Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: The Power of Non-Violence

The Power of Nonviolence Demonstrators lined the coast as the blistering sun incinerated the crowd. Everyone’s eyes were on a short, Indian man wrapped in cloth, an unimpressive looking man named Mohandas “Mahatma” Karamchand Gandhi. A shudder of nervous anticipation shook him as he lowered his hand into the sloshing sea. Digging his hands into the ground, his hand hit something lumpy. Hands trembling, Gandhi lifted a lump of salty mud from the depths of the sea. The crowd gasped silently. Gandhi then forced himself to lower the lump into the water. The mud slipped away from the grains of white, causing the water to grow murkier. A few minutes later, the mud cleared, and Gandhi held up his hand. Grasping onto the grainy substance, Gandhi cried, “I have shaken the foundation of the British Empire, for I have broken the salt law!” Gandhi went on to instruct his followers to lead a massive movement to break the salt law, which prohibited the creation of homemade salt. “Whenever you need it, do not hesitate to make the salt that you need!” declared Gandhi as an uproar caught the crowd. Cheering, the crowd lined the seashore and began producing illegal salt (Browne, 159-163). One of his biggest demonstrations, the Salt March marked a precedent for all of Gandhi’s Satyagraha (“holding to the truth”) (Browne 160) demonstrations. Gandhi, though unsuccessful in preventing the India-Pakistan schism, was ultimately a successful revolutionary leader who ended the rule of Britain over India. Gandhi also successfully ended the laws allowing for untouchability, but he was not successful at ending the discrimination against former untouchables. In India, people of the untouchable caste were badly mistreated, because of their low status on the caste system. The caste system was formed by the Aryans, invaders who conquered native Indians living there 2,000 years ago. They divided the population into castes, based on social class, with Brahmans, the priests on top, then the warriors, then the commoners, then the laborers, and on the bottom, the untouchables. Many natives were made into untouchables, who did dirty tasks like carrying off dead bodies, and therefore were considered to be at the same level as animals. Members of higher castes did not even go near them for fear of being polluted. This meant that untouchables were isolated from the rest of the society, and led to their discrimination. Untouchables were considered so low-level that the Rig Veda, an important Hindu document where castes were described, did not even mention them (Oldenburg). Because untouchability had already lasted for 2,000 years, it was unlikely that they would ever be given more rights. Gandhi fought against the injustices against untouchables through his ideals of Satyagraha and Ahimsa (nonviolence). It was his firm belief that untouchability was sinful to Hinduism. In fact, he even believed that the existence of the untouchable caste brought about the British Raj. Gandhi, as a lawyer in South Africa, protested the existence of the untouchables by disemboweling his toilets, which showed that he believed that it was dignifying to do dirty tasks. Gandhi went as far as adopting an untouchable girl and telling his Brahman supporters that they should do their own unwanted tasks, such as cleaning, throwing away trash, and disembowelment. He risked losing many supporters through his bold actions, but decided that it was his duty to help abolish untouchability. He called them the children of God, and refused to enter churches that did not allow entry for lower castes. Gandhi even suspended the movement for British independence because he believed that untouchability should be ended first. Through fasting and praying, he gained many Hindu supporters, and in 1949, the Indian Constitution illegalized untouchability (Oldenburg). Another dominant problem that India faced was the cruel and oppressive rule of Britain in an empire known as the British Raj. Indians did not have much of a say in government; in 1915, only 1 in 20 government positions were held by Indians. By 1923, this changed to 1 in 10, but was still a small percentage (Mahatma Gandhi). This conveys that the British government did not want the general population in India to be represented; they did not care about the welfare of the people. Without the say of the majority, Britain imposed unfair taxes on products, notably salt. Salt was a necessary product, because people sweated a lot in the hot environment of India, so they needed to replenish it by consuming salt. However, making salt was illegal; people were only allowed to buy British salt. The taxes particularly hurt the poor, because they didn’t have much money to buy salt and they were taxed on it, leaving little money for other resources. This rooted poverty into the Indian society. The British police reacted violently to nonviolent protests, and held those who opposed them as political prisoners. For example, in the aftermath of the Salt March, Britain arrested many Indians. With no one to interfere, Britain was free to run its own empire with minimal constraints on power. Gandhi fought against the injustices of the British Raj through his nonviolent demonstrations. In 1921, Gandhi became the leader of the Indian National Congress. (Adams) One of Gandhi’s main grievances was the British tax on salt. Gandhi boldly sent letters to British authorities urging them to repeal the taxes, and threatened to lead a mass movement to break the law if they did not comply. The authorities ignored his letters, and did not even take them seriously. In response, Gandhi led the Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha in which he and his followers, known as Satyagrahas, began a march to the sea. Gandhi visited villages along the way, and asked for only food and shelter, symbolizing his humbleness. When he reached the coast, Gandhi made speeches criticizing the salt laws, and proceeded to make illegal salt, which resulted in massive amounts of people breaking the salt laws in protest against them. Gandhi also instructed women to burn British cloth to protest the cloth monopoly. (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) To stop the movements, Gandhi was imprisoned, along with thousands of other people. In one notable moment, Satyagrahas marched under the orders not to protect or use violence. The police started beating them with clubs, but not one of them even raised a hand to defend themselves. They fell quickly, but the others marched on until they were clubbed. (Severance, 94) This demonstrated the cruelty of the British Raj, and illustrated that the British police were willing to attack defenseless protesters without provocation. During World War II, Gandhi launched the Quit India movement, which threatened massive civil protests if India was not relinquished. Britain arrested Gandhi, but other supporters led the movements. Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested. In 1946, Britain gave up on India and granted India its independence. (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) Gandhi was not completely successful in his fights against injustices. Even today, the Indian government does not treat former untouchables equally. For example, in 2006, higher caste members brutally abused and murdered members of a lower caste in an event known as the Khairlanji Massacre. (Hinduvata) The government attempted to cover up the killing, exemplifying the fact that former untouchables have not gained full equality. Gandhi was also unsuccessful at keeping India unified; after Hindu-Muslim disputes reached a peak, the Muslim League broke off and formed Pakistan, against Gandhi’s wishes. Though unsuccessful in certain suites, Gandhi made huge steps in Indian rights, such as influencing the end of untouchability and ending the British Raj. Gandhi’s salt march received international attention. Gandhi was also successful at overthrowing the British with Satyagraha. Britain’s cruelty in the face of nonviolent protesters shook the British Raj’s foundations, allowing Gandhi to land a final strike with his Quit India movement. In 1946, the British realized that they could not keep India, so they granted India its independence. Gandhi’s successes were marked by his use of nonviolence to achieve his goals, a legacy that humanitarians like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. followed. King used nonviolent protests and boycotts to end racial discrimination in the US. Mandela nonviolently protested against the South African apartheid. This shows that Gandhi successfully spread his ideals of nonviolence to the world. However, the end of Gandhi was not very peaceful. Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic who opposed Gandhi’s beliefs of Hindu-Muslim peace. Gandhi’s fight for ending untouchability and freeing India from Britain has left a foundation for the future of India. Obama, in a meeting with India, remarked, “I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as president of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared and inspired with America and the world” (Obama). Though Gandhi was shot dead, his legacy has remained untarnished. To honor Gandhi, people should abstain from violence to solve problems, and should resolve disputed through discussions, rather than fistfights. Gandhi has given India freedom, rights, and his life. He was one of the bravest men to live.

Works Cited
Adams, Simon. Mahatma Gandhi. Austin: Raintree Stech-Vaughn, 2003. Print.
Browne, Ray B. Contemporary Heroes and Heroines. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Print.
“Hindutva Terrorists Massacre Buddhist Family in India.” Khairlanji Massacre of Budhist Dalits by Hindutva Terrorists. N.p., 20 Nov. 2006. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. .
“Mahatma Gandhi.” Calliope. 21st ed. January 2011. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .
“Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. October 10 2011. History Reference Center. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .
“Obama Praises Gandhi in Speech to Indian Parliament.” CNN World. N.p., 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .
Oldenburg, Veena Talwar. “Mahatma Gandhi and the Untouchables of India.” Faces Feb. 1993: 4-10. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .
Severance, John B. Gandhi, Great Soul. New York: Houghtin Mifflin, 1997. Google Books. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .

Cited: Adams, Simon. Mahatma Gandhi. Austin: Raintree Stech-Vaughn, 2003. Print. Browne, Ray B. Contemporary Heroes and Heroines. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Print. “Hindutva Terrorists Massacre Buddhist Family in India.” Khairlanji Massacre of Budhist Dalits by Hindutva Terrorists. N.p., 20 Nov. 2006. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. . “Mahatma Gandhi.” Calliope. 21st ed. January 2011. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. . “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. October 10 2011. History Reference Center. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. . “Obama Praises Gandhi in Speech to Indian Parliament.” CNN World. N.p., 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . Oldenburg, Veena Talwar. “Mahatma Gandhi and the Untouchables of India.” Faces Feb. 1993: 4-10. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. . Severance, John B. Gandhi, Great Soul. New York: Houghtin Mifflin, 1997. Google Books. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .