Life Of Mahatma Gandhi - Free Essay Example

Gandhi childhood, He was the youngest of four children in his family, but then his family moved to the town of Rajkot when he was only seven years old. Gandhi was a member of the Hindu religion which meant he wasnt allowed to eat meat or drink wine. Gandhi attended an all boy school when he was about seven years old in Rajkot. Once he finished elementary school Gandhi attended a high school in Rajkot with other boys as well. As he was finishing high school Gandhi began to wonder where he would attend college. So in 1818 Mohandas Gandhi left his country, and his family to study law in London. There Gandhi adapted to the countrys way of dressing and other things involving school and work. Have you ever wonder why this particular Indian activist was important to us? He was a great leader that led Indias independence in the 1930s and 40s. Facing down the British colonialists with stirring speeches and non-violent protest. He was born on October 2, 1869, his full name being Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and was assassinated January 30, 1948, New Delhi, India.Mahatma Gandhis birthday is a national holiday in India. It is also the international Day of Non-Violence. Mohandas Gandhi is often called Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma is a term that means Great Soul. Its a religious title sort of like Saint in Christianity. In India he is called the Father of the Nation also Bapu, which means father. Gandhi would be put in prison for protests several times for organizing these protests. The British government would eventually have to release him because the Indian people had grown to love Gandhi. He would often not eat while he was in prison as well. The British were scared what would happe n if they let him die. Each of these protests may seem small by themselves, but when most of the population does them at once, they can have an enormous impact. Youre thinking what did Gandhi do in prison did he read books about protests? Well he Gandhis civil disobedience was inspired by American Transcendentalists Henry David Thoreau, whose famous essay Civil Disobedience. A fun fact about Gandhi was when the war was taken place with Hitler he wrote a letter to him, addressing him as Dear Friend, as beseeched him to stop the war, but Hitler never wrote back. When Gandhi traveled to South Africa In 1893 it was there when he and his fellow Indians encountered constant discrimination by the Dutch and the British, which inspired Gandhi to fight for their rights. Now lets start with some of successful protests. It was called the Salt March. When Britain put a tax on salt, Gandhi decided to walk 241 miles to sea in Dandi to make his own salt. Thousands of Indians joined him in his march. Gandhi did also fought for civil rights and liberties among Indian people. Gandhi forged Indias independence from British rule in 1947 by staging massive peaceful demonstrations against poverty, and the fight for womens rights and religious tolerance. He continues to inspire nonviolent human rights movements all around the world and has influenced the leadership of contemporary heavyweights like Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, the Dalai Lama, and Aung San Suu Kyi. Gandhi was not the best student. Although he was known for being highly ethical with good English skills, he was considered a mediocre student in math and poor in Geography. He also had bad handwriting, which he was embarrassed about. Similarly, Gandhi also conducted the Dandi march when the British imposed a heavy tax on salt.While Gandhi was elected to be a member of the Congress party in the year 1920, he later walked out of the party in 1934 and continued to work towards Indias independence struggle by himself. With repeated boycotts, disobedience movements, and nationwide rallying of the people with the Quit India movement to overthrow the empire, the British finally conceded and agreed to leave India, making it independent. After Indias partition came into effect, the nation split into India and Pakistan. Many people began to detest the policies of Gandhi. Nathuram Godse was a Hindu nationalist, who had a strong hatred for Gandhi. As a result, he fired three bullets at Gandhi on 30th January 1948 at around 5.17pm and assassinated him. The title of Mahatma was bestowed on Gandhiji and a   large funeral was arranged for him. More than 20 lakh people attended the funeral to bid goodbye to the father of our nation. In conclusion, Mahatma Gandhi considered himself a failure. But his place in history is secure, and it does not diminish his greatness to point that in some respects. He had spent his life working toward the achievement of independence for India without violence or division.