Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total nonviolence—which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi ("Great Soul", an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore), and in India also as Bapu ("Father"). He is officially honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience while an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, during the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he organized protests by peasants, farmers, and urban labourers concerning excessive land-tax and discrimination. After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic amity, end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to achieve Swaraj or the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led his followers in the Non-cooperation movement that protested the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (240 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930. Later he campaigned against the British to Quit India. Gandhi spent a number of years in jail in both South Africa and India.
As a practitioner of ahimsa, he swore to speak the truth and advocated that others do the same. Gandhi lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and social protest.
On the website of The Center for Nonviolent Communication, we are asked:Have you ever wondered if there was a way all people could live in peace? Have you ever longed to reach a point of understanding with someone you care about when you find yourselves divided by disagreements or differences? Maybe you’ve longed to express what you really feel or what is important to you? Or, have you ever wanted to foster agreement with a group of people who was unable to agree with another group—especially when the disagreement became life-threatening?
If so, you may be interested in learning about Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
People I know study the book “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion” by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. as well as hosting &/or attending NVC workshops. I have done a very small amount of this study and would like to do more. I can see how it would help a lot when it comes to finding the Peace within yourself and bring about Peaceful relationships. These could lead to World Peace in time.
“What I want in my life is compassion, a flow between myself and others based on a mutual giving from the heart.”
2 comments:
Speak the truth and advocate the same to others. I think if this is practiced by all men, then this world will be a much better place.
Person who believe in the non-violence is only one in the his name is MAHATMA GANDHI.I amaze to hear one person start the movement and so many people join this.
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