Mahatma Gandhi - Father of the Nation
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth
and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a
time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of
it--always.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October,
1869 Porbandar, Gujarat. He is the father of the Indian independence
movement.
The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi were
Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satya (truth). He not only contributed to India's
freedom struggle but also inspired people across the world and raise the voice
against discrimination of caste, colour, religion. He was a simple man with
vast ideas and he always gives a message to others that "Be the change you wish to see in the world".
He pursued law for one year at the
University of Bombay and later went to University College London and completed
his graduation in 1891. After that, he started working in the Bar Council of
England. And also went to South Africa, where he experienced racism.
Mahatma Gandhi's mother tongue was Gujarati.
He did his schooling from Alfred High School, Rajkot.
His birthday (2nd October) is commemorated worldwide as
International Day of Nonviolence.
He was the youngest child of his parents. He had 2
brothers and 1 sister.
Gandhi’s father was Hindu by religion and Modh Baniya by
caste.
Mahadev Desai was Gandhi’s personal secretary.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated in the garden
of the former Birla House.
Gandhi ji and famous author Leo Tolstoy interacted with
each other through letters.
Gandhi ji set up a small colony, Tolstoy Farm at an 1100
acre site, 21 miles from Johannesburg, South Africa for his colleagues in the
Satyagraha struggle.
In 1930, he led the Dandi Salt March, and in 1942, he
launched the Quit India Movement during the freedom struggle.
He not only fought for Independence but also demanded fair
treatment for the untouchables, lower caste, and also done several fasts in
support of them. He also called untouchables as Harijans meaning "children
of God".
Gandhi in 1982 is an epic historical drama film based on
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi won the Academic Award for the best motion picture.
In 1930, he was the Time Magazine Man of the Year. He was
a great writer and the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi have 50,000 pages.
Do you know how many times Mahatma Gandhi was nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize? Gandhi ji was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947,
and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948.
The country against whom he fought for India's
Independence, Great Britain, released a stamp honouring him, 21 years after his
death.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was not born with the title
Mahatma. He was given the title to him by the Nobel Prize-winning Bengali poet
Rabindranath Tagore, according to some authors.
When Jawaharlal Nehru was giving the tryst of destiny
speech to celebrate independence, Gandhi ji was not present at that time.
It is said that Mahatma Gandhi's funeral procession was 8
kilometers long.
Reserve Bank of India issued The Gandhi series banknotes
by displaying a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi since its introduction in 1996. The
series issued in 1996 is of 10 and 500 rupee banknotes.
In 1959, Gandhi Memorial Museum was established. It is
located in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is also known as the
Gandhi Museum. It consists of a blood-stained garment which was worn by Mahatma
Gandhi when he was assassinated by the Nathuram Godse.
