Gandhi Jayanti 2024 Special: Life Journey of Gandhi ji

About Gandhi Jayanti

2nd October is the day in 1869 when Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar (Gujrat, India), and named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This day is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti. His father was Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi and his mother was Putlibai. Putlibai was the 4th wife of Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi and Gandhi Ji was influenced by his mother’s Vaishnav theory from the early days.

Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi got his primary education in Porbandar, and at the age of 11 moved to Rajkot, a city in Gujrat as his father got transferred there. At Rajkot, he joined Alfred High School, Rajkot. He was an average and shy student in school. At the age of 13, he got married to Kasturba Gandhi. Gandhi Ji finished high school and joined Samaldas Arts College, the only place offering degrees. However, he left college and returned home to his family in Porbandar. After that, he joined UCL in London and completed his law degree.

Gandhi Ji in South Africa

Gandhi Ji got a job in a law company in India, and they sent him to work in South Africa. He and his wife Kasturbai and their children stayed in South Africa for almost 20 years. In South Africa, Gandhi ji faced discrimination. When asked to remove his turban in court, he refused. On a train, he was kicked out of first class for not giving up his seat and got beaten. This made him adopt satyagraha, a peaceful way of resisting unfair treatment.

Gandhi Ji and India’s Independence

In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi led the Champaran Satyagraha, the first peaceful protest in British India. It happened in Bihar, India, and was a big part of the fight for independence. Farmers were upset because they had to grow indigo without fair pay. Gandhi ji led nonviolent protests for Indian independence, emphasizing economic self-sufficiency with homespun cloth (khaddar).

His spiritual lifestyle earned him the name Mahatma. He organized boycotts against British goods. After a pause due to violence, he was arrested in 1922 for sedition but released in 1924. In 1930, he protested the salt tax. Gandhi’s tactics faced internal criticism, and he fasted for reforms.

In 1934, he retired from politics but returned during World War II, demanding British withdrawal. In 1947, Britain gave independence, dividing India into Hindu-majority and Muslim-majority nations. This caused religious violence, especially in Punjab and Bengal. Gandhi, though not part of official celebrations, visited troubled areas to assist those affected by the large-scale migration of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs to their new homes.

Last time of Gandhi ji

On January 30, a man named Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi in Delhi. Gandhi, aged 78 and weak from fasting, was walking to a prayer meeting when Godse appeared from the crowd, bowed, and shot him three times up close. Despite being mortally wounded, Gandhi raised his hands in a greeting gesture. No one tried to call a doctor or take him to the hospital, and he died within half an hour.