Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest man of his age. He was not only a great politician but also a great social and religious leader. Gandhiji believed in the fundamentals of his ancient culture. He declared that the highest form of service of the great mother was social service. He gave message of peace to the whole world and believed in humanity. He was deeply influenced by the West and 19th century European liberalism. He loved his country people very much. So the nation called him ‘Bapu’, the father of nation.
Mahatma Gandhi was born at Porbander in Kathiawar on October 2, 1869. His father Karamchand was the Diwan of Rajkot. His mother Putlibai was a very a very noble and religious lady. He was sent to school at the age of seven. He was shy and did not mix with the boys of his age. But he was very honest and hardworking. He had no liking for games and gymnastics. He was married to Kasturba at the age of thirteen. He passed the Entrance Examination at the age of seventeen. He was sent to England for higher education.
On his return from England he began to practice as barrister in Bombay High Court, but he was not successful in the profession. In 1913, he left for South Africa in order to plead the case of a firm named Dada Abdulla & Co. during his stay there; he fully studied the condition of Indian in South Africa. The behavior of the Whites towards the Indians shocked him very much. He fought against the British Government to improve the lot of Indian there. He started Satyagrah Movement for the rights of the Indians. He did not take rest till the Indian Relief Act was passed.
Gandhiji returned to India in 1915 and joined the Indian National Congress. He started the Non-co-operation Movement in 1920 and Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930. He always worked for Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1942, he started the Quit India Movement. He was sent to jail many times. In 1947 India got her freedom.
Gandhiji’s main principles were truth and non-violence. His experiment with the weapon of non-violence in the context of India was indeed, an attempt to demonstrate to the entire world the effectiveness of this weapon. He believed in universal brotherhood and love. He was of the opinion that if we have conflict with Englishmen, let us not hates the Englishmen because both Englishmen and Indians are offspring of the same divinity. This attitude would enable us to love the evil-doer while hating the evil. He respected all religions equally because he said essence of all religions is truth. He advocates universal brotherhood over and above narrower loyalties to nations and religions.
On January 30, 1948 he was shot dead by Nathu Ram Vinayak Godse in a prayer assembly at Birla House, Delhi. Gandhiji lived and died for love, truth and non-violence. He was one of those prophets like Jesus Christ, Buddha, Ram and Krishna who gave light to the world. So long as India lives and Indian freedom lives, the name of Gandhi will be remembered.