Revered the world over for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “the great-souled one.” He began his activism as an Indian immigrant in South Africa in the early 1900s, and in the years following World War I became the leading figure.
MAHATMA GANDHI: LIFE AND HIS MESSAGE
His Words
" I could not be leading a religious life unless I identified myself with the whole of mankind, and that I could not do unless I took part in politics. The whole gamut of man's activities today constitutes an indivisible whole. You cannot divide social, economic, political and purely religious work into watertight compartments. I do not know any religion apart from human activity. It provides a moral basis to all other activities which they would otherwise lack, reducing life to a maze of 'sound and fury signifying nothing'. "
So much has already been said and written about Mahatma Gandhi. The depth of his personality and range of his work also make it difficult to decide what aspect of his life or work to focus on. There are four aspects of his thought and message, which are of increasing relevance in today’s world. Tolerance, Pluralism The first is his belief in tolerance.
" I could not be leading a religious life unless I identified myself with the whole of mankind, and that I could not do unless I took part in politics. The whole gamut of man's activities today constitutes an indivisible whole. You cannot divide social, economic, political and purely religious work into watertight compartments. I do not know any religion apart from human activity. It provides a moral basis to all other activities which they would otherwise lack, reducing life to a maze of 'sound and fury signifying nothing'. "
So much has already been said and written about Mahatma Gandhi. The depth of his personality and range of his work also make it difficult to decide what aspect of his life or work to focus on. There are four aspects of his thought and message, which are of increasing relevance in today’s world. Tolerance, Pluralism The first is his belief in tolerance.
Rama Rama
On January 18 a peace committee,
representing all communities met and signed a pact pledging unity and the
protection of life, property and faith to the Muslim minority.
Gandhi was informed of the pledge
and he broke his fast.
Gandhi was staying at Birla House.
Every evening he held a prayer meeting in the grounds.
During his prayer meeting on
January 20, a bomb was thrown at him, but it missed its target. Gandhi
constituted his prayer meeting as if nothing had happened.
“Bapuji, a bomb exploded near you,
said a voice.
“Really?” Gandhi said.” Perhaps
some poor fanatic threw it. Let no one look down on him”.
On January 30, after a midday nap,
Gandhi woke up at 3.30 p.m. The whole day he had had a stream of visitors.
Sardar Patel went to see him at 4 o’clock. Nehru and Azad were to come after
the evening prayers.
Spiritual Tragedy
On June 3, 1947, Attlee, the
British Prime Minister, announced the plan for partition. The Congress and the
Muslim League accepted it.
For Gandhi it was a spiritual
tragedy. With infinite sadness he said, “All India must accept Pakistan in loving
resignation. We have no choice. Hindus must lead the way to a friendly
settlement.”
Lord Mountbatten, the last British
Viceroy, was anxious not to delay the ushering in of Independent India and
Independent Pakistan. He shortened the time limit for the British to quit
India. The date for the declaration of Indian Independence was fixed for August
15, 1947.
On that day, India’s long struggle
and suffering for freedom was over. A new nation, although non- violence.’
Gandhi had never given his approval
to partition, but when it was done he accepted it and did everything possible
for the attainment of Hindu-Muslim friendship. Yet the tension between Hindus
and Muslims was on the rise.
As a result of partition over 7,
00,000 Hindus, Sikhs, and other non-Muslims in Pakistan, fearing the Muslims,
left their homes and set out towards India. From India about the same number of
Muslims, fearing the Hindus left their homes for Pakistan. The miseries
attendant on this mass migration, one of the greatest in history, were
manifold. Over 1, 50,000 people on the move were exposed to starvation, disease
and massacre on the way.
Gandhi was on his way o the Punjab
when he stopped in Delhi hoping to quell the riots that had broken out there.
He was very distressed at the inhuman way the Delhi Hindus were treating the
Muslims.
Gandhi’s gospel of forbearance and
forgiveness towards Muslims marked him as a traitor in the eyes of many Hindu
extremists. In the face of fanatical opposition, Gandhi redoubled his efforts
and the major disturbances in Delhi subsided, but there were still troubles
here and there.
Gandhi decided to do penance by
fasting which he thought would bring about a change in the attitude of the
Hindu fanatics. The fast began on January 13, 1948 there was gloom all over
India at the news of Gandhi’s fast.
People though that he would not be
able to survive another fast. The whole world watched as 78- year- old Gandhi
fasted to save his country from destruction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)