Ghandi

In the current essay I would like to consider the life of one of the most outstanding persons in the human kind history – Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi. To begin with it should be noted that during his life period (1869-1948) Ghandi was one of the leaders and ideologists of the movement for Indian independence from Britain. His philosophy of nonviolence had an influence on the movement of supporters of peaceful change throughout the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. In my opinion, the following quote characterizes the philosophy and ideology of the struggle of this great man: “At first they do not notice you, then they laugh at you, then fight with you. And then you win”, as stated in Quotations by Author.
It can be said that in India Ghandi’s name is surrounded in the same reverence like the names of saints. The spiritual leader of the nation, Mahatma Ghandi during his life was struggling against the ravaging his country of religious strife, against violence. Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi was from a family belonging to the trade and money lending caste vibrations related to Varna Vaisya. Later, at age 19, Mohandas Ghandi went to London, where he received his education and become a lawyer. In 1891, upon completion of training, he returned to India. However, in India professional activity brought Ghandi little success and in 1893 he went to work in South Africa, where he joined the struggle for the rights of Indians. There, in South Africa he first used combating non-violent resistance. Essential is the fact that in 1914, Ghandi understood that he should return to his native country and should be actively involved in the movement for achieving independence from British colonial rule. In 1915, the famous Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore, was the first, who used in relation to Mohandas Ghandi, the title “Mahatma” ”“ “the great soul” (notable is the fact that Ghandi himself was against this title, because considered himself unworthy of it), as described in The Mission and Legacy of Ghandi.
It should be noted that in the struggle for Indian independence Mahatma Ghandi used the techniques of nonviolent resistance: in particular, on his initiative, the Indians resorted to a boycott of British goods and institutions, and defiantly violated several laws. In 1921, Ghandi led the Indian National Congress and left in only in 1934 because of differences in views with the national liberation movement. Also, there is widely known Ghandi’s uncompromising struggle against caste inequality: “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right”. It can be said that Ghandi sought to not only bring an end to discrimination against the untouchables by secular laws. He sought to prove that the institution of untouchable is in contradiction with the principles of Hindu, and thus prepare the Indian society to the fact that the untouchables are the same equal members of the society like other Indians. With fighting against inequality Ghandi also had a religious basis. In particular, Ghandi believed that originally all people, regardless of their race, caste, ethnic and communal identity, characterized by an innate divine nature, as stated in Great Soul: Mahatma Ghandi and His Struggle with India.
Also, Mahatma Ghandi has enormous influence among both Hindus and Muslims in India and tried to reconcile the warring factions. As a fact, he reacted very negatively to the separation of the former colonies of British India in 1947 on the republic of India, which is dominated by Hindu and Muslim population of Pakistan. Without any doubts this man rejected violence in any form. More than thirty years he has persistently preached his philosophy and in the end proved to the world the effectiveness of nonviolent politics, when in 1947 India, thanks to the efforts of Mahatma Ghandi’s policy, peacefully received independence from Britain. Mahatma Ghandi was murdered on January 30, 1948 during evening prayers by three shots in the chest, as described in Ghandi the Man: The Story of His Transformation.
To sum it up I would like to say that in my opinion, it is extremely difficult to understand, to comprehend and accept as the integrity system all religious, moral, philosophical and political views of Ghandi to a man of European (American) culture. In some ways they seem incomprehensibly wise, but something of them seem to be childish. However, unlike the many of the moral authority and the prophets of the XX century Ghandi has proved in practice that the political struggle, which is based on the principles of honesty and self-sacrifice, in principle, is possible and the statement “Politics ”“ it is always a dirty business” is not an axiom. I would like to end this essay with my favorite quote: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it ”“ always”, as described in Quotations by Author.