Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in Porbandar, Gujarat on October 2, 1869. He belonged to a Hindu family and his father and grandfather had both held the position of prime ministers in nearby states. After finishing his education, he went to London in 1888 to study law while leaving his teenage wife at home.
Gandhi was interested in theosophists, vegetarians, and other disillusioned individuals in London who rejected industrialism and Enlightenment thought. These fringe elements of English society fascinated Gandhi. He also found religious texts from different traditions compelling during his time in London. It is important to note that he first encountered the Bhagavad Gita there. Despite facing obstacles, Gandhi persevered and stayed focused on his goal. Eventually, he finished his studies at the Inner Temple and became a member of the High Court of London in 1891 after being called to the bar. However, later that same year, he returned to India.
During his time in South Africa, Gandhi worked for Indian businessman Dada Abdulla as a legal adviser for more than twenty years. Throughout this period, he witnessed the discrimination and dehumanization faced by the Indian community, who were derogatorily labeled ‘coolies’ and denied political rights. Personally experiencing discrimination when he was forcibly removed from a first-class train compartment in Pietermaritzburg, despite possessing a first-class ticket, Gandhi’s political awakening began. This incident propelled him to become the leader of the Indian community in South Africa. It was during this phase that Gandhi coined the term satyagraha, which embodied his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. He believed that truth (satya) could only be attained through nonviolence (ahimsa) and celibacy (brahmacharya), as these principles facilitated one’s pursuit towards God. Viewing his own life as a series of experiments aimed at employing satyagraha to unite oppressors and the oppressed while fostering an acknowledgement of their shared humanity, Gandhi firmly held that true freedom cannot be fragmented or divided.Gandhi documented the challenges Indians faced in their fight for rights and opposition to oppressive policies, such as the poll tax and government’s disregard for non-Christian marriages, in his book “Satyagraha in South Africa.” During his visit to India in 1909, he published “Hind Swaraj” or “Indian Home Rule,” which critically analyzed industrial civilization and various aspects of modernity.
Gandhi’s departure for South Africa in 1893 marked a significant turning point in his life following a mediocre performance in a legal practice in India. He took on the role of a legal consultant for an Indian company and spent 21 years there. It was during this time that he and his fellow countrymen faced racial injustices, which transformed him from a timid lawyer into a courageous political advocate.
During his stay in South Africa, Gandhi recognized the futility of violence and rational persuasion in achieving justice. In response, he developed a unique approach to peaceful resistance called satyagraha. Through this method, he achieved some degree of success in attaining equality for his people.
Aside from his activism, Gandhi also engaged deeply with his Hindu faith, reflected on it through introspection. He formed relationships with individuals from Jewish and Christian backgrounds and embraced valuable aspects of various religions to shape his distinct worldview.
In addition to his work as an advocate and philosopher, Gandhi served as leader of a Red Cross unit during the Boer War. Furthermore, he established a community near Durban that followed principles inspired by Leo Tolstoy.
Gandhi returned to India in 1915 after his demands were granted by the South African government. These demands included recognizing Indian marriages and abolishing the poll tax for Indians. Upon arrival, Gandhi traveled across India to familiarize himself with the country before entering politics and becoming a leader of the Indian nationalist movement.
By including marginalized groups such as women, traders, merchants, and youth, Gandhi transformed the Indian National Congress into a powerful national organization. In response to the Amritsar Massacre in 1919, Gandhi initiated a nationwide campaign of passive non-cooperation with British India. This campaign involved boycotting British goods.
In 1931, on advice from his political mentor Gokhale to gain familiarity with Indian conditions, Gandhi briefly left the country for a trip to Europe. During this time, he extensively traveled for one year and got involved in various local struggles. These struggles included supporting workers protesting against unfair conditions on indigo plantations in Champaran Bihar and mediating a dispute between management and textile mill workers in Ahmedabad.
These actions brought Gandhi considerable recognition as an influential figure in nationalist politics.In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi led opposition against the oppressive “Rowlatt Acts” legislation in India. Despite his involvement in politics, he maintained his saintly image and received the title of Mahatma from Rabindranath Tagore, a renowned Indian writer. During the disturbances in Punjab that resulted in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and other brutal acts, Gandhi prepared a report for the Punjab Congress Inquiry Committee. Later on, he launched the non-cooperation movement urging Indians to boycott British institutions, return any British honors they had received, and embrace self-reliance. Although this movement caused disruption within British administration, it came to an end in February 1922 when a large mob brutally killed several Indian policemen in Chauri Chaura. As a consequence, Gandhi was arrested and put on trial for sedition which led to a six-year prison sentence. Throughout The Great Trial chronicled by biographers, Gandhi passionately denounced British rule with eloquence.
Progression of Gandhi’s Ideas and Actions
Gandhi introduced a comprehensive plan for national rejuvenation, believing that independence lacked meaning without moral and social transformation. This plan included addressing biases against manual labor, bridging the urban-rural divide, promoting language diversity, and ending the discriminatory practice of Untouchability. Additionally, Gandhi instilled a sense of national self-worth and confidence in his compatriots’ ability to overthrow British rule. He infused Hinduism with activism and a focus on society, drawing inspiration from diverse religious and cultural traditions. As a result, he became an extraordinary example of interfaith and communal dialogue.
Gandhi refined satyagraha, which he had discovered in South Africa, expanding its scope of actions. He also developed what he called the “new science of non-violence,” whereby opponents were morally transformed through delicate “surgery of the soul.” These actions inspired poet Rabindranath Tagore to bestow upon him the title Mahatma (meaning “great soul” in Sanskrit).
Gandhi faced various struggles in social, economic, religious, and political aspects. However, he also engaged in a personal battle with even greater intensity. Driven by a strong determination to achieve ultimate perfection as a human being, he committed himself to mastering his senses and suppressing his desires. Starting in 1901, he embarked on daring experiments to control his sexual urges. Instead of following the conventional celibacy advocated by established religions as “cowardly,” Gandhi chose to live and sleep naked with some of his female associates. This unconventional approach aimed not only to explore the boundaries of sexuality but also to prove that attaining a state of absolute purity and childlike innocence was attainable. Few historical figures can match Gandhi’s moral courage, honesty, and willingness to venture into uncharted territories.
Gandhi’s moral and political ideology was rooted in a simple principle. According to him, the universe was governed by a Supreme Intelligence or Principle, referred to as satya (Truth) or God for societal acceptance. This principle was present in all living beings, especially in humans, manifested as a self-aware soul or spirit. Since all humans were connected by this divine essence, they were fundamentally united. They were not just equal but truly identical. Consequently, love was the only appropriate way to interact with one another; it represented “the law of our being” and the essence of our humanity. Love entailed caring for others and displaying absolute commitment to the mission of “wiping away every tear from every eye”. On the flip side, love necessitated ahimsa, or “non-violence”. Gandhi’s entire social and political framework, including his satyagraha theory, aimed at unraveling the implications of the principle of love in all aspects of life.
Gandhi believed that the state embodied violence in a concentrated manner. It communicated through compulsion and standardization, draining individuals of their motivation and self-reliance, and weakening them. The state was essential because humans were not fully mature and able to behave responsibly in society. However, in order to avoid impeding their development, the state needed to be structured with minimal coercion and allow for a significant portion of human life to be governed by voluntary initiatives.
Gandhi envisioned a non-violent society that was formed at the federal level and consisted of small, self-governing village communities that were relatively self-sufficient. These communities primarily relied on moral and social pressure. The police functioned as social workers, trusted and supported by the local community. They enforced the law through moral persuasion and public opinion, rather than force. Instead of punishment, crime was viewed as a disease that required understanding and assistance. Moreover, there was no need for a standing army because a determined population could be counted on to peacefully resist invaders.
In a non-violent society, decisions were made based on consensus through rational discussion, as Gandhi believed that the majority rule violated the moral integrity of the minority. Unanimity was often unattainable, so the participants aimed to understand the subject from each other’s perspectives. According to Gandhi, rational discussion was not simply an exchange of arguments, but a transformative process that deepened the consciousness of those involved. If consensus was not possible, the majority would make the decision for administrative and pragmatic reasons, not necessarily because it was right. However, if a citizen had moral objections to a majority decision, they had the right to claim exemption and even disobey it. Disobeying in such cases was seen as a “moral” right and surrendering it meant compromising one’s “self-respect” and integrity.
According to Gandhi, a non-violent society should focus on the growth and uplift of all its citizens, known as sarvodaya. Gandhi believed that private property went against the idea of unity among men and was immoral. He considered it a “sin against humanity” for individuals to possess excessive wealth while others struggled to meet their basic needs. Gandhi proposed that the wealthy should only keep what they needed and hold the rest in trust for the community, acknowledging that people were already attached to the concept of private property. As time went on, he realized that the notion of trusteeship was too significant to rely solely on the goodwill of the rich and suggested that it could be enforced through organized social pressure or even legislation. To establish a fair and equal society, Gandhi promoted heavy taxation, limited rights of inheritance, state ownership of land and heavy industry, and nationalization without compensation.
In 1930, Gandhi initiated a new campaign of civil disobedience, urging Indians to boycott tax payments, especially the salt tax. The campaign involved a march to the sea, with thousands of Indians joining Gandhi from Ahmadabad to the Arabian Sea, where they produced salt by evaporating sea water. This symbolic act of defiance proved highly successful. Despite being arrested once again, Gandhi was released in 1931 after the British government offered concessions to his demands. In the same year, Gandhi represented the Indian National Congress at a conference in London.
Gandhi started new civil disobedience campaigns against the British in 1932. He then resigned from politics and Jawaharlal Nehru took over as the leader of the Congress Party. Following this, Gandhi traveled throughout India to teach and promote social reform.
Gandhi returned to politics in 1939 and expressed his disagreement with the colonial policy of integrating Indian principalities into the rest of India. During World War II, Gandhi and the Congress Party stated that they would only back Britain if India was granted total and immediate independence. Despite Japan joining the war, Gandhi declined to support Indian participation. In 1942, he was imprisoned but released two years later due to declining health.
In 1944, India was granted independence by the British government under the condition that the Congress Party and the Muslim League resolve their disagreements. Despite Gandhi’s opposition to partition, both India and Pakistan emerged as separate nations in 1947 after gaining independence. Unfortunately, this resulted in severe sectarian violence.
Despite being born into a devout Hindu family, Gandhi possessed an undeniable and captivating element of risk-taking and rebellion. During the intense communal conflicts between Hindus and Muslims in 1946 and 1947, he fearlessly navigated through the midst of these groups, alone and defenseless. He even challenged them to unleash their worst actions, yet with his sheer charisma, he consoled those who felt inconsolable, dissolved hatred, and reinstated a climate of humanity. When a bomb was detonated at one of his prayer gatherings shortly after, he scolded the audience for being afraid of a “mere bomb.” By undertaking hunger strikes, he successfully quelled violent acts in Calcutta and New Delhi. Moreover, when the independent Indian government, supported by the general public, chose to retract its promise of transferring its share of assets to Pakistan, Gandhi confronted the entire nation and achieved his goal through a fasting protest that aimed to reawaken a sense of honor and moral responsibility. This act deeply outraged a segment of Hindu nationalists, leading to the tragic event on January 30, 1948, where one of them respectfully bowed to Gandhi before fatally shooting him during a prayer gathering.
In the last few months of his life, Gandhi spent most of his time in the capital city of Delhi. He would divide his time between the ‘Bhangi colony’, where the sweepers and lowest class citizens lived, and Birla House, the residence of one of India’s richest men who supported Gandhi’s ashrams. During this time, Delhi was flooded with Hindu and Sikh refugees who had fled from what is now Pakistan. The tension and resentment towards Muslims led to violence. In an effort to stop the killings in Delhi and the widespread bloodshed caused by partition, which resulted in the death of approximately 1 million people and displaced 11 million others, Gandhi began his final fast unto death.
The fast was ended when representatives from all communities signed a statement confirming their commitment to live in peace and protecting the lives, property, and faith of Muslims. Shortly after, a bomb exploded during Gandhi’s evening prayers at Birla House, but fortunately, no one was injured. However, the assassin, Nathuram Godse, who was a Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin, remained undeterred. Despite the incident, Gandhi refused additional security and insisted on being able to move freely without restrictions, as he always had.On the evening of January 30, 1948, Gandhi had a meeting with Vallabhai Patel, who was India’s Deputy Prime Minister and a close associate in the freedom struggle. After the meeting, Gandhi went on to pray.
Gandhi was unusually late to his prayers that evening, concerned about being punctual. In the garden where the prayer meeting took place, at 10 minutes past 5 o’clock, Gandhi began walking with Abha and Manu, also known as his “walking sticks.” When he reached the podium stairs, Gandhi folded his hands and greeted his audience with a namaskar. Suddenly, a young man approached and forcefully pushed aside Manu. Nathuram Godse then bowed down, pulled a revolver from his pocket, and shot Gandhi three times in the chest. Bloodstains stained Gandhi’s white woolen shawl as he stood with folded hands and blessed his assassin: “He Ram! He Ram!”
As Gandhi collapsed, his loyal watch hit the ground, and its hands ceased moving. They indicated, as they had previously, the exact time: 5:12 P.M.
Gandhi had a significant intellectual impact on his compatriots. While not everyone fully embraced all of his ideas, no one rejected them entirely either. Some people were drawn to his focus on political and economic decentralization, while others appreciated his advocacy for individual freedom, moral integrity, the unity of means and ends, and social service. There were also those who found inspiration in his concept of satyagraha and political activism. Even Marxist thinkers like Manabendra Nath Roy couldn’t resist the allure of certain aspects of Gandhi’s ideas. Some observers believe that Gandhi’s influence is to blame for India’s lack of a truly radical political movement. However, others credit him with protecting the country from Hindu communalism, fostering non-violence, promoting collective self-help, and establishing a stable, morally driven, and democratic government. Moreover, Gandhi’s ideas have had a profound impact beyond India, inspiring non-violent activism and movements in favor of small-scale, self-sufficient communities that prioritize harmony with nature and greater environmental sensitivity.
