Background Life |
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2nd, 1869 in Portbandar, a tiny port in Northwest India. Many followers referred to him as "Bapu" Aka "Father" or Mahatma, another word for "great soul". British had been ruling India at that time. Although, India’s goal was to establish "Purna Swaraj" (full independence), and to end British rule over India. At 13 years, Gandhi married Kasturba Gandhi. Gandhi did not promote child marriage. He believed that no girl should spend her life with a man at 13 years old.
|
“Let us now consider the case of our girls who disappear, so to say, from view after marriage. They are not likely to return to our schools. Conscious of the unspeakable and unthinkable sin of the child-marriage of their daughters, their mothers cannot think of educating them or of otherwise making their dry life a cheerful one. The man who marries a young girl does not do so out of any altruistic motives, but through sheer lust.”
Gandhi's Autobiography, " My experiments with Truth"
Studying
|
Gandhi was determined to study law. He studied law in London, England till June 10, 1891 and returned back to India. Year of 1893, he was offered a position in South Africa and was required to stay for one year. Many weren't treated fairly in South Africa and were judged by race. Gandhi believed that all people should be treated fairly.
|
|
Some factors of motivation came from South Africa due to Equality. January 10, 1908, Gandhi had gotten thrown of a train for traveling in a train for "whites only". Sitting in a first class railway compartment, he was forced to move to the third class railway compartment, due to race and skin color. He refused to move, leaving the train attendants to kick him off the train. Salt was a key symbol to Indian cooking, even for people in poverty. The British salt act of 1835 prohibited Indians from making their own salt. Many were forced to purchase expensive salt from the British AKA as a British monopoly. Many people in India were in poverty, and weren't able to afford the British salt. The month of December, 1928. Gandhi and the Indian National Congress (INC) informed the British government, that if India is not granted with the status with the staus of regularity and common wealth by December 31, 1929. India will host a nationwide protest. The deadline passed with no change of British policy. |
"Next to air and water, Salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life."
Written in a letter to the Lord Irwin Viceroy, 1930