Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Every year on October 2, we commemorate Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandh, as well as the International Day of Nonviolence. Gandhi is one of the most well-known and revered figures in the world.
In a Brahmin family, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1868, in Porbandar, Gujarat, to Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai. His affectionate nickname “Bapu” (Gujarati for “father”) and status as the father of the country stem from the Sanskrit name “Mahatma,” which translates to “Great Soul.” At the young age of 13, he got married, and at 18 he set sail for London to study law.
Gandhi used his strategy of nonviolent resistance to confront and combat racial discrimination while he was in South Africa. His political beliefs, ethics, and politics were formed at this time.
In 1915, he made his way back to India, bringing with him a well-established reputation as a leading theorist, nationalist, and community organiser. Gandhi became a member of the Indian National Congress and learned about Indian politics, issues, and people.
On January 30, 1948, while en route to a prayer gathering, he was shot three times in the chest and killed. His killers were found guilty and put to death a year later. The remains of Mahatma Gandhi were divided into pieces and shipped to every Indian state to be scattered in rivers. Gandhi’s ashes can be found in two locations: the Lake Shrine in Los Angeles and Raj Ghat, a village close to Delhi, India.
Throughout his life, Bapu established a number of nonprofit organisations to carry out numerous social welfare initiatives. He advocated for the Harijans, or untouchables, to have better lives (the children of God). He advocated for equal rights, such as the ability to cast a ballot in the same elections as people from other castes.
He was a lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who led the successful effort to free India from British rule by using non-violent resistance. Around the world, he sparked movements for freedom and civil rights.
He also helped popularise the spinning wheel in India so that khadi could be used to make hand-spun cloth. The spinning wheel, also known as the Charkha, came to represent Indian freedom.
Gandhi’s belief that self-control and self-realization should be prioritised for the good of the country as a whole is his most significant intellectual contribution to India.