As the First World War approached its conclusion, a confluence of factors shaped the landscape in India and on the global stage. Post-war, a revival of nationalist fervor swept through India and various Asian and African colonies. The anti-imperialist movement in India underwent a pivotal transformation with the emergence of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi onto the political forefront. This marked a decisive shift toward a more inclusive and widespread popular struggle against imperialism, solidifying Gandhi’s influential role in shaping the trajectory of India’s anti-colonial movement.
Making of Mahatma Gandhi
In April 1919, when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi initiated a nationwide Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act, marking his first attempt at leadership in an all-India struggle, he was already fifty years old. In 1893, at the age of twenty-four, Gandhi, a barrister, embarked on the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa. This early chapter in his life laid the foundation for the transformative role he would play in shaping the destiny of the Indian national movement.
Early Career and Experiments with Truth in South Africa
Early Career:
- Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, a part of the princely state of Kathiawar in Gujarat, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi hailed from a family where his father served as the diwan (minister) of the state.
- Arriving in Durban in 1893 on a one-year contract to address the legal issues of Dada Abdullah, a Gujarati merchant, the young barrister M.K. Gandhi seemed like an ordinary individual striving to earn a livelihood.
- However, he held a unique distinction—he was not only the first Indian barrister but also the first highly-educated Indian to set foot in South Africa.
- It was in South Africa that Gandhi confronted the stark realities of white racism, witnessing the degrading treatment and contempt faced by Asians who had arrived in the region as laborers.
- This experience played a pivotal role in shaping Gandhi’s commitment to justice and equality.
Condition of Indians in South Africa
- Indentured Indian labor: Indian migration to South Africa commenced in 1890, initiated by the recruitment of indentured Indian labor, primarily from South India, for work on sugar plantations by White settlers.
- This influx was accompanied by Indian merchants, mainly Meman Muslims.
- The third group comprised ex-indentured laborers who settled in South Africa after completing their contracts, along with their locally-born children.
- Limited access to education: These Indians, present in South Africa before Gandhi’s arrival, had limited access to education, particularly in English.
- Illiterate and unfamiliar with English, these Indian immigrants embraced racial discrimination as a routine aspect of their lives, with little knowledge of how to challenge it.
- Deprivation of the Basic Right: Enduring numerous hardships, they were deprived of the right to vote and confined to designated areas characterized by unsanitary and overcrowded conditions.
- In certain colonies, stringent restrictions compelled Asians and Africans to refrain from being outdoors after 9 PM and prohibited the use of public footpaths.
Encounters of Discrimination
- Gandhi’s Intolerance of Racial Insults: Unlike the majority, Mohandas Gandhi, the son of a Dewan (Minister) from an esteemed Indian state, did not tolerate racial insults for the sake of livelihood.
- Having spent three years studying for the Bar in London, he had not encountered overt racism in India or England, making the abrupt confrontation with it in South Africa a stark contrast.
- Within a week of arriving in South Africa, Gandhi’s journey from Durban to Pretoria unfolded a series of racial humiliations.
- Forced Ejection and Humiliation: Notably, he was forcibly ejected from a first-class compartment by a White man and left to spend the night in a waiting room.
- Despite holding a first-class ticket, he was made to travel in the driver’s box and was thrashed when he resisted sitting on the foot-board.
- Struggle for Dignity: On reaching Johannesburg, all hotels mysteriously filled up as soon as he sought accommodation.
- Even with a first-class train ticket to Pretoria, Gandhi faced the risk of being pushed out of his compartment until saved by the intervention of a European passenger.
- Forced Ejection and Humiliation: Notably, he was forcibly ejected from a first-class compartment by a White man and left to spend the night in a waiting room.
Initial Attempts at Protest
Early Activism: Upon arriving in Pretoria, where he was to handle a civil suit, Gandhi promptly convened a meeting of the local Indians.
- Offering English lessons, he encouraged them to organize and resist oppression.
- Voicing his protest through the press, he questioned the fairness, justice, and civilization of the treatment Indians received.
- Fight Against Disenfranchisement: Despite originally planning to return to India after settling the lawsuit, Gandhi raised the issue of a bill to disenfranchise Indians in Natal.
- Urged by the local Indian community, he stayed on for a month but ended up dedicating twenty years of his life, leaving at the age of forty-five.
- Gandhi’s South African experience was unique due to his British education, enabling him to demand rights like first-class train tickets and rooms in hotels that others may not have dared to seek.
- Confronting Racial Superiority: Contrary to the belief that discrimination was due to a lack of Westernization, Gandhi’s encounters highlighted racial superiority as the root cause. As the sole Western-educated Indian, he bore the responsibility of leading the fight against increasing discrimination.
- Despite older and wealthier merchants, they chose him as their leader for his ability to communicate with rulers, understand legal intricacies, draft petitions, establish organizations, and represent them effectively.
Moderate Phase of Struggle in South Africa (1894-1906)
Petitioning on an issue as a tool: Gandhi’s political endeavors from 1894 to 1906 represent the ‘Moderate’ phase of the South African Indian struggle.
- During this period, he focused on petitioning the South African legislatures, the Colonial Secretary in London, and the British Parliament.
- Natal Indian Congress and Indian Opinion: Gandhi believed that presenting the facts to the Imperial Government would evoke British justice.
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- His efforts aimed to unite diverse Indian segments and gain publicity for their demands. Establishing the Natal Indian Congress and initiating the newspaper Indian Opinion showcased Gandhi’s organizational, fundraising, journalistic, and propagandist skills.
- However, by 1906, having exhausted ‘Moderate’ methods, Gandhi grew convinced that a shift in strategy was imperative.
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Conclusion
Gandhi’s early experiences in South Africa, marked by racial discrimination and the fight for justice, laid the foundation for his later leadership in India’s anti-colonial struggle. His journey from moderate petitioning to a more assertive stance against imperialism exemplifies his evolution into a global symbol of resistance. Gandhi’s resilience and innovative strategies significantly shaped India’s path to independence, transforming him into the Mahatma who led a nation.
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