Page 5 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

He fought many battles against racism. His struggle was based on truth and

non-violence, and he worked to bring about a change of heart among the

oppressors who were the white rulers in South Africa.

He had gone to South Africa for one year, but he was there for almost 25 years,

and at last left in 1914 after signing an agreement with General Smuts, the
Prime Minister of South Africa, which ensured minimum justice for the Indians

in that country.

The First World War started while he was nearing England where he had gone to

meet Gopal Krishna Gokhale his political Guru, who in the meantime had gone

to France. He returned to India early in 1915. In England he got Pleurisy. The

cold climate did not suit him.

Gandhiji landed at Bombay in mid January 1915 with Kasturba, and had a
rousing reception. His reputation had reached India before him. He decided to

go to Pune to meet Gopal Krishna Gokhale and from there he went to Shanti

Niketan where his party had arrived in the meantime from South Africa. He

introduced many healthy changes in self-help at Shanti Niketan.

Gokhale's death soon afterwards led to Gandhiji founding the Satyagraha

Ashram at Ahmedabad from where he spread the message of Satyagraha and
provided leadership for the struggle, first in Bihar for justice to Indian Indigo

planters and then in Khera and Bardoli regarding land revenue, and finally for

India's freedom struggle.

It was a new way of fighting for justice, and for one's rights in which the

physically weak could have as much opportunity to show their valour as the
physically and intellectually strong. High and low, rich and poor, men and

women all joined him, and a new moral and spiritual awakening was seen in

India which finally led to the end of foreign rule in India.

But unfortunately the British agreed to the partition of India before they quit

India, which resulted in endless suffering to millions of people in India and
Pakistan. If the last Viceroy Lord Mountbatten had listened to Gandhiji's advice,

and the British had left India to Indians, or God and Indians were allowed to

settle the Hindu-Muslim question by themselves, History might have been quite

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