandhi's philosophy of non–violence resistance transcended every other attribute of his vision
concerning the Indian subcontinent, including the Indian regeneration program. This program
entailed diverse interrelated strategies that are considered to be the fundamental components of the
swadeshi spirit, Satyagraha, as well as the constructive program. The swadeshi spirit denoted the
superior canon of non–violence that guided and inspired the constructive program and the
Satyagraha. The Satyagraha mainly involved the political and moral change or social reform, while
the constructive program entailed the economic and social reconstruction of the Indian subcontinent.
Gandhi held the view that the future of the Indian subcontinent was intertwined with the
decentralization of political and economic power, and consequently, the progress of rural settlements
into economically self–reliant units was fundamental. It is imperative to mention that Gandhi's
political standpoints evolved in a broader scope of his ideal in

Mahatma Gandhi
Join Us and the World Will be as One
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world," said Indian civil rights leader Mahatma
Gandhi. Gandhi, along with Mother Jones and Melba Pattillo Beals wanted equality. Gandhi's
mission was to cease color prejudice, Mother Jones's mission was to achieve child labor rights and
Melba's mission was to make integration possible. These three individuals fought courageously for
equal human rights because they wanted to see a difference in the world. Gandhi was a pacifist
whose mission in life was to change racial inequality because he believed it was wrong for anyone
to be treated differently by their race or gender. For example, Gandhi bought a first–class ticket on a
train and was asked to be removed from the first–class section. Gandhi refused to move to the back
and was eventually thrown off. On that same night, he devoted to himself that he would be fighting
the "deep disease of color prejudice" ("Mahatma Gandhi"). During this time when Britain ruled over
India, non–white people were discriminated. The reason Gandhi was casted out was because he was
an Indian. Instead of using violence to fight colored prejudice, "Gandhi developed his philosophy of '
Satyagraha', or resistance through non–violent civil disobedience" ('Satyagraha'). For instance,
Britain passed an act "which not only prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt...but imposed
a heavy tax that hit the country's poorest particularly hard..." ("Mahatma Gandhi"). In

Mahatma Gandhi Essay
In the western world the word truth connotes something static and immutable. We see truth as
something, that once possessed, will always be valid. But there is a tendency in Eastern philosophy
to see truth as something illusive, as something that can only be approximated by a lifetime of
philosophical experimentation. The man known as Mohandas Gandhi was this spirit of truth
incarnate. But care must be taken not to deify Gandhi, his life was a ceaseless struggle towards
deeper understanding, and his many accomplishments belie his humble origins. To see the man
beneath the legend we must return to his humble origin and trace the ascension of his ideals, and
find the wellspring of his strength. By understanding how he discovered his values...show more
content...
Gandhi soon discovered that to blend into his new surroundings he would have to put on the airs
of an English gentleman. He changed his outward appearance by wearing suits and assuming the
habits of polished society. Glass mirrors were a luxury in India, but while in England he writes,
?Here I wasted ten minutes every day before a huge mirror, watching myself arranging my tie and
parting my hair in the correct fashion.? (Experiments 67) But Gandhi?s transplant into English
society was not to be, in his second year in England Gandhi took the next big leap in his spiritual
development when he discovered the Bhagavad Gita. While still a student Gandhi came across the
Bhagavad Gita, a collection of 700 lines from the Mahabharata. From his essay The Gospel of
Selfless Action, Gandhi comments that The Gita teaches that only through desireless action and
devotion to truth can salvation be found. He goes on to say, ?Knowledge without devotion will be
like a misfire.? (Gandhi 37) This closely mirrors the idea of praxis put fourth by philosopher Paulo
Freire, according to this idea of praxis, an action without reflection is dangerous, and a reflection
without action is useless. It?s obvious from Gandhi?s commentary on The Gita that he made no
distinction between religious practice and everyday action. In Gandhi?s mind, to be a true
practitioner of religion required both spiritual knowledge and

Essay on The Life of Mahatma Gandhi
As a child, Mahatma Gandhi (October 2nd, 1869 – January 30th, 1948) he was a shy, quiet boy and
considered an average student. He did not show any exceptional qualities, but that made the world
that much more intrigued when he became the one of the world's most respected religious figures.
Like the rest of us, Gandhi wasn't perfect. He experimented with smoking, stealing and eating
foods such as meat that were frowned upon in his religious upbringing. By the age of 13, he
married his wife Kasturba and later on had 4 children. He eventually moved to England to study law,
and he had to promise his mother he would stay away from women, meat and wine. In London,
Gandhi met many theosophists, vegetarians and others who had the legacy of...show more content...
He learned more about the grievances faced by other Indians, studied law organized petitions and
wrote letters to the officials, all in the process of fighting against injustice (Rosenberg, 2009).
In 1896, the Bubonic plague outbreak occurred in South Africa, this is when Gandhi offered to
inspect the lives of the rich and poor since the disease was associated with poor hygiene. This
shows how much he truly cared for those who may have not been heard or even paid attention to. In
1915, he returned to India and within the next 15 years, he became the leader of the Indian
Nationalist Movement. He continued to use Satyagraha to lead Indians in independence from
Britain campaigns. While fighting for justice, Gandhi was arrested on numerous occasions by the
British colonists in South Africa as well as India. (Fischer, 1983) He believed that going to jail
for a just caused was an honor, even when being sentenced to 7 years for inciting people against the
British. He also participated in a 21 day fast in his cell when a Muslim–Hindu was broke out. This
shows how hard he worked to preserve the Hindu–Muslim relation. (Easwaran, 1997)
Gandhi spent his life fighting for the rights of the poor, and for the removal of the British
colonialists from India. His way of fighting for justice using nonviolent tactics were also inherited
and used by other activists such as Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. His
accomplishments were respected by many and changed

Essay On Mahatma Gandhi
Braiden Brooks
Mr. Dunne
World History
11 December 2017
Informative Essay
"We may stumble and fall, but shall rise again; it should be enough if we did not run away from the
battle." (Mahatma Gandhi) Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent protests did change India for the better.
Mahatma Gandhi was a wise man born on October 2, 1869, in western India. Around 18, Gandhi
started to study law in England, but couldn't find good payment and went back to India and started a
newspaper. This is a reason that the Indians Rebelled against the British. Mahatma Gandhi grew up
in Western India and was in a middle–class family. With his mother and his father. Gandhi's parents
raised him to be a devoted Hindu and Gandhi did and still was a devoted Hindu till he died. Around
the age of 18 years, old Gandhi went to England to study law. He did study law and got his
Barrister's after he earned his degree he went back to India. He saw all the segregation in the India,
so he created the Idea of Civil Disobedience. When he got back India he couldn't get a well–paying
job. So he started a newspaper and started putting his Ideas of Nonviolent peace into it. Over the
years Gandhi changed how the Indian Congress looked on British rule.
Nonviolent protest or civil disobedience have dated back to the revolutionary war. It wasn't called
civil disobedience then, it began to actually become an idea when Mahatma Gandhi started a thing
called Satyagraha or Truth Force. It was an idea to nonviolently protests against the government and
laws without using force. Gandhi started to revolt and gathered followers him and to rebel against
British rule.
A major action that happened was the salt march, Gandhi and 78 followers started marching down
to the village called Dandi. The march grew bigger and bigger as the march continued. By the
time they reached the beach the group was about two miles long. Gandhi was expecting to be
arrested when he picked up a piece of mud, he wanted to be arrested. Sadly Gandhi was not
arrested when he picked up the mud, so Gandhi created another plan to get arrested. He sent a letter
to the British leader and told him that he and his followers were going to raid the British Salt
Works. The British arrested Gandhi and some

Essay On Mahatma Gandhi
A wise man once said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
This man is Mahatma Gandhi. How does this apply to discovering yourself? Well, let me tell you
a little bit about his life and my own experiences. Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869
in Porbandar, India; it was part of the British Empire. His native language was Gujarah. His
parents were Karamchand Gandhi, a chief minister, and Putlibai, who was deeply religious, the
fourth wife and nursed the family. He had an arranged marriage with Kasturba, at 13. His father
and his first baby died when he was 16. At 18, after having 4 living sons, he sailed for London,
England to study law for three years for his father's wishes. He joined the...show more content...
He settled in Durban to practice law and founded the Natal Indian Congress, in 1894. This flooded
the government, legislative, and press with statements of indian grievances, exposing the
discrimination in Queen Victoria in her own colonies in Africa. All this had reached even The
Times of London, The Statements, and Englishman commenting on Natal Indian grievances. In
1896, he went to India to get his wife and children, get support overseas, and persuade leaders.
Landing in Durban, in 1897, he was assaulted and was almost lynched by a white mob, but he
refused for them to be prosecuted. The outbreak of the South African (Boer) War, Gandhi raised an
ambulance corporation of 1,100 and for them to instill in them a spirit of service, whom they thought
of as oppressors. Though the Boers and Britons made a partnership, they were not included and their
efforts did not impress them. In 1906, the Transvaal Government made a humiliating ordinance for
the registration of its indian population. Under Gandhi, they held a mass protest at Johannesburg and
born was satyagraha. For seven more years, 1913, hundreds of indians were put in jail and
thousands of indian workers struck work faced imprisonment, flogging, and even shot. There were
lots of lost, but this had exposed the South African Government. Under the pressure of the
governments of Britain and India, they accepted a compromise

Ghandi Essay
In 1869, Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in northwest India. When he was a young Man, he
traveled to England to receive his college education and law degree. Upon returning to India he
set out to change how the West was colonizing and industrializing his country, and set life to a new
sort of technique that would change India, and give a new perspective, and shed light on Indian
culture, and civilization. His techniques revolved around passive and calm responses instead of
wild and violent responses to the British. His term "satygraha" meant "truth and firmness" which
was a method of passive resistance to provoke a response. This is how Gandhi received respect and
honor from his followers, and the people of Indian civilizations. He...show more content...
He believed that India should remain unscathed, he states that "India that her people are so
uncivilized, ignorant and impassive, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes." He
also states that "civilization is that mode of conduct which points to man the path of duty." The
Gujarati equivalent for civilization means "good conduct." In some of the primary sources Gandhi
compares the mind to a restless bird; "the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains
unsatisfied." Then he state's that "the more we indulge our passions the more unbridled they
become." Gandhi talks about how his country has remained the same throughout the years, and has
had no system of "life–corroding competition." He talks about how the Indian people have had the
same types of cottages in their former times, and how their education has remained the same
throughout the years. Gandhi also states that "It was not that we did not know how to invent
machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things, we would become
slaves and lose our moral backbone." He believed that people should only do what they could with
there hands and feet. He wanted people to live independently and to follow their agricultural
livelihood, in a true home rule. This is what Gandhi considered to be a real civilization. In more
recent times a situation that can compare to that of

Essay on Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi perceives imperialism as a creation of Industrial development, which perpetuates greed, and
the desire to increase profit at the expense of the body and society. Gandhi states. "Those who are
intoxicated by modern civilization are not likely to write against it. Their care will be to find out
facts and arguments in support of it, and this they do unconsciously" (Gandhi, chp 6). Gandhi's
presumes that civilization, like an incurable disease, and new–civilized creations are a limitation to
the body and society. Thus, India's helplessness is in conjunction with its British association.
Moreover, a 'disarmed India has no control of resistance of 'western–civilization' so then what is
civilized justice? According to Gandhi, civil justice...show more content...
Machinery is viewed as the destruction of Indian society, and conclusive to the obstruction of
ancient civilization's body and society. Industrial capitalism is subservient to Gandhi's society, and
Industrial capitalism perpetuates colonial imperialism. It is a chief representation of western
civilization, as Gandhi sates, "Now thousands of workmen meet together and for the sake of
maintenance work in factories or mines. Their condition is worse than that of beasts. They are
obliged to work, for the sake of millionaires, but by reproducing Manchester in India, our moral
being will be sapped, and I call in support of my statement the very mill–bands as witnesses"
(Gandhi, chp 19). It is inherent, that Gandhi's perception of society is one without industrial
capitalism.
He saw machinery and materialism as greater representations of manipulation. The British had, like
any imperialist civilization, a perpetuating greed to control natural resources for profit. Ultimately,
in Gandhi's eyes the British wanted to have complete sovereignty over political bodies in their
colonial parts. Village life was on the verge of distinction, thus Gandhi's ideology gave light to
India's grim vision of being truly independent. Gandhi, as Metcalf sates, "believed in true
independence, he envisioned it in Hind Swaraj (1909) it was not a simple matter of Indians
replacing Britain's in the seat of government. It involved a wholesale

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Essay
Mahatma Gandhi was a man of faith and great conviction. Mohandas Gandhi, Whom most people
know as Mahatma, meaning "Great Soul", dedicated most of his life to free his motherland by
using peace and love to a vast extent rather than war and destruction. Gandhi founded Satyagraha, a
new peaceful way to raise his voice. Gandhi was very well educated and helped the oppressed
Indian community of South Africa. He came up with a policy of non–violent resistance called
Satyagraha or 'devotion to truth'. He introduced a program known as swadeshi meaning "one's own
country" to boycott British goods. Gandhi began a synchronized protest march against an unfair tax
on salt, which was imposed on the Indians by the British government. This march shook...show more
content...
This shows how Gandhi chose to help his country without being asked to do so. He gave up his job
and risked his family's' and his own life.
In 1919, India was in confusion, as a result of the Rowlett Acts which gave draconian powers for
search and seize without warrant and confinement without trial. Some 25,000 people gathered,
mostly for a political meeting, some to celebrate Baisakhi, Sikh New Year. General Reginald Dyer
got to know about this and immediately ordered to block the entrances of the park where the
meeting took place and to fire. Thousands of people lost their lives (Bose 55–56). When Mahatma
Gandhi saw the amount of bloodshed, he again turned to non–violent protest and went on a hunger
strike. Gandhi transformed the Indian National Congress and his program of peaceful
non–cooperation with the British, and announced boycott of British goods and institutions, leading
to arrests of thousands. In 1922, Gandhi himself was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He was
released after two years and left politics, to devote himself to improve Hindu–Muslim relations
(Mohandas Gandhi). Gandhi took a great step against the British government without forgetting
non–violence, which also led to the increase in number of his followers. In 1930, Gandhi announced
a new movement of civil disobedience in protest against a tax on salt, leading thousands on a march
to the sea to symbolically make their own salt from seawater. He bravely went to the sea and took a

Mahatma Gandhi Essay
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi. Also known as Mahatma the
great soul, was the "father of modern India". He originally came from Western India, a city called
Porbandar. He was born on 2nd October 1869. Gandhi was on of the youngest of the three sons of
Karamchand Gandhi, who was a Prime Minister successively in Porbandar, Rajkot and Vankaner
States. Gandhi's mother was Putlibai, Karamchand Gandhi's fourth wife. In 1876 he attended a
primary school in Rajkot until the twelfth year. Later on he was engaged to Kasturbai. In 1881
Gandhi want on to do further education in a high school (in Rajkot). Two years later in 1883 he
marries Kasturbai. In 1887 Gandhi joins Samaldas...show more content...
He fasted until the rioters promised peace to him. A Hindu who had been angered by the Mahatma's
efforts to settle Hindus and Muslims. Put his life to an end with three pistol shots. As the first bullet
struck, Gandhi's foot, which was in motion, descend to the ground, but he remained standing. The
second bullet struck; blood began to stain Gandhi's white clothes. Gandhi murmured. "Hey, Rama
(Oh, God)." A third shot happened. The limp body settled to the ground. His spectacles dropped to
the earth. The leather sandals slipped from his feet. Mahatma Gandhi's devoted his life mainly to
help others, in Ahimsa, non–violence and Hindu – Muslim riots, he was largely inspired by the Gita–
the Hindu holy book. Basically he believed everyone should have equal rights. His successes in life
were when he studied law in England, got a job in South Africa, when he did the salt march,
identified him self with the untouchables– which are India's poorest people. Gandhi was really
concerned about the increasing divisions between the Hindu and Muslim's. He tried as much he
could to prevent the partition between the Hindu and Muslim's. However the amount of success he
had been trough this was very different and he did not achieve what he wanted. He was very
disappointed about the separation between the Hindu and Muslim's. To prevent the

Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi Growing up Born in 1869 on October 2. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also
known as Mahatma Gandhi lived in Porbandar, a region of India that (at the time) was a part of the
British Empire, now known as Gujarat. Growing up, Gandhi worshipped the Hindu god Vishnu. His
belief of Jainism aimed to achieve the liberation of the soul, embracing non–violence, meditation and
vegetarianism. He believed in Ahimsa meaning non–violence and equality. As a young child, Gandhi
was considered being shy, timid and an unremarkable student. Aged 18, he sailed to England to
study where he read a variety of sacred texts and learnt more about world religions. He later
explains "if only we could, all of us, read the scriptures of the different Faiths from the stand–point
of the followers of those faiths, we should find that they were at the bottom, all one and were all
helpful to one another" he considered them a comfort and recommended everyone to read them at
some point in time. He stayed in England for 3 years before returning back to India where he
struggled to gain any footing as a lawyer and wrestled to find work, therefore taking a job offer in
South Africa at an Indian firm. Contribution to society and beginning his Ascent. When Gandhi
arrived in South Africa, he was appalled and disgusted with the way Indians were being treated. Not
being allowed to gain citizenship as an immigrant and being thought of as a third class citizen. In the
courtroom, he was asked if he could

Mahatma Gandhi's Leadership Essay
Gandhi's leadership was unique, strong, and modern, yet he faced many critics who loathed what
they viewed as Gandhi's forced universalism of his ideals. The three main areas of contention with
regard to Gandhi's leadership were: communalism, untouchability and gender issues. These issues
were part of a deeper debate on Indian identity and social reform as part of its move towards
independence. Most – if not all – leaders of the time were concerned with defining the culture of the
(potentially divided) Indian state in a manner that would ensure the continuity of such a state and
therefore was as much a part of pre–independence politics as the struggle for independence itself.
These issues were not and arguably could not have been resolved...show more content...
must necessarily be self–governing, self–sufficient, agro–industrial, urbo–rural, local communities"
(Hay, 376). However, given the vast urbanization inIndia under the British Raj that built up cities
such as Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, a ruralized picture of Indian society was difficult to
manifest in reality.
In contrast to Gandhi and Narayan, B. R. Ambedkar, a nationalist born an Untouchable and one of
Gandhi's fiercest critics, eschewed the village civilization philosophy. He argued, "Those who take
pride in the village communities do not care to consider what little part they have played in the
affairs and the destiny of the country... I hold that these village republics have been the ruination of
India. I am therefore surprised that those who condemn Provincialism and communalism should
come forward as champions of the village. What is the village but a sink of localism, a den of
ignorance, narrow–mindedness and communalism" (Hay, 341). However, Ambedkar's disagreement
is misleading. In fact, Ambedkar's disdain for village communities is rooted in his low–caste
background. The "ignorance" and "narrow–mindedness" in villages more specifically pertains to the
village communities' perpetuation of caste systems. Ambedkar sought the establishment of an Indian
nation first and foremost before decentralization and power to village–based communities was given,
as he did not believe that people divided into thousands of castes become a nation

Mahatma Gandhi Essays

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Mahatma Gandhi Essays