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Making of Mahatma Gandhi: From South Africa to India’s Independence Movement

April 8, 2024 1065 0

Introduction

Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1869, his upbringing in a devout Hindu family instilled values of truth, nonviolence, and simplicity. Mahatma Gandhi’s education in law and his experiences in South Africa, where he faced racial discrimination, played pivotal roles in shaping his philosophy of satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) and his commitment to social justice. These formative experiences laid the foundation for Mahatma Gandhi’s emergence as a leader of India’s struggle for independence and a global advocate for peace and equality.

Mahatma Gandhi’s South Africa Journey: Awakening, Advocacy, and Satyagraha (1893-1914)

  • Mahatma Gandhi’s Awakening in South Africa
    • He went to South Africa in 1893 for a legal case involving a client, Dada Abdullah.
    • Witnessing racial discrimination against Asians, he decided to stay to organize Indian workers against such injustices (denied voting rights, and had to live in prescribed, often unsanitary locations).
    • Petitions and Memorials: To British and South African authorities, hoping for redressal through official channels.
    • Natal Indian Congress: established by him, to unite different Indian groups and started the newspaper Indian Opinion.
  • Phase of Passive Resistance or Satyagraha (1906–1914)
    • Satyagraha Campaigns: The first satyagraha was against a law requiring Indians to carry registration certificates with fingerprints. 
      • Other campaigns were against restrictions on Indian migration, against Poll Tax and invalidation of Indian Marriages.
      • The campaign involved non-cooperation and suffering penalties for defying discriminatory measures.
    • Gokhale’s Advocacy: Gokhale in India mobilized public opinion in support of South African Indians, even garnering condemnation from the viceroy, Lord Hardinge.
    • Concessions Granted: The South African government conceded major Indian demands related to the poll tax, registration certificates, and marriages conducted according to Indian rites.

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Tolstoy Farm

  • Tolstoy Farm, founded in 1910, was named after the Russian writer Tolstoy, admired by Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Established by Mahatma Gandhi as an educational experiment and to house satyagrahi families for self-sustainability.
  • The second farm of its kind, with the first being Phoenix Farm in 1904, was inspired by John Ruskin’s critique of capitalism.
  • Mahatma Gandhi aimed to instill ideals of social service, citizenship, and respect for manual work from early years. Tolstoy Farm operated until 1913.

Mahatma Gandhi in India: Champaran, Ahmedabad, and the Rowlatt Act

  • Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915.
  • Country Tour and Political Neutrality: Toured the country for a year to understand the condition of the masses and refrained from taking any political position initially.
  • Initial Stance on Indian Politics: Sceptical of moderate politics and not supportive of Home Rule agitation during World War I.
Champaran Satyagraha (1917): First Civil Disobedience  [UPSC, 2020]
  • Cause: Indigo planters exploiting farmers in Champaran, Bihar.
  • Participants: Mahatma Gandhi was requested by Rajkumar Shukla and later joined by Rajendra Prasad, Mazharul-Haq, Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parekh, and J.B. Kripalani.
  • Resistance: Mahatma Gandhi defied orders to leave and faced punishment.
  • Outcome: Tinkathia system (Indigo to be grown on 3/20 parts of land) was abolished, peasants were compensated, first victory of civil disobedience in India. [UPSC 2018]
Ahmedabad Mill Strike (February 1918): First Hunger Strike
  • Dispute: Cotton mill owners vs. workers over plague bonus.
  • Mahatma Gandhi got a letter from Anusuya Sarabhai, sister of Ambalal Sarabhai (mill owner and the president of the Ahmedabad Mill Owners Association) for help in fighting for justice.
  • Intervention: Mahatma Gandhi mediated, advised a non-violent strike and undertook a hunger strike.
  • Outcome: The tribunal settled, and workers were awarded a 35% wage hike.
Kheda Satyagraha (March 1918): First Non – Co-operation movement
  • Cause: Tax refusal due to crop failure and drought in Kheda, Gujarat.
  • Leadership: Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhians led the tax revolt.
  • Unity: Communities supported the revolt, maintaining discipline.
  • Outcome: The government agreed to suspend taxes, reduce the rate increase, and return confiscated property.

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Rowlatt Act

Context
  • Introduced just before the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919). 
  • The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’.[UPSC 2015]
Purpose
  • To empower the government with extraordinary powers to suppress dissent.
Details
  • Officially named the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, popularly known as Rowlatt Act.
Recommendation
  • Proposed  Rowlatt Commission to investigate ‘seditious conspiracy.’
Provisions
  • Allowed trial without juries, arrest without a warrant on suspicion of treason, and suspension of Habeas Corpus.
Impact
  • Imposed wartime restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly.
Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act—First Mass Strike
  • Mahatma Gandhi’s Response: Called the Rowlatt Act the “Black Act,” urged mass protest. Peasants, artisans, and the urban poor became active in the struggle. [UPSC 2015]
  • Forms of Protest: Nationwide hartal (strike), fasting, prayer, civil disobedience, and courting arrest. 
    • All the elected Indian members, including Muhammed Ali Jinnah, Madan Mohan Malaviya, and Mazhar Ul Haq, resigned in protest.
  • Launch Date: April 6, 1919.
  • Violent Demonstrations: Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Punjab saw the largest anti-British upsurge since 1857.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919)

  • Background:  Amritsar was worst affected by violence, showing displeasure through shop closures. Arrests of nationalist leaders Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal led to further protests.
  • Troop Intervention: Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer imposed martial law to restore order.
  • Proclamation (April 13, Baisakhi): Forbade gatherings, demonstrations, and assemblies; imposed restrictions.
  • Incident: Troops surrounded Jallianwala Bagh, and fired on an unarmed crowd without warning, causing casualties (Congress estimated over 1,000 dead, 1,500 injured).
  • Aftermath: Martial law in Punjab, brutalities on inhabitants, public floggings, and humiliations.
  • Reaction
    • Rabindranath Tagore renounced knighthood.
    • Mahatma Gandhi gave up the title of Kaiser-i-Hind. He realized that co-operation with a ‘satanic regime’ was impossible.
    • Mahatma Gandhi, overwhelmed by violence, withdrew Rowlatt Satyagraha on 18th April 1919 and said that he had committed a “Himalayan Blunder”.
  • Legacy: Influenced Bhagat Singh’s activism; Udham Singh later in 1940 assassinated Michael O’Dwyer.

 

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The Hunter Committee of Inquiry and Aftermath

Background
  • The Jallianwala Bagh massacre prompted an inquiry. 
  • Hence, The Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu established the Disorders Inquiry Committee, widely known as the Hunter Committee.
Chairman
  • Lord William Hunter, former Solicitor General for Scotland.
Purpose
  • Investigate recent disturbances in Bombay, Delhi, and Punjab, along with causes and measures taken.
Committee Members were Indians
  • Sir Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad, Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University.
  • Pandit Jagat Narayan, lawyer and Member of the Legislative Council.
  • Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Khan, a lawyer from Gwalior State.
Hunter Committee’s Report (March 1920)
  • Did not impose any penal or disciplinary action but only condemned Dyer for lack of notice to disperse before firing, he was held for overstepping authority.
  • Minority Report (Indian Members) held: Innocent people were present; no prior violence in the Bagh, and Dyer’s actions were deemed “inhuman and un-British.”
Actions on Dyer
  • Indemnity Act: Passed before proceedings, protected officers from legal consequences; criticized as the “white washing bill.”
  • Dyer’s Dismissal: Winston Churchill, reviewing the report, found Dyer dangerous; Dyer was dismissed in March 1920.
  • Public Support in British: Dyer was not universally condemned; support in the House of Lords; funds raised for him, including by Rudyard Kipling.
Impact on Sikh Shrines and Gurudwara Reform Movement
  • Honoring of Dyer: Golden Temple clergy honoured Dyer, intensifying demand for Sikh shrine management reform.
  • Gurudwara Reform Movement: Resulted from discontent with shrine management
Congress View
  • Congress Committee (Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, Abbas Tyabji, M.R. Jayakar, and Mahatma Gandhi) criticized Dyer’s act as inhuman and held that there was no justification in the introduction of martial law in Punjab.

 

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Conclusion

  • Mahatma Gandhi’s journey from South Africa to India saw the evolution of his philosophy of satyagraha, or nonviolent resistance, as a powerful tool against injustice. 
  • His initial satyagraha campaigns in both countries laid the groundwork for his leadership in India’s struggle for independence. 
  • The tragic event of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre further solidified Mahatma Gandhi’s commitment to nonviolence and strengthened his resolve to fight against colonial oppression. 
  • These pivotal moments in Mahatma Gandhi’s life underscored his unwavering dedication to justice, peace, and the pursuit of freedom for all peoples.
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Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
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हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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