MAHATMA GANDHI

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. He became
one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900's. GandhiJi helped free the
Indian people from British rule through nonviolent resistance, and is honored by Indians as the
father of the Indian Nation.The Indian people called Gandhiji 'Mahatma', meaning Great Soul.
At the age of 13 Gandhi married Kasturba, a girl the same age. Their parents arranged the
marriage. The Gandhis had four children. Gandhi studied law in London and returned to India in
1891 to practice. In 1893 he took on a one-year contract to do legal work in South Africa.At the
time the British controlled South Africa. When he attempted to claim his rights as a British
subject he was abused, and soon saw that all Indians suffered similar treatment. Gandhi stayed in
South Africa for 21 years working to secure rights for Indian people.He developed a method of
action based upon the principles of courage, nonviolence and truth called Satyagraha. He
believed that the way people behave is more important than what they achieve. Satyagraha
promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining
political and social goals. In 1915 Gandhi returned to India. Within 15 years he became the
leader of the Indian nationalist movement.Using the principles of Satyagraha he led the
campaign for Indian independence from Britain. Gandhi was arrested many times by the British
for his activities in South Africa and India. He believed it was honorable to go to jail for a just
cause. Altogether he spent seven years in prison for his political activities.More than once
Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be nonviolent. India was granted
independence in 1947, and partitioned into India and Pakistan. Rioting between Hindus and
Muslims followed. Gandhi had been an advocate for a united India where Hindus and Muslims
lived together in peace.On January 13, 1948, at the age of 78, he began a fast with the purpose of
stopping the bloodshed. After 5 days the opposing leaders pledged to stop the fighting and
Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse who opposed his
program of tolerance for all creeds and religion assassinated him. In early April, 1930 Gandhi, 61
years old, reached Dandi after walking 241 miles in 24 days. He then defied the law by making
salt. It was a brilliant, non-violent strategy by Gandhi. To enforce the law of the land, the British
had to arrest the satyagrahis (soldiers of civil disobedience) and Indians courted arrest in
millions. There was panic in the administration and Indian freedom struggle finally gathered
momentum both inside and outside of India. The picture of Gandhi, firm of step and walking
staff in hand (shown above) was to be among the most enduring of the images of him.
 JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
Born:November14,1889
Died:May27,1964
Achievements: Took active part in Non-Cooperation Movement; elected President of the
Allahabad Municipal Corporation in 1924, and served for two years as the city's chief executive;
Presided over Congress' annual session in Lahore in 1929 and passed a resolution demanding
India's independence; elected as Congress President in 1936, 1937, and 1946; became first Prime
Minister of independent India; was one of the main architects of Non Aligned Movement.The
threat of escalating violence and the potential for "red revolution" across the country seemed
daunting in the face of the country's growing population, unemployment, and economic
inequality. Jawaharlal Nehru induced Parliament to pass a number of laws abolishing absentee
landlordism and conferring titles to land on the actual cultivators who could document their right
to occupancy. Under his direction, the central Planning Commission allocated resources to heavy
industries, such as steel plants and hydroelectric projects, and to revitalizing cottage industries.
Whether producing sophisticated defense matériel or manufacturing everyday consumer goods,
industrial complexes emerged across the country, accompanied by the expansion of scientific
research and teaching at universities, institutes of technology, and research centers (see
Education, ch. 2; Science and Technology, ch. 6).Jawaharlal Nehru demonstrated tremendous
enthusiasm for India's moral leadership, especially among the newly independent Asian and
African nations, in a world polarized by Cold War ideology and threatened by nuclear weapons.
His guiding principles were nationalism, anticolonialism, internationalism, and nonalignment.
He attained international prestige during his first decade in office, but after the Soviet invasion of
Hungary in 1956--when New Delhi tilted toward Moscow--criticisms grew against his
inconsistency in condemning Western but not communist aggression. In dealing with Pakistan,
Nehru failed to formulate a consistent policy and was critical of the improving ties between
Pakistan and the United States; mutual hostility and suspicion persisted as a result (see United
States, ch. 9). Despite attempts at improving relations with China, based on his much-publicized
five principles (Panch Shila--see Glossary)--territorial integrity and sovereignty, nonaggression,
noninterference, equality and cooperation, and peaceful coexistence--war with China erupted in
1962. The war was a rude awakening for Nehru, as India proved ill-equipped and unprepared to
defend its northern borders. At the conclusion of the conflict, the Chinese forces were partially
withdrawn and an unofficial demilitarized zone was established, but India's prestige and self-
esteem had suffered. Physically debilitated and mentally exhausted, Nehru suffered a stroke and
died in office in May 1964. Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy of a democratic, federal, and secular India
continues to survive in spite of attempts by later leaders to establish either an autocratic or a
theocratic state.