My Attitude to Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi better known as Mahatma Gandhi was a religious activist in the early 1900s in India. He was of Hindu religion and he stood up to the British rule in India. He fought for equality for Indians and for human rights of all people.

He was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, a meager town on the coast on India. His family was part of the Vaishya caste which is middle class and usually home to the merchants and businesspeople of the society. He went to grade school in his hometown, but he was not a particularly intelligent student, his class teacher noticed. He also attended high school and married his wife, Kasturbia, at age 13. After high school, Mohandas enrolled in the Samaldas college but a tragic death of his father in 1885 caused him to look other places for his future. He wanted to take his fathers place at state service but first he had to become a barrister or lawyer of higher courts. His friends and people of his caste looked distastefully on the idea of him leaving to travel to England, they thought of it as contamination(Youth para 2). They excommunicated him for his caste as her refused to heed their warnings and took a boat from Bombay to London.(Youth para 2)  Gandhi saw the westerns around him and felt like he needed to change into a proper Englishman. He bought himself new clothes and tried to take on the look of a westerner. He also took lessons on French and dancing and even attempted to learn the violin, but he succeeded in none of these.(Youth para 3)  He then decided to block out the noise of society and focus on his studies of law. He passed his final exam and was called to the Indian high court bar the following week, to take the same position his father had. When Gandhi reached home he heard terrible news that his mother had died and he was grieved with sorrow. Gandhi's mom had a very great impact on his life and is credited with the roots of Gandhi's passion and great character. (Threshold para 1)

Gandhi came in contact with God when a Christian friend showed him the Bible. He read threw it, particularly intrigued with the New Testament. This was the beginning of his understanding and caring for all beliefs and all religions. During his employment as an Indian lawyer, he received very harsh treatment in foreign countries. In South Africa, he was attending a court case but left after received harsh treatment for his turban. Another event was on a train where he was kicked off because a white man did not want him in first class. But these events were what started Gandhi's journey.. He called his first meeting of some of his colleagues and spoke of racial differentiation. He said, Why should we be kept apart by differences in birth, family, caste, and religion? Let us form a league, representing every group(Shanker 17). This was his first public speaking of equality and humanly rights. Gandhi started to show his ideas of equal rights in his court cases. In one such instance, he offered the idea of choosing, a good man, whom you both trust, to arbitrate between you?(Shanker 17). This was an unorthodox way of law but many of the people who saw and heard of this were intrigued. They had never seen something of this sort and many people were already being drawn to him. Law was a major part in Gandhi's life, whether it was his barrister career or working toward changing unjust laws. In South Africa, Indians were treated harshly, they were considered the lowest of the low and even had to pay a poll tax to live there. Gandhi had spent 3 years in South African and he had experienced some of those conditions for himself. He went back to India and started to talk to anyone who would listen about the terrible living conditions. Many journed with him back to try and help some of their fellow countrymen. This was when Gandhi started to reach out to public services. He organized the Indian Ambulance Corps to help the British with the Boer war. Even though the British were causing most of the harsh living conditions for the Indians, Gandhi was able to train about 1100 individuals to serve.(Emergence Paragraph 4)

After the war, went back to India and saw all the destruction and death it had caused. This changed his life forever. After just a week of being back in India he started, what is referred to today as Gandhi's journey, his trip across India. Riding and living the the third class world. He studied all of their habits and difficulties. He looked inside himself and other people and saw hate for the lower class just because they were unclean or of different race. After his journey, he sailed to South Africa again to set up another Indian Ambulance Corps for the Zulu Rebellion. For days, Gandhi and his men scoured battlefields and tended to the wounded Zulus who the white doctors would not help. After the war had ended Gandhi declared himself a non-possession and he put his faith in a higher power. He devoted his life to helping all people especially his Indian brothers. He preached about human equality and the rights of man. He believed all men should be equal despite differences in color and religion. In the Catholic Catechism it states, Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity(CCC 1934). Gandhi took this idea and lived his life to it. Even though he was not a Christian he still knew of their beliefs and in his work he justified the belief that all people are created in the image of God. With his teachings

Gandhi is especially known for his help in the freedom of the people of India from British rule. He gathered many Indians and began his Salt Walk. He and his followers marched almost 200 miles to the sea where he then scooped up a handful of sand from the residents of the sea. This broke the British law that Indians were only allowed to buy salt from the government. He sent a message out to all the people of India to stand up against the British rule. Gandhi and his followers continued to peacefully protest until on August 15, 1947 the British government passed the Indian Independence Act.

I admire how loving Gandhi was towards his enemies. He never held grudges but he forgave. That is something very hard that many people have struggled with from the beginning of time. To forgive and enemy after they have wrong you isn't easy but Gandhi did it many times throughout his life. Something new that i learned about him was him and some of his followers were arrested for not following the Black Act. This act required all Indians to submit fingerprints to the British government. The General who instituted the act promised to repeal it if the Indians signed up voluntarily. Gandhi promised he would sign up and this made many Indians mad. On his way to sign up Gandhi and some of his followers were attacked by fellow Indians. When Gandhi was treated he was told that the attackers had been arrested, and Gandhi wanted them released immediately. This is a prime example of how Gandhi forgives his enemies not matter what. He had been knocked unconscious and even after that he wished to have be how they were before anything even happened.(Emergence Paragraph 13)

Gandhi was a great man but he did have his enemies. He was assassinated on January 30, 1948; he was 78 years old. He left a lasting mark on the world and is now referred to as the Father of India. He caused many people to stop and look at what they were doing and to help sometimes instead of hurt. He fought for equality of all people and races. Even as a Hindu, he had love for the Muslims, who were committing violent crimes and killing many Hindu people. His first name has even been replaced with the term Mahatma which means a person regarded with reverence and loving respect. He wasn't a man of God but his actions of kindness and compassion show people a good example of a person devoting his life to a greater being.

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