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Biography of Mahatma Gandhi
This puny and inexpressive man never had the levers of power, but he commanded millions with the help of a word and a personal example. Many of his actions were incomprehensible then and remain incomprehensible now. When he spoke out against the British and racial discrimination, the people carried him to the top and made him their god. When he directed the edge of his bloodless struggle against the prejudices of his nation, he was rejected. The violent death of Mahatma Gandhi could not change anything in the development of the state, but even by his departure he promoted reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims. If he had been killed by an Islamist, the fury of the Indians would have flared forever.
Colorless childhood
In the initial period of his biography, there are practically no events that I would like to dwell on. He was neither a brahman nor a kshatriya (the two highest castes of India) – he was a representative of the trade-craft class (vaishya). People of this caste are extremely curious and more likely to change. To do this, they have money and freedom from arrogance. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the son of the Prime Minister of the small Indian state of Gujarat, formally independent of Great Britain. He was born on October 2, 1969. From family traditions, he will perceive only vegetarianism, without feeding much interest in religion. At the age of 13, he is married to a peer named Kasturba, who will remain loyal to her husband until the end of her days, not fully understanding the meaning of his experiments on himself and the country.
In his autobiography, Gandhi does not hesitate to lay out facts that defame him. He calls love for a young wife a lustful passion that prevented him from being present at his father’s death. For the young man it was a shock that would stay with him until the end of his days. But youth despotically requires entertainment. Sent to study in England, he leads a secular lifestyle, drinks, smokes and even visits priestesses of love. It seems that he likes to be an Englishman more than a Hindu.
Return of the prodigal son
After receiving a law degree, Gandhi returned in 1891 to his homeland. But he is unable to find work in India, so he accepts the offer of a Muslim merchant to go to South Africa, a colony of the British Empire, to represent his interests. Here Gandhi experienced a shock that turned his whole life upside down.
A brand-dressed sales rep from a reputable company makes a business trip in the first class of a train. The conductor who came up mercilessly throws the Prime Minister’s son out of the car, despite the ticket purchased. After the owner flies his luggage. Such is the harsh reality of South Africa, where people with dark skin were forbidden to ride in first grade. At a small station, where young Gandhi freezes all night without money and baggage, his desire to change the world for the better is born. It is in South Africa that the rise to glory begins.
Satyagraha (non-violent resistance) crystallized in the Mahatma as a result of the re-discovery of India. He read the classics of Vedic literature (Bhagavadgita, Upanishads and Purana) at a rather mature age, moreover, in an English translation. In addition, the philosophical works of L.N. Tolstoy. Thus, the founder of the modern Indian state was the person who left, returned and succeeded in his native culture. The title “Mahatma” (Great Soul) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi received from the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore as a sign of respect. The surname of Gandhi is translated as “greengrocer, green merchant”.
Climb to glory
The fame of a noble Hindu, defending the rights of compatriots, reached India before Mahatma Gandhi himself. He himself arrives at his homeland in 1915 to travel around the country in a third-class carriage for another year. He was struck by the ignorance of the masses, the dirt in the toilets and on the streets. Gandhi believes that the reason for this – the British colonial power, which does not care about the standard of living of the population.
Legal education and personal charm promoted the Mahatma to the first roles in the Indian National Congress, which he led from 1921 to 1934. Most executives did not accept the non-violent methods of Gandhi. In addition, he strongly opposed caste discrimination against Indian society. Hallowed by a thousand-year tradition, this system penetrated deep into Indian society and was the basis of spiritual life. All his life, Gandhi fought against the shameful prejudice of his nation, but was never able to overcome it. Until now, India has difficulty parting with hard social partitions, refusing to equate untouchables to brahmans.
The British supported, and skillfully used the caste system, seeing in it an effective method of governing the country. That is why a handful of colonizers for so long managed to keep the millions of Indian people in enslavement. The Indian National Congress, which fought for independence, consisted exclusively of representatives of the higher castes and had no support from the lower strata of the population. It was out of the question for a brahman to come to an agreement with a Shudra (lower caste, consisting of servants and hired workers), and even more so with the untouchable. But they constituted the bulk of the population.
Nonviolent resistance
Gandhi organizes an ashram (Hindu religious community), where handicrafts are revived, and where there are no caste differences. The glory of the holy new quickly spread throughout India. He travels around the country in third-class carriages and goes on hunger strike in defense of the rights of the disadvantaged. According to his single word, millions rise to strikes and demonstrations. Gandhi is imprisoned as the mastermind behind the unrest. His star seemed to roll. But the enslavers themselves give him a reason to remind himself. After the British announce the creation of a commission to decide the fate of India, in which there is not a single Indian, this causes a general protest. Gandhi announces salt campaign. Together with his supporters, he goes on foot to the coast of the Arabian Sea to evaporate the salt. It was a protest against the monopoly of the British on the production of salt.
Killing gandhi
The reason for the murder was the adoption of a girl from the family of untouchables. It was an unforgivable violation of the taboo. On January 30, 1949, the Mahatma went out for evening prayer on the front lawn. The crowd gathered enthusiastically greeted him. The murderer who had come from the Brahmin caste took advantage of the turmoil and fired a “father of the people” three times. Mahatma Gandhi whispered: “O Rama! O Rama! ”And died on the spot, supported by nieces. Before his death, he managed to forgive his killer.
Mahatma Gandhi is considered the founder of the modern Indian state. He is honored as a god, but little has changed in the country itself. Conservative India has implemented almost nothing of the ideas of Gandhi. At the beginning of the 21st century, social dividers are still very high, and public toilets are similar to the fiend of hell. Relations with Pakistan are still tense. India remains a country of wild contrasts, where millions of untouchables do not have a roof over their heads and do not even know what kind of world they live in. Young brahmans go to study in the EU and the USA and become highly skilled programmers at home and abroad. However, they all remember Mahatma Gandhi, which means they remember his dreams, which will someday become a reality.
Famous sayings of Mahatma Gandhi
Spiritual relationships are much more valuable than physical ones. A physical relationship without spiritual is the same as a body without a soul
Raising children begins with conception. The physical and spiritual state of the parents at the moment of conception is reflected in the child. Then, during the pregnancy, the child is influenced by the mood of the mother, her desires and character, as well as her lifestyle. After birth, the child begins to imitate his parents, and for many years his development depends entirely on them.
… truth is as hard as a diamond, and as gentle as a flower.