EuropaWorld 2/2/2001Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 to prosperous Hindu parents in the state of Gujurat in Western India. Following a conventional upbringing he entered an arranged marriage with Kasturbai Makanji when both were 13 years old. The young Gandhi did not excel at school and although he started college, he withdrew after only five months. It was an inauspicious start for one who would later become known as the father of his nation.

Persuaded by an uncle to study law in England, he returned to India in 1891 a qualified barrister. Two years later he was offered a contract in South Africa - a state which, like his homeland, was then a Britsh possession. But when Ghandi attempted to claim his rights as a British subject he was racially abused. It dawned on him that it was not only in South Africa that Indians were suffering such discrimination and oppression. Gandhi therefore started to resist. It was the beginning of a struggle for peace and justice that would continue for the next 55 years.

A love of religion had taught Gandhi that tolerance, courage and truth were far more appropriate tools for achieving political and social goals than hatred and violence. He developed a method of social action based on these values - a creed of passive resistance and civil disobedience known as satyagraha, meaning 'truth force'. He then led South Africa's Indian community in countless satyagraha protests against the injustices they suffered. Despite frequent imprisonment, Gandhi never lost his desire to see justice or his belief in the powers of truth and non-violence. By the time he left South Africa, after 21 years, the rights of the immigrant Indian community had been radically improved.

Gandhi returned to India in 1915, determined to use his experiences in South Africa to lead a campaign against the injustices of British rule. He traveled from the Himalayas to Ceylon, preaching tolerance and love and inspiring thousands to join him in satyagraha demonstrations for Indian independence. Having long since renounced material values and possessions, Gandhi encouraged his followers to do the same. In particular he led a boycott of the imported goods that were sustaining the imperial powers whilst crippling the Indian economy. One of the first to listen was Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the first prime minister of independent India.

In 1930 Gandhi became leader of the Indian nationalist movement. One of his most memorable campaigns was a 24 day march in protest against the British monopoly on salt. The hundreds of arrests - including his own - and the brutal police reprisals that followed brought India's situation to world attention. The protest marked a turning point in the struggle for independence.

After innumerable such protests, and the moral and financial drain of the second world war, it became clear that Britain's occupation of India was no longer tenable. Despite the arrests and abuse - he spent a total of seven years in prison - Gandhi bore no malice towards his oppressors. In London he participated in negotiations to determine his country's fate arguing desperately against proposals for partition along religious lines even to the extent of offering to the Muslim leader Jinnah the opportunity to lead a united country. But Jinnah was obdurate and the partition of Ireland twenty four years before appeared to offer the British authorities a precedent for a two nation solution on religious lines.

When India was finally granted independence in 1947 no one foresaw the appalling violence that erupted between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi was horrified and spent the last months of his life trying to bring peace between the two sides. At the age of 78 he undertook a fast that brought him to the brink of death. However it achieved what no other political or military interventions could - an end to the bloodshed.

Before he died, Gandhi was awarded the title of 'Mahatma' meaning 'Great Soul' by the people of India. He was honoured as the father of the nation and he inspired millions to join him in a life governed by purity, non-violence and truth. Unfortunately his views were not shared by all. Twelve days after breaking his fast he was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic who opposed his programme of tolerance for all creeds and religion.

Tributes from around the world flooded India after his death in recognition of the great contribution to peace brought by Gandhi's patience, courage and love. Perhaps one of the most appropriate for remembering this great soul is the tribute from Albert Einstein; "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood." It is however certain that these generations to come will have lessons to learn from the extraorinary life of Mohandas Gandhi.