“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
Mahatma Gandhi is regarded as one of the most influential and powerful figures in world history. He is the father of the nation and the architect of modern India. His ideals Ahimsa (nonviolence) and Satya (truth) are universally admired.
Everyone respects Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, if not, then at least in their bank accounts and wallets. So, why is Mahatma Gandhi the most important person in the world?
- He was the country’s anchor, steering Britishers away from 200 years of oppression and prejudice and laying the ground for India’s independence. Indians created a sense of nationalism as a result of his emotional unity and shared ambition for independence from British captivity. Because of his modest, no-frills existence, he was able to create such a strong bond with the public.
- Gandhiji’s communication style was to strike up a rapport with the common people. Gandhiji spoke in basic Hindi or Gujarati, unlike most other political leaders who preferred to speak in aristocratic English, Sanskritized Hindi, or other regional languages. Gandhiji never used demagoguery in his speeches. He wasn’t a brilliant orator, but he was a good communicator who spoke in simple terms.
- He was a feminist who pushed for women’s participation in the satyagraha movement. Millions of women took part in the historic salt satyagraha, the boycott of the imported.
- He also fought relentlessly to create Hindu-Muslim harmony, a mission that ultimately led to his killing on January 30, 1948, by a Hindu zealot.
- One of the missions of his life was to eradicate the curse of untouchability among Hindus. For this reason, he founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh and urged his upper-caste coworkers to take up leatherwork, which is typically avoided by upper-caste Hindus. clothing movement, and the individual non-cooperation movement across the country.
- Due to the plight of Indians, Gandhiji renounced full clothing. In 1921, when travelling Madurai, he spotted many individuals wearing single dhotis, which he adopted as his own.
Some Interesting Facts About Mahatma Gandhi:
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was the first to call Mahatma Gandhi the ‘Father of the Nation’.
- The Parliament of Independent India officially recognised Gandhiji as the Father of the Nation after Independence.
- The International Day of Nonviolence is observed on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, October 2 for his contribution towards politics, philosophy, and society. He is the symbol of unity and peace.
- Gandhiji was a vegetarian, who favoured goat milk. He wrote a book titled ‘ The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism.
- He was the Time Magazine Man of the Year – 1930.
- He has been nominated for the Nobel Prize five times – 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948.
- There are 53 major roads named after Mahatma Gandhi in India (excluding minor roads) and 48 roads named after him outside the country.
- He fought against the UK and after 21 years of his death, UK issued a stamp in his honour.
- Gandhi, despite his pacifism and role in the Indian independence struggle, urged Indians to fight for Britain during World War I. He was an outspoken opponent of India’s participation in WWII.
- Bapu’s wife, Kasturba Gandhi, died in 1944 while imprisoned at the Aga Khan Palace. In India, her death day (February 22) is commemorated as Mother’s Day.
- On Friday, India gained freedom. Bapu, on the other hand, was born and assassinated on a Friday.
- Gandhiji wrote his autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’ in Gujarati.
- Gandhiji was a huge football lover. Gandhiji formed two football clubs-one in Johannesburg and the other in Pretoria, during his stay in South Africa.
- Barack Obama, Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, John Lennon, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and more are some of the world leaders and thinkers who were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.
India’s independence was achieved not only as a result of Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts, but also as a result of the sacrifices made by many great freedom fighters such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarojini Naidu and others who gave their lives for the greater good of their country and its people.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”