M.K. Gandhi

M.K. Gandhi: Quick Notes

Early Life & Education

• Born: 2 Oct 1869, Porbandar, princely state
• Father: Karamchand, chief minister (diwan) of Porbandar
• Married Kasturbai at 13 (she was 14)
• Law studies in London (1888–91), returned to India in 1891
• Early law practice failed in Bombay

South Africa Phase (1893-1914)

• Faced racial discrimination; famous train incident (ejected from first class)
• Took up legal work for Indian immigrants, fought discriminatory laws
• Developed Satyagraha (non-violent resistance)
• Stayed after settling initial case to fight Indian rights in South Africa

Return to India (1915 onward)

• Invited by G.K. Gokhale to return
• Led major early protests:
  • Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Peasant agitation for fair indigo prices, non-violent protest successful
  • Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918): Supported workers, hunger strike led to 35% wage hike
  • Kheda Satyagraha (1918): Flood-hit peasants refused taxes, Gandhi led non-payment pledge, govt conceded

Mass Movements

• Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22):
  • Goal: Self-governance & independence
  • Halted after Chauri Chaura violence (1922) to maintain non-violence
• Salt March (Dandi Satyagraha) 1930:
  • 24-day, 240-mile march protesting British salt tax
  • Sparked mass civil disobedience
• Round Table Conferences (1930-32):
  • 3 conferences for constitutional reforms, INC boycotted 1st, participated 2nd (Gandhi vs. Ambedkar on separate electorates)
  • Resulted in Government of India Act, 1935
• Quit India Movement (1942):
  • Demanded end to British rule during WWII

Death

• Assassinated on 30 Jan 1948 by Nathuram Godse at Birla House

Gandhi’s Core Thoughts

Swaraj (Self-rule)

• Not just political freedom but self-control, mastery over desires
• Advocated simple living, rejection of material greed
• Swaraj = national independence + political, economic & spiritual freedom
• True swaraj means everyone capable of resisting abusive authority

Economic Philosophy

• Emphasis on charkha (spinning wheel) & khadi (homespun cloth) to revive rural India
• Rural self-sufficiency & revival of village crafts key to India’s future

Ideal State: Ram Rajya

• Federation of self-sustaining villages (panchayats) with no coercive power
• Governance by moral persuasion, no centralized state power
• People self-regulate and coexist peacefully
• Transition from temporary representatives to a stateless society where everyone rules themselves responsibly

Gandhi’s Major Works

• Hind Swaraj (1909) — Political & moral philosophy
• The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1929) — Autobiography
• Key to Health (1948) — Health & hygiene principles
• Edited Young India journal (1919-32)