Gandhi Jayanti
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
- Mahatma Gandhi
This month we celebrate 'Gandhi Jayanti', the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Bapu, as we fondly know him, was known globally for his lessons of tolerance and respect for humanity. Today, he is remembered, not only for his perseverance and dedication in finding peaceful solutions to violence, but also for his efforts to advance the cause of social and economic justice.
Gandhiji had once described non-violence to mean communal harmony, eradication of untouchability, economic equality, promotion of primary education and improvement in the status of women. The emancipation of untouchables being one of his foremost concerns, Gandhi worked endlessly to end social discrimination against them and ensure measures for their welfare in Free India. Later, the week after Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, that is, 2nd October to 8th October was designated as 'Anti Untouchability Week'.
Early Life
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1.03MB) 
was born on 2nd October, 1869 in the city of Porbandar, Gujarat, where his father was the Dewan or Chief Minister. He was raised with the teachings of his deeply religious mother, Putlibai, which amidst the Jain influences of Gujarat helped shape his unique philosophy as an adult. At a very young age, he imbibed the tenets of non-injury to living beings, vegetarianism, fasting for self purification and mutual tolerance between members of various creeds and sects. This he later put to use while developing his philosophy of Satyagraha.
was born on 2nd October, 1869 in the city of Porbandar, Gujarat, where his father was the Dewan or Chief Minister. He was raised with the teachings of his deeply religious mother, Putlibai, which amidst the Jain influences of Gujarat helped shape his unique philosophy as an adult. At a very young age, he imbibed the tenets of non-injury to living beings, vegetarianism, fasting for self purification and mutual tolerance between members of various creeds and sects. This he later put to use while developing his philosophy of Satyagraha.Affectionately called 'Bapu', Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation was known globally for his fight for freedom with the mightiest of weapons - truth and non violence. While working in South Africa, Gandhi experienced prejudice when he was thrown off the first class compartment of a train even though he possessed a valid ticket, just because he was a non-white. This incident became a turning point in his life and lead to him devising his unique non violent system of protesting such occurrences.
Gandhi's philosophy of 'Satyagraha (104KB)' means 'the force of truth, where 'Satya' means truth and 'Agraha' means firmness. He described Satyagraha as, "A relentless search for the truth and determination to search truth". Gandhi used 'Satyagraha' for the first time to protest against a new ordinance that discriminated against the Indian community in Transvaal. Later on, after his arrival in India, Gandhi used non violent protest as one of the main methods for gaining 'Swaraj' or Independence.
means 'the force of truth, where 'Satya' means truth and 'Agraha' means firmness. He described Satyagraha as, "A relentless search for the truth and determination to search truth". Gandhi used 'Satyagraha' for the first time to protest against a new ordinance that discriminated against the Indian community in Transvaal. Later on, after his arrival in India, Gandhi used non violent protest as one of the main methods for gaining 'Swaraj' or Independence.Emancipation of Underprivileged
Mahatma Gandhi was not only a brave leader of our freedom struggle but also one of the greatest modern spiritual leaders of Indian society. His ascetic lifestyle and stringent adherence to moral values, despite the odds, were held in high regard by all alike. Working from his Sabarmati Ashram, also known as Harijan Ashram, Gandhiji was always approachable. It was from here that he laboured for the upliftment of people from the underprivileged sections of society and equality of all mankind.
Gandhi pushed for education as a mass weapon for salvation, freedom and success in life. In 1930, Gandhiji began his famous Dandi March as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement, for which he was jailed. While he was in prison in 1932, the British Government announced the Communal Award, which provided for the introduction of a separate electorate for people from the 'Depressed Classes'. Gandhi opposed this 'Award' as he did not want to see Indian society divided along caste lines.
In September 1932, he embarked on a six-day fast, successfully forcing the government to adopt a more equitable arrangement via negotiations mediated by other political leaders. After this, Gandhi began a new campaign to improve the lives of the untouchables, whom he named 'Harijans', meaning, the children of God. On 8th May 1933, he announced a fast for 21 days to promote the Harijan cause.
After his release from prison, Gandhi devoted himself exclusively to the cause of the 'Harijans'. He launched a few weekly journals - 'Harijan' in English, 'Harijan Sevak' in Hindi and 'Harijan Bandhu' in Gujarati. These newspapers focussed on caste disparities, incidents of discrimination and untouchability. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The removal of untouchability is one of the highest expressions of ahimsa".
Likewise, Mahatma Gandhi continued to use Satyagraha to improve the condition of people and bring about social justice in areas such as universal education, women's rights, communal harmony, eradication of poverty, promotion of khadi and so on. Gandhiji enumerated Seven Social Sins, which are -
- Politics without Principles.
- Wealth without Work.
- Pleasure without Conscience.
- Knowledge without Character.
- Commerce without Morality.
- Science without Humanity.
- Worship without Sacrifice.
Gandhi's campaign against the ills of society was strongly tied to his political movements for freedom from colonial rule such as the Non Cooperation Movement,Civil Disobedience Movement, Dandi March and Quit India Movement. Through Gandhiji's efforts, India finally won her Independence on the 15th of August, 1947.
Relevance of Satyagraha Today
Mahatma Gandhi had stressed on the need to assimilate the underprivileged into the mainstream as part of the task of building the foundations of 'Swaraj'. As a result of the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi, other national leaders and social reformers, the Constitution of India, through the Fundamental rights, granted equality before the law to all citizens of India. It prohibits discrimination on the grounds of caste, religion, race, sex or birth and abolishes untouchability.
The relevance of the values of truth and non violence enshrined by Mahatma Gandhi decades ago stand true even today. Respect for various cultures and religions can be brought about only if we listen to, speak to and appreciate each other. A vibrant democracy is one where the concerns of everyone, predominantly, the poor, women and disadvantaged communities are addressed. As India experiences rapid growth, it is vital that citizens work together to ensure that the progress made is truly inclusive and that weaker sections are equal stakeholders in the processes of development.
The philosophy of Satyagraha and non violence is also held in high esteem by the world community, which lead to the United Nations adopting Gandhiji's birthday on the 2nd of October, as the 'International Day of Non-Violence'. This emphasizes that the timeless message of the 'Father of the Nation' continues to prevail over many cultures, for a long time to come.
'We all bow our heads in respect to our beloved Bapu'
