Essays

India has given us leaders and saintly persons like Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Nanak, Kabir, Dayanand Saraswati, Vivekananda, Vinoba Bhave and Gandhi. The last named has been an illustrious son of India. He dedicated his life to the service of the country. Gandhi can be bracketed with Christ, Buddha and Nanak who changed the course of human history by their life and teachings.

Like Socrates, Gandhi had a great passion for truth. He believed that in the final truth always triumphs. No matter what he wanted the people to always speak the truth. His autobiography. My Experiments with Truth, shows he became a lifelong devotee of truth.

He was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbunder is Gujarat. Some people loved him like a father and lovingly called him Bapu. Later, people started calling him Father of the Nation. He believed in simple living and high thinking. His humility was proverbial. In later years, recognising the great soul in him, the British gave him the title of Mahatma.

Gandhi imbibed spiritual qualities from his mother, Putii Bai who was a very religious lady. In his school days, Gandhi was an average student. Extra-curricular activities did not interest him much. He passed his matriculation examination in 1888. His faculties sharpened for higher studies. He proceeded to England to study law. In 1891, he was called to the Bar.

On return to India he practised law in Mumbai and Rajkot. In 1893, he went to South Africa for a. legal case, and stayed on for about 20 years. He helped Indians settled in South Africa against British injustice and tyranny. Soon he became an Indian leader. His concepts "I truth, non-violence and satyagraha evolved in South Africa.

Gandhi returned to India in 1915. He settled down at  sabarmati ashram that later become the nerve centre of  his activities. He led the people's struggle for India's independence by means of satyagraha. India's first struggle against British rule was launched in 1857. As it was an armed struggle, the Britishers had no difficulty in putting it down. But Gandhi's satyagraha was non- violent and peaceful—a very novel way of protest.  gandhi become a relentless crusader against alien tyranny and injustice. The British had no other go but in give freedom to India in August 1947. A great- humanitarian, he believed in god.

Gandhi was a practical person; he practised what he preached. His life was simple; his language had biblical simplicity. The British called him, "The scantily clad faqir." He assimilated good points from other religions.  he believed in the concept: live and let live.

He got non-violence from Jain and Vaishnav saints; love and sacrifice from the life of Jesus Christ; and  karmayoga from the Gita that said, "Life dedicated to  duty is life fulfilled." He used to say god and truth are  two  sides of the same coin. He had great respect for people, especially the poor whom he called Daridra Narayan.

Gandhi was a great reformer. He believed the custom of untouchability was a curse. He called the lower castes is Harijans. And wanted them to be treated on par and Drought into the Indian mainstream for progress.

He preached giving up of other social evils—casteism, communalism, drinking, gambling, dowry and sati. His life was cut short on January 30, 1948 by gunshots of a Fanatic. His was a real martyr's death. The country has not seen the like of him since.