Gandhi Project

Mohondos Karamchand Gandhi Project



Mahatma Gandhi was a major leader of Indian independence. He was a spiritual and political leader in India. He was the pioneer of 'Satyagraha' , which means resistance to tyranny through civil disobedience. In other words, to resist the oppressive and cruel government by not listening or obeying the laws of the government. This was Gandhi's peaceful way of protesting. He called Satyagraha his "non-violent weapon".

Gandhi was born in Porbander, Gujarat in 1869, on October 2nd. Gandhi's birthday is now a national holiday for Indians. It is known as Gandhi Jayanti. He was a Hindu. His mother's name was Pulitibal, and father, Karamchand. Karamchand had 4 wives. 3 of them died in childbirth. Pulitibal was the only survivor. Gandhi did not have any siblings, or half siblings. Mahatma is not part of Gandhi's name, but a title given to him by the Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, when Gandhi got his reputation. Mahatma means " Great Soul". His real name was Mohondos Karamchand Gandhi. At the age of thirteen Gandhi married fourteen-year-old Kasturba Malhilah in an arranged marriage made by their parents. Mohondos Gandhi and Katurba had four male children. Hanilal was born in 1888. Manilal was born in 1892. Ramdas was born in 1897. Devdas was born in 1900. They had another child but he died only a few days after birth. At the age of 19 Gandhi went to London to train as a barrister. He was very shy so he would have been afraid in court and wouldn't have been a very good lawyer. Before he went to London he made a vow to his mother not to drink alcohol, eat meat, or be promiscuous. In London he joined the Vegetarian Society. He could not stomach his land-lady's cabbage and mutton. He was happy in London.


After Gandhi got his degree he went to South Africa. In South Africa Indians didn't have civil rights. In South Africa he was treated like he was inferior because he was Indian. One day in South Africa, Gandhi was denied a seat on a train by the racist, caucasian driver just because Gandhi wasn't caucasian. Gandhi sued the Railroad Company and won. The South Africans threw Gandhi in jail many times because he was protesting Indian's rights by using Satyagraha. He realized by doing Satyagraha in South Africa that it might also be used to free India from the British rule. Because of Gandhi, the Indians in South Africa probably saw how they could make a change to not be discriminated against. He believed in 'ahimsa' which means non-violence.

The British ruled from 1858 to 1947. When the British were ruling India Indians were discriminated against. Gandhi thought that Indians shouldn't be treated like slaves. When he came back from India he started to gather peasants, farmers, and urban laborers to protest against the British.

Gandhi had many beliefs on how you should live. Gandhi's belief was that you should never tell lies. He lived in a self-sufficient community. He was a vegetarian. He took fasts, meaning he did not eat for as long as 2 months at a time. Gandhi fasted to protest. He thought that you should make your own clothes, because that made you self-sufficient. Satyagraha spread through India at lightning speed, gathering millions of followers throughout the country. More and more people protested because Gandhi told others to do the same. There was need for that to happen so that they could make the British leave. Indians in public office resigned and children were removed from government schools. Streets were blocked by squatting Indians who refused to rise even when beaten. They were protesting for the British to leave India.
Gandhi ended Untouchability which had been a tradition in India. Castes are hereditary classes of Hindu society, distinguished by ranks of ritual purity or pollution and of social status. The top are touchables and the bottom of the caste system are untouchables. He tried to raise the status of the untouchables who every one avoided. He gave the untouchables the name "Harijin" which means "Children Of God". Gandhi took a fast for 3 weeks to protest against untouchability.
He became leader of the National Congress Party in 1934. He started some campaigns for Indian Independence, expanding women's rights, poverty and building friendship between the religions. In 1922 he declared to the British to Quit India. In 1930 he led a 400km Dandi Salt March from Ahembad to the Arabian Sea. The Salt March was about the salt-tax, that prevented Indian people to get sea-salt from the ocean. It was a law the British made. Gandhi thought that the Indians should be able to get salt from the ocean, this is why Gandhi started the Salt March.

The Boer War was between India, South Africa, and Britain from 1880 to 1881. Gandhi commanded a Red Cross, which is a humanitarian organization that helps millions of people each year prevent, prepare for, and cope with emergencies. In 1910 he founded Tolstoy Farm. Tolstoy Farm was in Phoenix, and he set up little colonies to share his ideals with people. He is the national symbol of a free India, because he made the British leave India in 1947. He made the British leave by protesting against them using satyagraha. Gandhi went to jail because of his protests against the British in 1944. While he was in jail, his wife and secretary died. The British were soon forced to release him because Gandhi got a bad case of Malaria, and the British didn't want him to die in jail. Quit India was announced for the British to leave India in August 1947. On the 15th of August, 1947 the British left India.

Gandhi was deeply suspicious of the Muslim League. The Muslim League was a political party that led to the creation of Pakistan. Gandhi viewed the Muslim League as a precursor to Partition. Partition means that India and Pakistan were the same country, but got divided into India and Pakistan during Partition. The major religion that stayed in India were the Hindus, and some Hindus came down from the area that became Pakistan. The Muslims went to Pakistan. There was conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims. 5,000 people were killed in the conflict. It was a violent transition. Gandhi fasted for the last time to bring peace to the war between the Muslims and the Hindus.

Gandhi was killed on the 30th of January, 1948. He was 78 years old. He was killed by 3 pistol shots from Nauthraum Godse while taking his nightly walk. The reason Nauthraum shot him was because Nauthraum had links to the extremist Mahabatra Aluf, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India. Nauthraum was executed after Gandhi's death. Gandhi's ashes were put in urns which ended up all over the world.

After his death Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru said "Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country."