Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) always pursued truth, as he put it. He became a national hero by liberating his country, India, from British rule and set an example for the world with his philosophy of passive resistance.
If they saw his shy demeanor in childhood, they would scoff and say, "Is this the man who led India to independence?" However, Mahatma Gandhi, a shy child who couldn't read or write, underwent an education from his devout mother, who had a strong influence on her son after his father's death. After completing his education, he went to England to study law. He had not shown the slightest hint of leadership until then. During his time in England, he was closely associated with vegetarian societies, and it was during this time that they asked him to translate the Bhagavad Gita, a work of Indian literature. Gandhi, translating the Gita, felt proud for the first time because he was an Indian. Alongside the Gita, Gandhi, who was greatly influenced by the Bible, did not hesitate to criticize both the Bible and the Gita when necessary.
When his education was complete, his business in England was finished. He then went to the southern tip of Africa, South Africa, for internship training. Here, he would experience the shock of his life when he saw that the majority of the population, composed of blacks, were suffering under the racist apartheid regime of the whites. It was in an environment like this that the first spark of rebellion ignited within him. He began working as a lawyer. During this period, he experienced the first protests and acts of civil disobedience in the country, which are now attributed to him.
After spending 21 years in South Africa, when he returned to India in 1915, he was already one of the leaders of the Indian nationalist movement. They were trying to make their demands for self-governance heard in London. Meanwhile, Gandhi's popularity continued to rise, and in the eyes of his followers, Mahatma had become the "great soul". The two-day national strikes he led began to disrupt the British colonial administration's affairs. Despite the increasing opposition, the British faced an enemy unlike any they had seen before - a community that did not make aggressive moves, that did not fight back, that only said, "Leave us to ourselves."
Gandhi's approach was not to attack the British and expel them from our country. His approach was for India to be governed by its own people. Gandhi wanted to solve this matter without causing harm to anyone, to the extent that if he heard that rebellion, violence, or unrest were involved, he would immediately cancel the general strike calls.
In 1930, the Indian leader who raised the stakes on the path to independence started the famous Salt March. His reason was the constant exploitation of the citizens' pockets by the British monopoly on salt, Gandhi said. He went to the Indian Ocean and declared that they would produce their own salt. This rebellion targeting British regulations did not go unanswered. After this march, the British imprisoned hundreds of Gandhi's supporters who had reached the sea. While the salt campaign continued, some Indians suspended their own independence movement after hearing about the killing of British civilians. Gandhi believed that the people were not ready for independence. This overly delicate approach broke the hearts of many supporters and caused divisions in the movement.
After World War II, the British began to mention granting independence to India. However, there was a problem in coexisting with Muslims and Hindus. The reason was that Hindus did not show enough understanding for the demands and sensitivities of Muslims. In this environment, the leader of the Indian Muslims, Jinnah, and the British began to suggest that they could create Pakistan from within India. However, Gandhi was against division. He rolled up his sleeves to demonstrate that they could live together with Muslims. In prayer ceremonies he organized, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians worshiped side by side, but this did not change the reality, and in the end, he agreed to the partition.
The architect of civil disobedience against the British, Gandhi, instructed his supporters to engage in civil disobedience and passive resistance in all areas, leading to a complete halt of all activities in the country. Since the workers were mostly Indians, thanks to passive resistance, all work in the country came to a standstill, and due to disruptions, the British finally gave up, and India gained full independence.
The leader who pioneered civil disobedience was not only against the British but also raised a flag against the unshakeable caste system in India. He particularly concerned himself with the situation of the lowest class (known as the "untouchables"). When Gandhi was 78 years old, he began fasting once again to stop the violence among his supporters. He put an end to the conflict, but ten days after the end of the conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi, who supported Muslims and untouchables, was assassinated by a Hindu Brahmin who was angered by his support.
Gandhi primarily lived on fruits, goat's milk, and olive oil. He drew inspiration for his tactic of civil disobedience from the experiences of an American, becoming a source of inspiration for many leaders. Since Gandhi was assassinated before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the award was not given to anyone that year.
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