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Mahatma Gandhi Jayanthi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi born October 2, 1869, Porbandar and died in January 30, 1948, Delhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement for freedom. He became the father of nation. 

Mahatma Gandhi Jayanthi celebrated through out on 2 October 2020. Brief History of his life

History of Mahatma Gandhi

• Born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, father Karamchand Gandhi, who was the dewan of Porbandar.
• 13-year-old Mohandas was married to 14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji Kapadia.
• After returing for London Mahatma Gandhi aged 23, set sail for South Africa to be the lawyer for Abdullah’s cousin.
• Activities in Africa
  • He was thrown out of a train at Pietermaritzburg after refusing to leave the first-class and started his first protest for his rights.
    • He chose to protest and was allowed to board the train the next day.
  • Indians were not allowed to walk on public footpaths in South Africa where he started his protest for the right. 
  • He planned to assist Indians in opposing a bill to deny them the right to vote, a right then proposed to be an exclusive European right.
    • Forced British Colonial Secretary, to reconsider his position on this bill.
  • He helped found the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 through this organisation, he moulded the Indian community of South Africa into a unified political force.
  • Boer War and Gandhi
    • imperial British stereotype that Hindus were not fit for “manly” activities involving danger and exertion, unlike the Muslim martial races.
    • He raised eleven hundred Indian volunteers, to support British combat troops against the Boers.
  • First Sathyagraha In South Africa 1906
    • Asiatic Registration Act :  Under the act every male Asian had to register himself and produce on demand a thumb-printed certificate of identity.
      • Unregistered people and prohibited immigrants could be deported.
      • The Act is for both Chinese and Indian populations in South Africa.
    • Gandhi developed the concept of satyagraha nonviolent protest, for the first time.
  • In 1910 Gandhi established, with the help of his friend Hermann Kallenbach, an idealistic community they named Tolstoy Farm near Johannesburg.
• Activities in India
  • Gandhi returned to India in 1915 with an international reputation as a leading Indian nationalist, theorist and community organiser.
  • He joined Indian National Congress Gokhale was a key leader of the Congress Party.
  • Champaran Sathyagraha 1917
    • Gandhi’s first major achievement came in 1917 with the Champaran agitation in Bihar.
    • Peasants weres forced to grow Indigo for Indigo dye whose demand had been declining over two decades and were forced to sell their crops to the planters at a fixed price.
    • Gandhi took the administration by surprise and won concessions from the authorities.
  • Kheda Satyagraha (1917 -1918)
    • Kheda was hit by floods and famine and the peasantry was demanding relief from taxes.
    • There he started Satyagraha was also joined by Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik.
    • Finally, the demands were fulfilled by the British government and it was successful.
  • Khilafat movement (1919) 
    • World War I Gandhi urged co-operation from Muslims in his fight against British imperialism by supporting the Ottoman Empire that had been defeated in the World War.
    • Gandhi felt that Hindu-Muslim co-operation was necessary for political progress against the British.
    • By the end of 1922 the Khilafat movement had collapsed. In fact this was the first failure of Gandhian Model as most of the Historians considered. 
  • Non-co-operation Movement (1920)
    • Non-Cooperation movement was launched in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi as a result of the  Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. 
    • He had the view that if Indians do not co-oprerate with British, the rule would collapse and swaraj would come.
    • British passed Rawlat Act against the movement which provide British government to treat civil disobedience participants as criminals and imprisoned. 
      • Mahatma Gandhi warned he would appeal to Indians to start civil disobedience.
      • British government ignored him and passed the law.
    • He framed the concept of Swaraj and it became a crucial element in the Indian freedom struggle.
    • Movement gained momentum and people started boycotting the products and establishments of British government like schools, colleges, government offices.
    • Chauri Chaura incident forced Mahatma Gandhi to end the movement as in the incident 23 police officials were killed by mass.
    • In the view that mass was not prepared for his way of protest non violent sathyagraha.
  • Salt Satyagraha (1930, 12 March to 6 April)
    • An act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest British rule in India and the salt law imposed.
    • Together with 78 volunteers, he marched 388 kilometres (241 mi) from Ahmedabad to Dandi.
    • On the same march started the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement.
  • Civil-Disobedience Movement (1930 March)
    • Under this movement student left college and government servant resigned from the office.
    • Boycott foreign clothes, communal burning of foreign clothes, non-payment of government taxes, women stage Dharna at the government liquor shop etc.
  • Gandhi–Irwin Pact (1931)
    • The British Government agreed to free all political prisoners, in return for the suspension of the civil disobedience movement.
    • Gandhi was invited to attend the Round Table Conference in London.
  • The Round Table Conferences
    • The sole representative of the Indian National Congress.
    • British questioned the Congress party and Gandhi’s authority to speak for all of India.
    • They invited Indian religious leaders, such as Muslims and Sikhs, to press their demands along religious lines.
      • B. R. Ambedkar as the representative leader of the untouchables.
    • The aim of the meeting was to demostrate Gandhi and Congress that they are not the sole authority to speak on behalf of all Indians.
    • The conference was a disappointment to Gandhi and the nationalists considered to  be an insult.
      • Both realised that British playing the politics of divide and rule.
  • The British government enacted a new law that granted untouchables a separate electorate. It came to be known as the Communal Award.
    • Gandhi started a fast-unto-death, while he was held in prison
    • This resulting public outcry forced the government, in consultations with Ambedkar, to replace the Communal Award with a compromise Poona Pact
  • Resigned from Congress Politics
    • In 1934 Gandhi resigned from Congress party membership.
    • Because he thought his popularity with Indians would affect if continued with the party’s membership.
    • Later joined in 1936
  • Quit India movement
    • Gandhi opposed providing any help to the British war effort and he campaigned against any Indian participation in the World War II.
    • But many joined the army to fight against Germany and many leaders like Patel was against this decision.
    • He was jailed in 1942 and was released before the end of the war on 6 May 1944 because of his failing health.
    • British gave clear indications that power would be transferred to Indian hands.
    • At this point Gandhi called off the struggle, and around 100,000 political prisoners were released, including the Congress’s leadership.
  • Partition and independence
    • Gandhi suggested an agreement which required the Congress and the Muslim League to co-operate and attain independence.
    • Jinnah rejected Gandhi’s proposal and called for Direct Action Day of riots.
    • British reluctantly agreed to grant independence to the people of the Indian subcontinent, but accepted Jinnah’s proposal of partitioning the land into Pakistan and India.

Source : PIB

Topic

Prelims : Events and Chronology

GS I : The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country

Mahatma Gandhi Jayanthi and Events in Chronological order in the History

Current Affairs Compilation : 3 october 2020