MAKING OF

MAHATMA
LVMR Assignment Submission

R Anshul Agrawal
Zaigham Ali Khan

Table of Contents
Gandhi: The Beginning .............................................................. 2
Highlights of Gandhi in South Africa ....................................... 2
Difference Made ....................................................................... 4
Gandhi to Mahatma ............................................................... 4

Gandhi: The Beginning

As a barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was called up in South Africa as a
consultant to Dada Abdullah. Racial discrimination was at its peak during the time when
Gandhi first went to South Africa. He was thrown out of the first class compartment even
though he had ticket just because of skin color. When we are talking of Gandhi it is very
important to understand how he started his journey on the path of greatness or what we
term as Mahatma. Thrown out of the train, humiliated by an officer just due to skin color
could be termed as the trigger point in his journey from Gandhi to Mahatma.

Highlights of Gandhi in South Africa

This section highlights the important events during Gandhis stay in South Africa.

1894: Founded Natal Indian Congress

In 1894 he founded the Natal Indian Congress. He was also enrolled as an advocate of
Supreme Court of Natal and was the first Indian to do so. His ability to adapt to what
is required was evident as depicted in the movie when he readily removes his turban
while swearing in which he denied during his first visit to the court. He unified Indians
in South Africa and motivated them to work for a common cause.

1896: Wrote and Published Green Pamphlets from Rajkot

He tried to highlight the conditions of the Indians in South Africa to the world, their
treatment by the government, the pitiable working conditions etc through his
pamphlet. This received a lot of criticism from the administration in South Africa who
were trying to stop Indians from entering the country. Gandhi was attacked and
assaulted.

1899: Formed Indian Ambulance Corps during the Boer War

This was the year when Gandhi believed that being a British citizens, it is their duty to
serve them and it would also could help to reduce the misery of Indians in South Africa.

1903: First issue of Indian Opinion published

Gandhi believed that the European administration was spreading wrong information
about the activities of the Indians in South Africa. Hence he started the Indian Opinion
so that the opinion of Indian people could reach the masses.

1903: Founded Phoenix settlement

Founding the Phoenix farm was one of the many landmarks of Gandhi. The Indian
Opinion was shifted to the farm and the farm was also helpful while Gandhi was
serving the needy during Bubonic Plague in 1904.

1906: Zulu Rebellion, nursing the victims

Helped people who were not provided with any medical attention during the time
when they were hunted by the British government.

1907: Black Act passed

Gandhi opposed the new law which required every Indian to get registered. They were
to keep this registration document all the time. He asked and persuaded the fellow
Indians to register which encountered passive resistance on peoples part. There were
also protesters who were beaten and arrested.

1908: Gandhi goes to jail for the first time, 2 months imprisonment
Gandhi continued to fight for the cause using Satyagraha, he didnt hesitate to go to
jail which depicts his leadership through example. It was during this time he trusted
General Smuts and agreed for voluntary registration on the condition that the black
act will be reversed. Two things happened after this decision from Gandhi. Firstly, he
was attacked by one of his own follower. Secondly, Smuts didnt abolish the black act
and Gandhi decided to burn the registration card in public.

1910: Founded the Tolstoy Farm

Gandhi supported the families of people who were in prison and miners who left work
to oppose the 3 pound tax. It was during this time when another law was passed which
considered all marriages but those of Christians to be illegal. Gandhi used Satyagraha
to fight this injustice by the British government. Gandhi involved Kasturba and other
women in the event where they crossed Transvaal-Natal border to persuade others to
join them. They succeeded and were later arrested.

1913: Satyagrahis under Gandhi, Thambi Naidu and Albert Christopher March
Satyagrahis marched from Newcastle (Natal) to Tolstoy farm (Transvaal) with strict
instructions to remain non-violent. They were arrested many times (including Gandhi
himself). Since the nature of his arrest was too frequent he delegated work to Naidu

under his absence. 50,000 satyagrahis marched, thousands were arrested and many
lost their lives due to shooting at many places.

Difference Made
If we are summarizing the work done and the impact and outcome of Gandhis tenure in South
Africa one can say that:
The persona of Gandhi helped to change the perception of Government in South
Africa towards Indians (racial discrimination). This was evident from the history we
know when Smuts says that he considered him that abled person walk on his shoes
(Gandhis).
Things for colored skin people were much more favorable with their basic human
rights being provided.
Abolishment of tax was one of the major outcome
Satyagraha a non-violence movement which proved to be much more powerful than
arms and ammunitions as said by Smuts himself. This was evident in the later part of
the history when the same tactics was used for carving out British rule from India.

Gandhi to Mahatma
Google Mahatma Gandhi and one finds 19,800,000 results about the father of the
nation, few pages praising his spirituality, few doubting his credibility, few admiring his ideals
and a few absurdly accusing him of partitioning the country, not taking violent means to speed
up the independence of India etc. A look at him shows the vulnerability of his frail body, his
rather small appearance but keep searching and you find the determination reflecting on his
face and perseverance in his stance, leading India with a walking stick. Looking through these
results will make you wonder what made him amongst the greatest person to have walked
down this planet.
The ideals of Satyagraha and non-violence were the core-values of Mahatma Gandhi,
and was something un-heard of before him and using these ideals to clash with the mightiest
empire required determination, perseverance and self-belief. One could say that being from
a Gujarati, Hindu background, his core-values came from there. However, there were many
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others like him who were born in a similar background, but they chose to enjoy lavishes of
their life but the Mahatma chose to stay away from all the luxuries. One must understand
that he could have easily led the most comfortable of lives, had he wanted to. After all, he
was among the most powerful of men in his era. But he chose to live like a poor person,
wrapping his frail body with a single piece of cloth, sleeping barely, and practicing celibacy.
He gave away the comforts of family life for the greater good. All these acts required a
tremendous amount of patience which was one of the many character traits of Mahatma.
It is not that he had set his eyes on the ideals he would follow to fight against the
government, he kept changing his stance, sometimes supporting the government and at
times using everything in his power to oppose the government. He was experimenting with
ideas, making way for new ones as he moved along. His wonderful trait was learning from
every situation and applying it in new situations. When he was thrown out of train in South
Africa, he sat on the platform shivering throughout the night in the cold. His whole belief
system had been shaken up by this racist act. Before this incident, he had lived in London and
such racial acts were uncommon there. However, this incident truly brought him to the
forefront of racial abuse prevalent in South Africa for the Indians. That night made him realize
why it is important to fight for his people. It made him closer to the many Indians that were
facing similar treatment day after day. This feeling of what it meant to be an Indian remained
with him throughout. This trait of identifying with his people grew with time; he wore Khadi
clothes, led a simple life, and had only so much belonging which could come in a box in
Sabarmati Ashram.
One trait of Mahatma Gandhi which perhaps is less admired is his rationality. He
understood the importance of unity and making a public statement to the government. The
burning of passes in South Africa was done with a touch of drama to show the government
the unity. Even in India, he marched from Sabarmati to Dandi, and did not take any other
means of transport to make a statement. He understood the power of public opinion. He was
a very rational person. He knew that fighting such formidable opponents such as the British
were not possible by force. The only way he could have achieved his demands were through
a peaceful struggle. Mahatma Gandhi drew his ideals of love, compassion, lack of selfishness
and non-violence from many religions. He was in fact mesmerized by Raja Harish Chandra in
his teenage years and by Jesus in his adult life. There was a mixture of religion and rationality
in his decisions and sometimes it was difficult to understand where his spirituality ended, and
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rationality started. The combination of spirituality and determination, his ideals and
principles, and lack of ill feelings even for his opponents made him a formidable opponent.
One of the remarkable qualities of Mahatma Gandhi was his down-to-earth attitude.
When he came to India from South Africa, he had achieved so much. He was called the
Mahatma at the age of 40. Even then he remained himself without going head-over-heels at
the reception he got in India. He emphasized on the need of Cleanliness for Indians. He at
times even cleaned the streets, cleaned toilets, cleaned the wounds of people and many other
things which were a remarkable feat when you consider his stature in the world. In the 1901
Congress Session at Calcutta, he cleaned the toilet when he found the sanitation arrangement
inappropriate. He had a huge respect for human life, and had great empathy for others. This
empathy gave him the power to understand his opponents. This empathy made him a true
leader. He never asked his followers to follow the path he had chosen, he even understood
their problems if they chose not to, but his followers never failed him.
The Mahatma had a great belief in his ideals as well as himself. He listened to everyone
but followed his own path. In South Africa, when he thought he was right in supporting the
government, he did it even when he was beaten by his own people. This quality persisted in
him even after he came to India. When the leaders were ready to gain independence at the
expense of partition, he was among the few who resisted it. He adhered to his principles
throughout his life even when it meant being sidelined by his party members. He stood up to
what he believed was right, and always resisted injustice. The quality which differentiates him
from others, was his ability to stick to his principles even when his followers, his friends, his
family were against him.
He was a true leader, he could have worn the mantle when India became
independent, could have celebrated like a million others but there he was in a corner
protesting against the partition of the nation, fasting to quell the riots which had claimed the
county. Einstein rightly said, Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this
ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.