Mahatma Gandhi --- A Great Leader
What an innocent smile! A smile
that tells others that a loving and caring person is inside. A smile showing his
overflowing love for humanity. When great souls were born, they changed the
world using their moral rhetoric, unshakable determination, love, and hard
work. Mahatma Gandhi was one of them. Who knows not, India gained her
freedom under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi?
The freedom of any country is
possible or has come to a reality, only by following the footprints of the
great or under the guidance of the great. Mahatma Gandhi is often considered as
one of the greatest leaders. Most of the great world leaders who have towered
high above their fellows have remarkable qualities. Of Mahatma Gandhi it was
said, it was his love, self-sacrifice, and truth that won him victories.
Though his full name was Mohandas
Karam Chand Gandhi, he was popularly called Mahatma Gandhi, and some people
lovingly called him ‘Bapu’. Porbandar in Gujarat was blessed with the birth of
this seeker and devotee of truth. He was born on 2nd October 1869. Being an
average student, he was not a topper in his school life and not active in
extracurricular activities. After matriculation, he went to England to study law, on completion, he set up his legal practice in Bombay and after
that at Rajkot. By profession, he was a lawyer.
In 1893 he went to South Africa for a legal case and stayed there for nearly 21 years. There he fought against the ‘Apartheid system’, a system that separated people based on skin color. According to this system, there were separate areas for whites and blacks to work and the blacks were forced to live in dark areas. There he developed his most powerful weapons Satyagraha and non-violence. He hated the distinctions among people based on color, caste, and creed. Throughout his life, he worked for the uplift of the Harijans, the poor, the women, etc.
When he returned to India, he settled down at Sabarmati, the main center of his activities. He joined the freedom fight and took up the leadership of it. His call for agitations against the British inspired entire India and thousands of people rose in support of Mahatma Gandhi. Like any other freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi also experienced great suffering and underwent many mental and physical struggles. Many times he was sent to prison by the British. To express his opposition to British policies, he often fasted for several days. He was always against injustice and tyranny. His was a non-violent struggle against British policies. He strongly believed that ultimately truth will triumph.
1930 was a remarkable year in the history of Indian Independence. The famous Dandi march was conducted in 1930 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Satyagraha at Champaran in 1917, Bardoli satyagraha in 1928, the Quit India movement, the non-cooperation movement, etc. are some other important remarkable incidents in the life of Gandhi as well as in the history of India. At last, on August 15, 1947, the rule of the British came to an end and India’s Tricolor Flag fluttered on the Red Fort.
His autobiography ‘The Story of
My Experiments with Truth' is a great book, a best-seller also. He confesses
his mistakes and failings in his autobiography. He was a man of simple living
and high thinking. Whatever he has
earned in his life was through honest means, he has nothing to hide and does not
owe anything to anybody. He sacrificed his life at the altar of human
brotherhood and became a martyr when a religious fanatic shot him dead on
January 30, 1948.
You may like to read:
Short Essay---Success comes to those who take risks
https://letuslearnonline1.blogspot.com/2020/09/success-comes-to-those-who-takes-risks.html
