Mahatma Gandhi Death Anniversary: Some of his thoughts that will continue to show the right path for centuries

Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political
ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign
for India’s independence from British Rule, and in turn inspire movements for
civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: “great-souled”,
“venerable”), first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now
used throughout the world.

Born and
raised in a Hindu family in coastal Gujarat, western India, Gandhi was trained
in law at the Inner Temple, London, and called to the bar at age 22 in June
1891. After two uncertain years in India, where he was unable to start a
successful law practice, he moved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an
Indian merchant in a lawsuit.

 He went on to stay for 21 years. It was in
South Africa that Gandhi raised a family, and first employed nonviolent
resistance in a campaign for civil rights. In 1915, aged 45, he returned to
India. He set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to
protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of
the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for
easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity,
ending untouchability, and above all for achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

Gandhiji was
the only person whose talks gave the world a new direction. It was Bapu, on
whose one point the people were desperate to pass by doing anything. His
precious things inspired everyone. His talk against the social evils worked
magic on the people.

Gandhi’s
vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism was challenged in
the early 1940s by a new Muslim nationalism which was demanding a separate
Muslim homeland carved out of India. In August 1947, Britain granted
independence, but the British Indian Empire< was partitioned into two
dominions, a Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.As many
displaced Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs made their way to their new lands,
religious violence broke out, especially in the Punjab and Bengal.

Eschewing
the official celebration of independence in Delhi, Gandhi visited the affected
areas, attempting to provide solace. In the months following, he undertook
several fasts unto death to stop religious violence. The last of these,
undertaken on 12 January 1948 when he was 78,< also had the indirect goal of
pressuring India to pay out some cash assets owed to Pakistan.

Some Indians thought Gandhi was too accommodating. Among them was Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, who assassinated Gandhi on 30 January 1948 by firing three bullets into his chest.

Some of his
thoughts that will continue to enlighten the bright path for the generations to
come:

Bapu used to
say that ‘a man is a creature created by his thoughts, he becomes what he
thinks’. This talk of Mahatma Gandhi is relevant even today. A person’s
thinking determines his personality. Bapu used to teach people to stay away
from the proverb ‘efficient many’. He believed that you should imitate good
things first and then talk about adopting others.

Bapu said
that ‘Look at the good in others and see the evil in yourself, this is your
greatest good’. Mahatma Gandhi also said that ‘people should always aim for
complete harmony of their thoughts, words and deeds.

Mahatma
Gandhi used to say that whenever you come in the face of despair, remember that
the path of truth and love always wins. Bapu used to advise not to get angry.
He used to say that ‘Do not take any decision in anger because anger is the
enemy of right understanding.’

He said ‘Silence
of man is the most powerful speech, slowly the world will listen to you but you
have to do something different.’