The Father of the Nation

The Father of the Nation

Born: 2nd October 1869

Died: 30th January 1947

Shri Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, at Porbandar, (presently the Indian state of Gujarat). He left his home at the age of 19, to study law in London at the ‘Inner Temple’ (one of the city’s four law colleges). After returning to India in 1891, he started practising law in Bombay and got little success. Soon he started working with an Indian firm and went to their office in South Africa, along with his wife, (Kasturba) and their children. Gandhi remained in South Africa for almost 20 years. Gandhi was shocked by the discrimination which he experienced in South Africa being an Indian immigrant. Once when a European magistrate asked him to take off his turban, Gandhi Ji denied it and left the courtroom. Even during a train journey, he was beaten up by a white stagecoach driver and thrown out of a first-class railway compartment because he refused to give up his seat for a European passenger. This train journey served as a turning point in Gandhi Ji’s life, and soon he started establishing and teaching the concept of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”), as a way of non-cooperation with authorities. He began his activities as an Indian immigrant in the early 1900s (South Africa), and in the years following World War I, he became the leading figure in India’s struggle to attain independence from the Britishers. He became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India and came to be known as the “Father of the Nation” in India. He is internationally admired for his belief in non-violent protest (satyagraha) for achieving both political and social progress. Admired all over the world for his non-violent philosophy, Shri Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was believed to be Mahatma (“the great-souled one”) by many of his followers. Known for his austere lifestyles like dressed only in a dhoti and shawl and devout Hindu faith, Gandhi Ji was imprisoned several times during his activities of non-cooperation and doing several hunger strikes to protest against injustices. In 1947 after Partition, he continued to work toward peace between both Hindu and Muslim communities. On 30th January 1947, Gandhi Ji was on his way to an evening prayer meeting in Delhi where he was shot to death by Nathuram Godse (a Hindu fundamentalist). His last words were “Hey Ram”.

Did you know?

It was Subhas Chandra Bose who addressed Mahatma Gandhi as “Father of the Nation” for the 1st time.

Source: testbook.com

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