Mahatma Gandhi Notes

Mohandas Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on October 2, 1869.
His father was a leader in the community.
At the age of 13, his parents arranged a marriage for him, following tradition.
His parents wanted him to become a lawyer.
At 19, he went to London to study law at ‘University College London’.
After three years, he returned to India and attempted to start his own law practice but was unsuccessful.
He then took a job with an Indian Law firm and moved to South Africa.

Gandhi experienced racial prejudice against Indians in South Africa.
During a train trip from Durban to Pretoria, despite holding a first-class ticket, he was ordered to move to the third-class carriage. He protested but was warned of forceful removal.
Gandhi refused and was forcibly removed from the train just outside Pietermaritzburg, with his luggage thrown onto the platform.
He spent the night in the station's freezing waiting room and resolved to never tolerate racial discrimination.

Gandhi returned to India and became deeply involved in India’s freedom struggle against British rulers.
He consistently employed non-violent methods of protest, such as fasts and marches.
He organized large-scale civil disobedience, including:
- Refusal to work.
- Sitting in the streets.
- Boycotting the courts.
He encouraged the boycott of British-owned shops and businesses.

One of Gandhi's most successful protests was the Salt March.
When Britain imposed a tax on salt, Gandhi decided to walk 320 km (approximately 199 miles) to Dandi to make his own salt.
Thousands of Indians joined him in the march, protesting the British salt monopoly.

Gandhi encouraged small groups of people to work from home and make their own clothes.
He protested against the British practice of buying raw cotton from Indian farmers at low prices, manufacturing cotton clothes in their factories, and selling them back to the Indians at very high prices.
He viewed this as unfair economic exploitation.

Gandhi was imprisoned several times for organizing protests.
He would often starve himself while in prison to demonstrate his seriousness and put pressure on the British government.
The British Government was sometimes forced to release him due to the Indian people's love for Gandhi and the fear of the consequences if he died in prison.

India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947.
Gandhi fought for equality and freedom from British rule for the Indian people.
He also worked to improve the status of the lowest classes of society, whom he called harijans, meaning ‘children of God.’
Mohandas Gandhi is often called Mahatma Gandhi, meaning ‘Great Soul,’ a religious title akin to ‘Saint.’
In India, he is known as ‘The Father of the Nation’ and ‘Bapu,’ meaning father.