152nd Gandhi Jayanti
As the nation gears up to commemorate the 152nd birth anniversary of our beloved leader, Gandhi Jayanti, today I shall not talk about Mahatma Gandhi’s indispensable contributions to India’s freedom struggle. I believe the history books and numerous other illustrious personalities have played their part well. Instead, bear with me as I take this opportunity to apprise you of his poignant global legacy which instigated the world movement of resistance against discrimination through nonviolence!
The UN declared October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, as Gandhi inspired movements for civil rights and racial discrimination not only in India, but across the world which ultimately changed the course of history.
The Chapter of South Africa
We may all be aware of this episode in South Africa where, despite carrying a first class ticket, Gandhi was thrown out from a train to Pretoria, because a white man believed it was beneath his dignity to share a train compartment with an Indian. This triggered Gandhi’s fight against class division and injustice in the country. What followed were countless incidents of discrimination, which led to his adoption of non-violent protests across the country and the birth of Satyagraha. During the next two decades, Gandhi continued his fight, which propelled the country towards a discrimination-free society.
We may all be aware of this episode in South Africa where, despite carrying a first class ticket, Gandhi was thrown out from a train to Pretoria, because a white man believed it was beneath his dignity to share a train compartment with an Indian. This triggered Gandhi’s fight against class division and injustice in the country. What followed were countless incidents of discrimination, which led to his adoption of non-violent protests across the country and the birth of Satyagraha. During the next two decades, Gandhi continued his fight, which propelled the country towards a discrimination-free society.
While Gandhi left the country to return to India in 1915, his mass resistance and nonviolence philosophies echoed with South Africa’s anti-aparthied revolutionary, Nelson Mandela. With his efforts, apartheid ended in 1994. The year also marked the proclamation of Mahatma Gandhi as a national hero in South Africa with numerous monuments dedicated to him.
How Gandhi inspired American activist Martin Luther King Jr.
“Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. adopted the Gandhian ideologies of nonviolence and civil disobedience in his fight to end racial segregation in the United States. In fact, when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, King held up Gandhi’s beliefs during India’s freedom struggle as the precedent of using nonviolence.
The Polish Gandhian
“Mahatma Gandhi guided my conscience during the Solidarity movement.”
– Polish President Lech Walesa at Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Ashram
Lech Walesa, the leader of the Solidarity movement, adhered to Gandhi’s principle of non-violent civil disobedience for two decades to demand free trade union and end the Soviet-backed Communist Regime in Poland.
The “Gandhigiri” demonstrated by the various world leaders doesn’t end here! Several social activists and political figures such as Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Horace Alexander of England, and Cardinal Jaime Sin of Philippines have been avid supporters of Gandhian ideologies and have inspired their people to observe peaceful resistance to achieve their rights.
And you thought only Munna Bhai was Gandhi’s biggest fanboy!
Visit Sabarmati Ashram on Gandhi Jayanti
As India preps up to celebrate their Father of the Nation this year, this Gandhi Jayanti I urge you to take a trip to his humble dwelling, Sabarmati Ashram (also known as the Satyagraha Ashram) in Ahmedabad, where the seeds of Indian Independence were sown. Here lived a man with ideas so strong which moved the world; here lived a man who united an entire nation; here lived a man with a simple yet an unmistakable understanding of the common man. You can read more about the Sabarmati Ashram here.
You can book your trip to Ahmedabad with Savaari and avail delightful discounts by downloading the Savaari car rental app.
Did the stories of Bapu inspire you? How do you plan to spend Gandhi Jayanti this year? I would love to know your thoughts. Drop them on comments.
Last Updated on October 1, 2021 by Ruchika Poddar
