Omkar Dattatray
Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869 at Porbander located in Gujarat.His father’s name was Karam Chand Uttam Chand Gandhi who served as Deewan (Prime Minister).
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest men the world ever produced. Mahatma Gandhi is also known as Bapu and was held in high esteem not only in India but was respected and revered in the whole world. Gandhi is the greatest man in the Indian history unarguably. The way he shaped and gave direction to Indian freedom struggle is worthy of standing ovation.
He sacrificed his life for the freedom and secularism of the country. Mahatma Gandhi is popularly called the father of the nation-Rashtra Pita. The respect that he earned for himself despite leading a simple life is appreciable. His non-violent ways and peaceful methods & means were the foundation for gaining freedom from the British.Gandhi was a multifaceted personality.
Bapu was a leader, politician, saint, philosopher, thinker, writer, social reformer, advocate, educationist, the true follower of Bhagwad Gita and what not. It is very difficult to pen down his personality in few words. Gandhi was the educationist par excellence and his scheme of basic education is the corner stone of Indian education system.
His was a divine personality. His simple living and high thinking has inspired of people in India and abroad. Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader of India and his novel technique of non -violent agitation which he called Satyagraha or moral domination was the basic characteristic of his personality and functioning. United Nations international day of non-violence is also held on October 2nd each year to coincide with the Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
Gandhi is also called the father of the Indian independence movement. He was the man who preached and practiced non-violence and inspired millions around the world and even the Americas own apostle of peace Martin Luther King was inspired by Gandhi. Though one may not typically think of Gandhi as a philosopher,he was in fact a profound philosophical thinker. He was not an academic philosopher. But he wrote a lot and so he can be called a philosopher.
Gandhi was a great and prolific writer and had written many books and articles.He had written his autobiography entitled. My experiments with truth, Truthfulness were the corner stone of his thinking, philosophy and personality.He has said, “There is no good higher than truth”. Though Gandhi was not a typical philosopher but his philosophy and thinking changed history in a dramatic way.He was a strong and staunch Hindu and believed in equal respect to all religions.Bapu was a great freedom fighter who fought through non-violence.
He was married to Kasturba Gandhi.Gandhi went to South Africa after marriage and worked there for twenty long years. There he had his first feel of the apartheid. He vowed to erase the apartheid from the face of the globe. His contribution to freedom struggle of India cannot be exaggerated. He started his non-cooperation movement which officially began Gandhian era in India. It was one of the series of the non violent protests nationwide.
It made Indians aware that British can be opposed and it works as a check on them. Civil disobedience movement was another non-violent movement spearheaded by Gandhi. It was more active than the non cooperation movement .It brought a revolution in the country. It was agitation against land revenue, abolition of salt tax, cutting down of military expenditure, leaving duty on the foreign clothes etc. Salt satyagraha was important part of this movement. Gandhi took to Dandhi March as a protest against the salt tax.He started Quite India movement in 1942.Its aim was to bring the British government to a negotiating table. A call for immediate independence was given.
The slogan of do or die was adopted. Gandhi went to fast for twenty one days to secure release of those jailed and got them released. Entire India was united in the movement for freedom. Besides a freedom fighter Gandhi the slogan of complete freedom was given.
India got freedom on 15th august 1947 after making much sacrifices and efforts. Besides a freedom fighter Gandhi was against the practice of untouchability. He revered the weak, down trodden, and the people belonging the lower castes. He gave the lower castes the name of Harijan. He was a true Hindu and BhagwadGita was his guru. He was believer of Hindu- Muslim unity and was the true secularist that India ever produced. Gandhi was the believer in Sanatan Dharma. He was an economist as well and believed that small scale and rural and handicraft industries can bring great revolution in rural economy. He was the advocate of cottage and small scale and tiny industry.
Gandhi Ji did not believe in religious education but believed in the imparting of education about religions. He was of the view that there should be religious and righteous minded people in politics. He had asked for disbanding of Indian National congress soon after freedom. Gandhi had penned down many books. His was a practical and pragmatic personality.
His love and crusade for cleanliness and sanitation is famous throughout India. He believed in the principle of work is worship and also emphasized the principle of the service of mankind and believed that service to man is service to God. Bapu was a staunch supporter of Khadhi and village industry and used to spun cotton himself with charkha-wooden wheel. Gandhi ji was a multi-dimensional personality. He was a politician, leader, statesman, philosopher, thinker, educationist, saint, social reformer and above all a freedom fighter.
Albert Eienten has rightly remarked that future generation will wonder if ever such a man has walked on the earth. Alas, this man of peace was assassinated by a fanatic NathuramGodasse on January 30, 1948 and the whole nation wept and wailed and mourned his death so the day is remembered as Martyr Day. Let us imbibe the life and teachings of Gandhi and make India of his dreams. That will be a befitting tribute to this great man on his birthday.
(The author is retired
education officer).
