Gandhi left for South Africa in 1893, to serve as a legal adviser for an Indian firm. During the 21 years that he spent in South Africa, he was subjected to a great amount of racial discrimination amongst him and his countrymen. He had developed a method of non-violent resistance which he called ‘satyagraha’, and which he used to his success. He had finally returned to India in 1915 as a changed man.
Upon returning to India, he set out to travel the entire country to familiarise himself with it. He then plunged into politics and became an unquestioned leader of the Indian nationalist movement. In 1919 he led a nationwide campaign of passive non-cooperation with the government of British India, including a boycott of British goods. This was when he was first imprisoned by the British in 1922 for two years.
Gandhi had also fostered among his countrymen national self-respect and confidence in their ability to overthrow the British government. He had perfected the art of ‘satyagraha’ and developed what he called the ‘new science of non-violence’. It was these actions that led to his being called ‘
‘Mahatma’, which means “Great Soul”
When World War II broke out, the Congress Party and Gandhi decided not to support the British unless India was granted complete independence from Britain. When Gandhi refused to agree to Indian participation when Japan entered the war, he was again imprisoned fore two years and was later released due to his health. By 1944, the British government had agreed to give India her independence, and India and Pakistan became separate states when the British granted India independence in 1947.
His intellectual influence on his countrymen was considerable. Some were attracted by his emphasis on political and economic decentralization; others by his insistence on individual freedom, moral integrity and non-violence. Gandhi’s influence was profound in and outside India.
I have chosen him as my role model because I feel that he was an extremely ambitious man who had decided to help many people to escape the clutches of the British, at his own free will. He had a great personality as he was a friendly person and was easy to converse with. Instead of relying on violence to support his country, he developed a means of non-violence which had increased his support by his countrymen. He inspired me by using non-violence to resolve conflicts and his longing to free his country.
Thank You
