Today, it has become so much important that we take the responsibility to create a better future for our world, as the responsible children of the world. Not just by wishing for a change but by being the change. It is now our chance to take control work hard to infuse the Gandhian Principles in people's minds. Together, we shall create a world that is free from wars, lies, violence, destruction, and hate.
Join us in the Gandhi @ 150 movement. This is our endeavor to make the world aware about Gandhian ways of solving all our problems. The world will celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary on October 02, 2019. But before that, let's unite and embrace Gandhi's ideas in our everyday life.
Born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar city. His father served as a government official and his mother was homemaker. He was an average student with almost no interest in sports. In 1883, at the age of 13, he was married to Kasturbai, with whom he had 4 children.
In September 1888, he left for London, to study law at the Inner Temple. Here he came across members of the Theosophical Society with whom he explored the cause of universal brotherhood and humanity. In June 1891, he received a call to the bar, and successfully became Barrister.
He left to practice law in South Africa in April 1893, where he constantly faced instances of racism and discrimination by colonial officials. Here he founded 'Indian Natal Congress' and unified the Indian community to fight for their rights and developed the 'Satyagraha' method of protesting.
He returned back to India and joined Indian National Congress on the request of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He took the leadership of INC and declared independence of India in 1930. He led numerous marches, non-cooperation movements, fasts, and negotiations with the British, until India got independence.
On 30 January 1948, an extremist named Nathuram Godse shot three bullets into his chest from close distance. Millions of Indians attended his funeral. His ashes were sent all over India and the world. They were immersed in the water of the Nile river in Uganda and also at Clifford Pier in Singapore.
Protesting against the unjustified taxes and laws that were imposed on Indian community, Gandhi led 127 women, 57 children and around 2,000 men across the Transvaal border. He was arrested three times and was subsequently released on bail. The protests forced General Jan Smuts to set up a commission on the Indian Relief Act.
To protest against a tax law imposed on salt production declaring the salt reclamation activities illegal, Gandhi embarked on a 390 km long march in April 1930. 80 Satyagrahis and thousands of people joined him in the march and over 60,000 people were arrested. The Time Magazine declared Gandhi 'Man of the year' in 1930.
In 1917, protesting against the law that forced the tenant farmers to grow Indigo on a portion of their farms, Gandhi started the first Satyagraha in Bihar's Champaran. He launched a string of sanitation, education, and healthcare reforms for their welfare. Finally, the government had to rollback taxes and give compensation to the farmers.
To protest the high taxes in the wake of famine, crop failure, and plague epidemic in India, Gandhi embarked on the second Satyagraha at Kheda district [Gujarat] in 1918. People joined the movement and refused to pay taxes. As a result, the government had to declare tax exemption for 2 years and return the confiscated property.
After he arrived in India, he set off on a nationwide tour to understand India and the people. From West to East and from North to South, he travelled throughout the country and understood the famous 'Unity in Diversity' of India. He created the groundwork for the Independence Movement through this tour.
Gandhi visited London and the rest of the Europe multiple times to hold discussions on India's independence and the matters pertaining to the World Wars. He published articles, gave interviews to the press, and held talks with the world leaders. His reputation on global level helped push the British to give India independence.
Gandhi visited Bengal numerous times in his life. Being the most prominent British colony in India, Bengal was the hub of intellectuals and freedom-fighters. He also had numerous discussions with the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and also conducted public meetings.
After the widespread riots and communal violence in Bihar and Bengal, Gandhi visited the affected areas, relief camps, and appealed for harmony. He met and had discussions with the regional leaders and consistently tried to bring in peace. He also embarked on fast to do penance over the communal violence.
There is one thing that Gandhi was absolutely sure about - 'Real change comes from within'! Regardless the chaotic world outside, if your heart is at peace, it will slowly promulgate peace around. You may be a housewife or a student, you may be an employee or a businessman, your initiative of embracing the Gandhian principles of Truth, Non-violence, and Peace, will create a world that Gandhi dreamt about.
Share it with everyone so that the world can appreciate and learn from it.
The biggest problem is changing behavior of the people. All the families in my society used to throw their garbage right outside our main gate... Read More
One of the young office boy working in my office was addicted to alcohol since some years. His addiction was causing financial, social, and he... Read More
Gandhi was a leader whom people respected from the heart. Even the British officials considered him an able politician and statesman. He was confident about leading India's freedom struggle and he also inspired people to be moral and spiritual.
On the spiritual front, Gandhi did a lot of deliberation and experimentation to attain spiritual enlightenment. But he out-right rejected the idea that he was a saint. In fact, Gandhi believed that he was a politician who is studying the nuances of spirituality.
Prior to independence, India was reeling under the social evil of 'Untouchability'. There was rampant discrimination among the upper casts and lower casts. Mahatma Gandhi believed that India's Economy would not sustain if the weakest and most vulnerable sections of the society are left behind.
To bring in a social revolution, Gandhi invited 'Untouchables' to live with him in the Sabarmati Ashram. He also started publishing 'Harijan' Journal in English, Gujarati, and Hindi. And became the inspiration for opening up of Temples, Wells, and Schools for the 'Untouchables'.
Even though Gandhi is celebrated worldwide for his revolutionary ideas; some people disagreed with his ideas even then and some people disagree even today. And over the time, a sense of confusion has been developed which needs to be cleared out.
Gandhi was a crusader for the cause of Unity, Equality, and Harmony; he never approved of India's partition. But he was aware that he was not the only leader of Indians. And when all the leaders failed to reach to a consensus at The Shimla Conference 1945, partition became inevitable.
One lie can trap you in the maze of so many lies; and still, in the end, only the truth triumphs! And when you speak the truth, you do not fear anything else. Gandhi was one of the biggest believers of the Truth. He believed that 'Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.'
Gandhi invented an innovative way of peaceful protesting called 'Satyagraha', which means 'Holding on to the truth'. He also named his autobiography 'Experiments with Truth'.
While India was under British rule, Gandhi inspired Indians by saying that one hundred thousand need not frighten three hundred million human beings. He believed in the collective strength and knew that India was far more powerful than the British.
Still, he believed in the definite forgiveness for the British, because it would mean definite recognition of India's strength. He said, "Forgiveness is manlier than punishment, forgiveness adorns a soldier. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
Gandhi's life has been the golden book of truth, peace, and non-violence.
In South Africa, Gandhi led a first-of-its-kind non-violent mass protest against the law that forced Asian people to undergo compulsory registration or they would be deported. Thousands of people ceased their work and gathered on the venue in peaceful protests. And the law was finally repealed.
This was the birth of one of the greatest ideas of modern times, the non-violent peaceful protests called 'Satyagraha'.
Not just a champion politician, Gandhi was also an ardent thinker and philosopher. He published his views on a vast range of topics such as Education, Spirituality, Economy, Sustainability, and Globalization, etc.
On health and physical fitness, he believed that a person with extra ordinary physical strength is not necessarily healthy. He also described the ways to be healthy and maintain good health for a long time, through his experiments.
Gandhi was totally against racial or any other sort of discrimination that still exists in the world that we live in. He consistently tried to help the oppressed people to get their fundamental rights.
The first black President of the US, Barack Obama is one of the many world leaders today who are influenced by Gandhian principles. Addressing people ahead of the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela, he said that a world governed by such principles can achieve more peace and more cooperation in pursuits of a common good.
Gandhi led several protests against unjust laws and government policies, but he always made sure that the protesters follow non-violence. Gandhi was against creating discomfort in other people's lives, even for a worthy cause.
The protesters in Japan knew that if the bus service is suspended, actually thousands of people will suffer the consequences and not the bus company. So, they devised a new way of non-cooperation movement by completing their routes without collecting the fare.
Not only political and constitutional revolution, Gandhi also advocated for the evolution of people's everyday lifestyle, to be as more sustainable as possible.
Scientists have developed the NOWAH technology that helps a person reuse the organic waste as fertilizer and thus help in sustaining the environment. This is an award-winning project which can be implemented in every house easily. This is the innovation based on Gandhian principles.
The world is today talking about development, infrastructure, economy, and energy; but Gandhi believed in creating self-sufficient model of development.
Through self-sufficient development, humanity can address so many problems that are derogatory for the society as well as the nature. Problems like Pollution, Energy Deficit, Solid Waste Disposal, Climate Change, and Over Population can be very well tackled by the Gandhian way of development.
One of Gandhi's biggest discovery was the model of non-violent protests which became famous world over by the name 'Satyagraha'.
After the world witnessed two biggest wars and oppression of people, Gandhian ideas inspired the leaders of so many different countries, to press the European Empires for liberation. In a way, his was the first step that culminated in Decolonisation of the entire world.
Gandhi understood that service should be the ultimate aim of all the education system. This way the newer generations would have more compassion, humility, and willingness to help other people as well as creatures.
If service to the society is the ultimate goal for young people, the world will become most wonderful place to live, Gandhi believed.
The biggest problem is changing behavior of the people. All the families in my society used to throw their garbage right outside our main gate. It stank and irritated everybody but no one tried to change their habits. One day I gathered a few young boys, mostly students, living in the society. We took initiative for segregating the organic waste and other waste, and also taught the families how to do that using 2 different bins for each. With the municipal corporation, we made sure that the organic waste is reprocessed while the other waste is disposed off safely. It took some efforts but now more than 30 families are breathing beautiful air. Totally worth it!
One of the young office boy working in my office was addicted to alcohol since some years. His addiction was causing financial, social, and health problems but despite being advised by numerous people, at the end of the day he surrendered to it. Once I had a chance to talk with him, I asked if he had any problems? He narrated his growing up years and the bad experiences he had, which had pushed him to seek psychological support in liquor. I narrated him a few stories of Gandhi, how he absorbed the bad experiences and managed to remain positively focused to the goals. I told him that our sufferings don’t give us the right to make others suffer. He learned that he was harming so many people around unknowingly. But he’s fine now, and a true fan of Gandhi I guess.
Born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar city. His father served as a government official and his mother was homemaker. He was an average student with almost no interest in sports. In 1883, at the age of 13, he was married to Kasturbai, with whom he had 4 children.
In September 1888, he left for London, to study law at the Inner Temple. Here he came across members of the Theosophical Society with whom he explored the cause of universal brotherhood and humanity. In June 1891, he received a call to the bar, and successfully became Barrister.
He left to practice law in South Africa in April 1893, where he constantly faced instances of racism and discrimination by colonial officials. Here he founded 'Indian Natal Congress' and unified the Indian community to fight for their rights and developed the 'Satyagraha' method of protesting.
He returned back to India and joined Indian National Congress on the request of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He took the leadership of INC and declared independence of India in 1930. He led numerous marches, non-cooperation movements, fasts, and negotiations with the British, until India got independence.
On 30 January 1948, an extremist named Nathuram Godse shot three bullets into his chest from close distance. Millions of Indians attended his funeral. His ashes were sent all over India and the world. They were immersed in the water of the Nile river in Uganda and also at Clifford Pier in Singapore.
Protesting against the unjustified taxes and laws that were imposed on Indian community, Gandhi led 127 women, 57 children and around 2,000 men across the Transvaal border. He was arrested three times and was subsequently released on bail. The protests forced General Jan Smuts to set up a commission on the Indian Relief Act.
To protest against a tax law imposed on salt production declaring the salt reclamation activities illegal, Gandhi embarked on a 390 km long march in April 1930. 80 Satyagrahis and thousands of people joined him in the march and over 60,000 people were arrested. The Time Magazine declared Gandhi 'Man of the year' in 1930.
In 1917, protesting against the law that forced the tenant farmers to grow Indigo on a portion of their farms, Gandhi started the first Satyagraha in Bihar's Champaran. He launched a string of sanitation, education, and healthcare reforms for their welfare. Finally, the government had to rollback taxes and give compensation to the farmers.
To protest the high taxes in the wake of famine, crop failure, and plague epidemic in India, Gandhi embarked on the second Satyagraha at Kheda district [Gujarat] in 1918. People joined the movement and refused to pay taxes. As a result, the government had to declare tax exemption for 2 years and return the confiscated property.
After he arrived in India, he set off on a nationwide tour to understand India and the people. From West to East and from North to South, he travelled throughout the country and understood the famous 'Unity in Diversity' of India. He created the groundwork for the Independence Movement through this tour.
Gandhi visited London and the rest of the Europe multiple times to hold discussions on India's independence and the matters pertaining to the World Wars. He published articles, gave interviews to the press, and held talks with the world leaders. His reputation on global level helped push the British to give India independence.
Gandhi visited Bengal numerous times in his life. Being the most prominent British colony in India, Bengal was the hub of intellectuals and freedom-fighters. He also had numerous discussions with the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and also conducted public meetings.
After the widespread riots and communal violence in Bihar and Bengal, Gandhi visited the affected areas, relief camps, and appealed for harmony. He met and had discussions with the regional leaders and consistently tried to bring in peace. He also embarked on fast to do penance over the communal violence.