Biography
Gandhi was not always known as Mahatma. Born on October 2, 1869, his mother gave him the name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. His family was Hindu Modh and they lived in a northwestern coastal city called Porbander, Gujarat . Mohandas’ father was a prime minister to a local ruler. His mother was a very religious woman who had a large influence on her children. She joined the pacifist teachings of mutual tolerance and believed in non-injury to living beings. She was a devout Hindu – she was a strict vegetarian and spent many days fasting. Mohandas was the youngest of his family. He was a mediocre student and liked to experiment in breaking the the norm. He would smoke cigarettes and eat meat. One thing that he learned from his mother was honesty. He always told the truth, even at times when it was not helpful. At age 13 he was put into an arranged marriage with another 13 year old Kasturba Makhanji. They had their first child in 1888. Mohandas went to school at Salmandas College and then to University of Bombay. When he was 18 years old he decided to look for other options in life.
Mohandas wanted more out of life, so he traveled to England in pursuit of a law degree. He studied at University College London. He was excited to experience the Englishman lifestyle, but he soon found out it was not as he expected. Past his days of experimenting with meat, Gandhi would go days without eating because he couldn’t find any place to eat that didn’t serve meat. In London he was very out of place. Instead of trying to fit in with the white men, Gandhi went back to his roots and turned toward Hinduism. He read the Gita, a Hindu script. It was very influential on Gandhi as he formed his beliefs around truth and love. Living in England prepped and educated Gandhi for his future.
In 1893 Gandhi was hired by an Indian business man Dada Abdulla to work for an Indian law firm in Natal, South Africa. There were 65,000 Indians living in South Africa when Gandhi arrived. They were discriminated against by the white Europeans. Gandhi first felt a taste of this when he had a first class ticket on a train ride. He was asked to move to third class because of his skin color, and when he refused he got kicked off the train. From that point Gandhi wanted to fight against the discriminatory laws. He stated “I should try, if possible, to root out the disease and suffer hardships in the process.” Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa, during this time he founded Natal Indian Congress, developed his belief of non-violence civil protest into a political stance, and created his first ashram, Phoenix farm. Phoenix farm was a simple laboring community, influenced by a monks monastery. He would go on to create more of these ashrams in South Africa and India. During the Zulu uprising, Gandhi and followers helped by giving medical aid to the wounded soldiers. He decided to spend the rest of his life serving humanity. He adopted three values that he would follow the rest of his life: brahmacharya (permanent celibacy), ahimsa (non- violence in all living things), and satyagraha (the force of truth and love). Also while in South Africa, Gandhi led and 8 year campaign of civil disobedience in which hundreds of Indians went to jail and striking miners were imprisoned or shot. He accomplished a compromise with the Governor of South Africa to have recognition for Indian marriages and abolition of poll tax for Indians.
When Gandhi returned to his homeland of India in early 1915, he was already well- known as the hero of Indian struggles in South Africa. The poet Rabindranath Tagore dubbed him “Mahatma,” meaning “Great Soul.” He continued his nonviolent civil disobedience in India. He traveled for a year helping with local struggles. At an indigo farm called Champaran, Gandhi was able to improve conditions for the peasants living and working there by peacefully collecting evidence. In 1918 he raised awareness of oppressive practices in Bihar. In Ahmedabad he helped conditions of a textile factory by fasting for three days to get the workers and owners to agree on a wage. Gandhi led opposition to repressive legislation such as the Rowletts Act in 1919. He wrote the report of the Punjab Congress Inquiry Committee. He joined the Indian National Congress as a leader of the non-cooperation movement and created massive organizations to boycott British manufacturers. He told people to go on peace strikes, and to wear Indian handloom textiles instead. He created a spinning wheel and machine to make cotton cloth called Khadi. The wheel symbolized Law for Buddha, India’s independence form commercial power, and is now part of the Indian flag. Gandhi would walk for miles in silent protest of taxes. He asked for Indians to withdraw from British institutions. He was arrested in 1922 with charges of sedition and was put in prison for six years. He didn’t mind being in prison because it was a place to think and read. In 1925 he was released because of appendicitis.
In 1930 Ghandi lead a civil disobedience campaign against the colonial governor’s tax on salt, which was hurting the poor citizens of India. He sent a letter of warning to British Viceroy Lord Irwin to let him know about the civil disobedience about to happen. On March 12 Gandhi and 8 disciples began a walk to the Dandi Sea from his ashram. Along the way they picked up more followers from the villages. Upon arriving at the sea on April 5, they prayed and began to collect salt water to make their own salt. Gandhi and his followers were arrested. Picking up the salt became a symbol that started a movement. This was to be the spark of hope for Indian Independence. Across the country Indians started their own salt marches and making their own salt. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931 ended the civil disobedience, released the salt prisoners, and allowed limited salt making.
Gandhi’s other goals in India included preserving Hindu-Muslim relations and social reform. Gandhi used newspapers and journalism to share his ideas and beliefs. Gandhi started the fight against discrimination of untouchables at his ashram. He believed in unity for India, no matter what religion or social class. In 1932 while he was in prison, Gandhi announced his fast until death against the separate electorate for the Untouchables. He went on many hunger strikes for the poor class of India, also known as the Untouchables. One day in jail in 1933 a voice told him to fast for 21 days, so he did and he was released from jail because of his health. His work caused social reforms by the Hindu community and the Government.
India gained Independence on August 15, 1947. By then Gandhi was a nationally known figure. His last fast was to end the violence in Calcutta between Hindus and Muslims. Not long after that fast, Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Godse opposed the ideas of ahimsa for the Hindu community. This happened on January 30, 1948, in Delhi. It was clear how much of an impact Gandhi had made on India by his funeral procession, which went around Deli for 5 hours watched by millions of people.
Mohandas wanted more out of life, so he traveled to England in pursuit of a law degree. He studied at University College London. He was excited to experience the Englishman lifestyle, but he soon found out it was not as he expected. Past his days of experimenting with meat, Gandhi would go days without eating because he couldn’t find any place to eat that didn’t serve meat. In London he was very out of place. Instead of trying to fit in with the white men, Gandhi went back to his roots and turned toward Hinduism. He read the Gita, a Hindu script. It was very influential on Gandhi as he formed his beliefs around truth and love. Living in England prepped and educated Gandhi for his future.
In 1893 Gandhi was hired by an Indian business man Dada Abdulla to work for an Indian law firm in Natal, South Africa. There were 65,000 Indians living in South Africa when Gandhi arrived. They were discriminated against by the white Europeans. Gandhi first felt a taste of this when he had a first class ticket on a train ride. He was asked to move to third class because of his skin color, and when he refused he got kicked off the train. From that point Gandhi wanted to fight against the discriminatory laws. He stated “I should try, if possible, to root out the disease and suffer hardships in the process.” Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa, during this time he founded Natal Indian Congress, developed his belief of non-violence civil protest into a political stance, and created his first ashram, Phoenix farm. Phoenix farm was a simple laboring community, influenced by a monks monastery. He would go on to create more of these ashrams in South Africa and India. During the Zulu uprising, Gandhi and followers helped by giving medical aid to the wounded soldiers. He decided to spend the rest of his life serving humanity. He adopted three values that he would follow the rest of his life: brahmacharya (permanent celibacy), ahimsa (non- violence in all living things), and satyagraha (the force of truth and love). Also while in South Africa, Gandhi led and 8 year campaign of civil disobedience in which hundreds of Indians went to jail and striking miners were imprisoned or shot. He accomplished a compromise with the Governor of South Africa to have recognition for Indian marriages and abolition of poll tax for Indians.
When Gandhi returned to his homeland of India in early 1915, he was already well- known as the hero of Indian struggles in South Africa. The poet Rabindranath Tagore dubbed him “Mahatma,” meaning “Great Soul.” He continued his nonviolent civil disobedience in India. He traveled for a year helping with local struggles. At an indigo farm called Champaran, Gandhi was able to improve conditions for the peasants living and working there by peacefully collecting evidence. In 1918 he raised awareness of oppressive practices in Bihar. In Ahmedabad he helped conditions of a textile factory by fasting for three days to get the workers and owners to agree on a wage. Gandhi led opposition to repressive legislation such as the Rowletts Act in 1919. He wrote the report of the Punjab Congress Inquiry Committee. He joined the Indian National Congress as a leader of the non-cooperation movement and created massive organizations to boycott British manufacturers. He told people to go on peace strikes, and to wear Indian handloom textiles instead. He created a spinning wheel and machine to make cotton cloth called Khadi. The wheel symbolized Law for Buddha, India’s independence form commercial power, and is now part of the Indian flag. Gandhi would walk for miles in silent protest of taxes. He asked for Indians to withdraw from British institutions. He was arrested in 1922 with charges of sedition and was put in prison for six years. He didn’t mind being in prison because it was a place to think and read. In 1925 he was released because of appendicitis.
In 1930 Ghandi lead a civil disobedience campaign against the colonial governor’s tax on salt, which was hurting the poor citizens of India. He sent a letter of warning to British Viceroy Lord Irwin to let him know about the civil disobedience about to happen. On March 12 Gandhi and 8 disciples began a walk to the Dandi Sea from his ashram. Along the way they picked up more followers from the villages. Upon arriving at the sea on April 5, they prayed and began to collect salt water to make their own salt. Gandhi and his followers were arrested. Picking up the salt became a symbol that started a movement. This was to be the spark of hope for Indian Independence. Across the country Indians started their own salt marches and making their own salt. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931 ended the civil disobedience, released the salt prisoners, and allowed limited salt making.
Gandhi’s other goals in India included preserving Hindu-Muslim relations and social reform. Gandhi used newspapers and journalism to share his ideas and beliefs. Gandhi started the fight against discrimination of untouchables at his ashram. He believed in unity for India, no matter what religion or social class. In 1932 while he was in prison, Gandhi announced his fast until death against the separate electorate for the Untouchables. He went on many hunger strikes for the poor class of India, also known as the Untouchables. One day in jail in 1933 a voice told him to fast for 21 days, so he did and he was released from jail because of his health. His work caused social reforms by the Hindu community and the Government.
India gained Independence on August 15, 1947. By then Gandhi was a nationally known figure. His last fast was to end the violence in Calcutta between Hindus and Muslims. Not long after that fast, Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Godse opposed the ideas of ahimsa for the Hindu community. This happened on January 30, 1948, in Delhi. It was clear how much of an impact Gandhi had made on India by his funeral procession, which went around Deli for 5 hours watched by millions of people.