Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in a devout, well-to-do Vaish family of Gujarat. His father was the dewan of the state of Rajkot. His mother was a pious Hindu lady of orthodox views. After his schooling in India, he went to England to study law. He was later called to the bar.

He practiced law in South Africa and started Satyagraha for securing the rights of Indians in South Africa. There was a systematic persecution of the Indians there, and they were deprived of most of their basic civic rights.

They were subjected to humiliating police ordinances, and their properties and shops were often looted and burnt. Gandhiji raised his voice against this cruelty and injustice. He was frequently arrested and imprisoned but he was not a man to give in. He was made of a sterner stuff He went on fighting till he secured for the Indians the rights they wanted.

He returned to India. He reorganized the Indian National Congress and infused into it a truly patriotic zeal. In 1919, there was an indiscriminate shooting by General Dyer of innocent men, women and childern in the Jalliafiwalla Bagh, at Amritsar. Gandhiji protested against this unjust and uncalled for human butchery of the Indians.

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He rejected forthright the reforms of 1919. He started mass ‘Satyagraha.’ He was imprisoned to a term of six years. But long terms of imprisonment that followed one after the other could not daunt him or curb his spirit. He was determined to free India from the British yoke. He was prepared for any and every sacrifice. He was prepared for the worst. He meditated long and deeply on the Indian scene of poverty and bondage.

The question before him was whether to stand and look on impotently or strike and end it whatever the consequences. In August 1942, the last arid final blow was struck. The famous ‘Quit India Resolution’ was passed in Mumbai. Mahatma Gandhi took the lead. He as well as other top-ranking leaders were arrested.

There was an unprecedented awakening all over the country. The whole country rose as one man against British domination. At last, India was declared Independent on the 15th of August 1947. Gandhiji’s sacrifices had borne fruit. At the dawn of freedom, there were Hindu-Muslim riots. He worked day and night for Hindu-Muslim unity. He was shot dead by a fanatic, Nathu Ram Godsey, while he was coming to address a prayer meeting at Birla House, Delhi.

He was a truly great man. He was the Father of the Nation, the maker of modern India, the architect of her freedom. It would be no exaggeration to say that if Gandhiji had not been born, India might not have been free today.

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India owes her freedom to Gandhi and Gandhi alone. He was one of those prophets who gives light to the world. He had influence on the lives of millions of persons born and yet to be born

His was the unique weapon of non-violence. It is the greatest miracle that a great country like India won its freedom without firing a single shot or shedding a single drop of blood. He was one of those who change the course of history, who move and shake the world. He showed the path of peace to the world. His conquest was a conquest of the hearts of milions. He wanted to bring the kingdom of Heaven on earth. He believed in the great efficacy of prayer. He was a born optimist. He smiled and whistled under all difficulties.

He was always as patient as a woman and as cheerful as a child. He smiled his way into the hearts of men. He fought untouchability in India. He uplifted the Harijans. He was the jealous sentinel of the interests of those dumb millions that live in the five and a half lakh villages of India. He preached and practiced plain living and high thinking.

Men like Gandhi are immortal. They live in their deeds. His memory will live so long as India and the world live. The coming generations will cherish his memory with love and respect.