Oct 2, 1869 – Jan 30, 1948
Lawyer, Newspaper Editor, Political and Civil Rights Activist
Indian
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
One day of each week Gandhi refrained from speaking. He would communicate by writing. He believed silence brought him inner peace.
Gandhi started in a segregated and divided India. He came to believe that any discrimination was unfair and that all numbers were of equal worth and should have equal rights. He fought for this his whole adult life. His method of “fighting” injustice was non-violent action based on principles of courage and truth called Satyagraha. When he was 24, he went to South Africa. He ended up staying in South Africa for 21 years to campaign for civil rights for Indians. He organized civil disobedience campaigns and passive resistance to unfair laws. Whenever he was arrested, he pled guilty and calmly went to prison. When Gandhi returned to India, he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. Gandhi also used fasts to affect change. The British government didn’t want him to be stopped a martyr, so the fasts were very effective. In Hindu society, the Untouchables, who were considered unclean, occupied the very lowest position in society. They could not enter temples, machines or hospitals -- their shadows were not even allowed to touch a Hindu of higher caste. Gandhi started a fast to end this discrimination, and within a week the Untouchables, which Gandhi had renamed harijans meaning “children of God,” were allowed to enter temples and walk freely on public streets. In 1947, India was granted its independence by Britain. Unfortunately, the very next year, a Hindu fanatic who opposed Gandhi’s tolerance for all religions and creeds stopped him. Indians consider Gandhi the father of their nation, and he is called Mahatma, which means “Great Soul.”