Happy Birthday to…

Gandhi!

Today, the 2nd of October, would have marked Gandhiji’s 144th birthday.

Let’s remember his life with this short essay from preservearticles.com:

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi is remembered in the world for four major virtues. They are non-violence, truth, love and fraternity. By applying these four virtues he brought freedom to India.

His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born in Porebandar of Gujarat on 2 October 1869. His father was an officer in charge of a Province. Mohandas married while he was reading in High School.

After passing the Entrance Examination he went to England to study law. M. K.Gandhi was not born great. He was an ordinary child like many of us.

M.K.Gandhi was much influenced by the character of the King Harischandra in the play entitled Raja Harischandra.

M.K.Gandhi completed his law in England and came back to India in 1893. He started his career as a lawyer. He supported the poor and truthful clients. He went to South Africa to deal with the cases of a famous merchant named Abdula Seth.

In South Africa he faced many hurdles. He discovered that the white men were ill treating the dark Indians there. He himself was insulted by the white often. One day, he was travelling in a first class compartment a train. He had booked a ticket for himself the day before. Still he was evicted from the compartment by the white men.

On another occasion he wore a turban and attended the Court. But the judge who was a white man ordered him to remove the turban because he was a coolie-lawyer. Gandhiji fought against this unjust and cruel treatment. He observed Satyagraha there and became successful.

In South Africa he built up his career as a Satyagrahi. He returned to India in 1915. In India he found similar unkind treatment by the white rulers. He started the Non-cooperation in 1930 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. During his struggle he applied no jealousy or violence against the rulers. Finally, he succeeded. The British Government granted independence to India.

Gandhi’s style of living was very simple. He removed the caste barrier. He called the untouchables as the Harijan, the children of God. He was a reformer. He told the Indians to do manual labour. He advised the students of his time to read vocational subjects in order to be self-dependent. He also advised to introduce hand-spinning as a subject in educational institutions. He was a strong supporter of agriculture.

Gandhiji was a spiritual man. He spiritualised the politics. He was pained to find that many politicians had become greedy for power soon after independence. He earnestly appealed them to work for the development of the country. He also told the people to love and tolerate each other. He read the Gita, the Koran, the Holy Bible and all other scriptures.

The saddest thing for us is that Gandhiji died an unnatural death. He was shot dead on 30th of January, 1948.  His death was mourned all over the world. His body was cremated at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.

Vocabulary

Virtues – morally good behavior or character.

Fraternity – an organization of male students at a U.S. college.

Career – a job or profession that someone does for a long time.

Hurdles – one of a series of barriers to be jumped over in a race.

Evicted – to force (someone) to leave a place.

Compartment – one of the separate areas of an automobile, train, or airplane.

Turban – a head covering that is worn especially by men in some parts of the Middle East and in southern Asia and that is made of a long cloth wrapped around the head.

Satyagraha – a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance.

Caste – one of the classes into which the Hindu people of India were traditionally divided.

Vocational – relating to the special skills, training, etc., that you need for a particular job or occupation.

Greedy – having or showing a selfish desire to have more of something (such as money or food) :having greed.

Mourned – to feel or show great sadness because someone has died.

Cremated – to burn (the body of a person who has died).