TITLE: MAHATMA GANDHI
NATIONAL
LEVEL ALL INDIA 2nd PRIZE WINNING ESSAY
TITLE: MAHATMA GANDHI
By
MD OSIM AQUATAR,ODISHA
At
Rajghat, on the banks of the Holy River Yamuna in New Delhi, there stands a
memorial which held sacred by people all over the world .It was here that, one
cold evening in January 1948,the body of the greatest man of our country was
cremated. He was Mahatma Gandhi, the great apostle of truth and non-violence, under
whose inspiring leadership India fought for and won her freedom after centuries
of bondage and slavery.
The parental name
of Mahatma was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born at Porbandar in
Kathiawad (Gujrat) on October 2, 1869 as the youngest child of his parents .His
father Karamchand was the Dewan and later the Chief minister of the state.After
completing his school education Mohan Das went to London where he did his
bar-at-law (barrister).He was called to the bar in 1889.Soon after he had started
his practice in Bombay (presently Mumbai), he left for South Africa that Gandhi
began his political career. During the Boer war and also during the World
War-I, he organized and commanded an Ambulance unit along with the British
Forces. While in South Africa he successfully led Indian community against
British policy of racial discrimination. He did not use force to achieve his
aim, his method was of non-violence. In the choice of this powerful weapon of
non-violence (or ahimsa),he was guided and greatly influenced by great writers
like John Ruskin and Leo Tolstoy.
He
returned to India in 1915 and was acknowledged a great political leader. He
gave a new turn to the national struggle for freedom by employing his new
weapon of non-violence against the British. Mahatma Gandhi’s first campaign of
non cooperation in 1920-22 was almost a success but at a certain stage when the
movement threatened to develop into a violent one, Gandhiji called off the
movement .He went to jail many times but every time he was imprisoned, he shone more brilliantly
than before as pure gold, tried and tested in the fire. During the World war-II
Gandhiji led his last civil disobedience movement-the Quit India movement in
1942 .This time he was kept in detention till 1944.Mahatma Gandhi played an
active but behind the scene role in the negotiation that resulted in the
achievements of the final goal. In 1947 with the coming of freedom, came the
cruel and brutal man slaughter in the guise of communal disturbances in Punjab,
Bengal and Bihar that followed in the
wake of the independence, and in order to reestablish peace and amity among the
various religions and communities he
undertook a fast unto death. The Hindu Mahasabha extremists were greatly
offended at his efforts on behalf of the Muslims. On January 30,1948, as he was
going to address a prayer meeting as
usual, a fanatic-cum-lunatic misguided young man called Nathuram Godse shot
Father of the Nation thrice at point blank range.
This,
in brief, is the life story of the greatest Indian of the first half of the
twentieth century ,who lived and died for the sake of others.During his life
time Gandhiji was an embodiment of simplicity and humbleness. He lived ,ate and
clad himself in the utmost simple fashion, he was simplicity incarnate. People
have rightly ranked him with Buddha and Christ.
He
was an embodiment of courtesy, love , truth and affection. His own definition
of civilization was a phrase comprised of just two words:“good conduct” and “Ahimsa”.
He used to say “I
have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the
hills.”
Gandhiji
preached what he practiced and he practiced what he preached i.e. truth, toleration
and non-violence. He was not only a political leader but a religious teacher as
well, a philosopher and a social reformer. His service to the cause of women
and the Harijans is no less significant than his political achievements. Mahatma
Gandhi was a versatile genius. His autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth’, is
a mirror which reflects very faithfully, his past achievements and future
aspirations.
Gandhiji
pleaded for non-violence (Ahimsa) and he was against the partition of the
country yet the country was partitioned .Freedom was achieved at too great a
cost. During his last days Gandhiji was the most unhappy man. His heart was so
full of sorrow at these developments that he declined to hoist the national
flag at the Red Fort and he refused to take part in the independence
celebrations. The frustrated and unhappy Gandhi sought solace in trekking his
way from village in the riot torn Noakhali and other parts of Bengal. In his
own life Gandhiji witnessed the policy of apartheid being persuaded ruthlessly.
Thus unlike all other great men Gandhiji did not succeed in his immediate
objectives.
Great
men have great ideals and even their failures have a touch of greatness in the.
Man’s life is too short a span to translate his lofty ideals fully into
practice. But, great men light the torch of greatness which the posterity keeps
burning. Buddha, Christ and Mohammed left behind them a handful of disciples
but today millions own the faith and the tenets they preached.
Above
all, it is not that a particular individual will keep the Gandhian torch alive.
That sacred flame burns in the hearts of the people ,in the heart of mother
India and will continue to inspire and guide the people for all time to come.
Gandhiji
is no more, but his memory and message is immortal. He has left behind a great
legend, a way of life, a political philosophy, of which not only India but also
the world will ever remain proud of. As years roll by, Gandhiji’s greatness
will become greater and he will be honored and remembered not only in the land
of his birth but all over the globe. At last I can quote the immortal words of
H.W. Longfellow as:
“Lives
of great men all remind us
We
can make our lives sublime,
And,
departing leave behind us
Footprints
on the sands of time”.
We
will follow the Mahatma’s footsteps. Courtesy: Competition Success Review. New Delhi. India,
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