Gandhiji’s Birthday

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

October 2, 2004 marks another birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was born on that date in Porbandar, Gujarat. In these days of anxiety, intolerance, war, disturbance, genocide, religious strife and ignorance it is appropriate to remember on our nations Bapu as a wonderful reflection of peace and possibilities. I saw the movie Gandhi several times, and always wondered what would be his ability to communicate would have done to help with today’s world. It is hard to imagine that most of Gandhiji’s travels in India were by foot and rail and no 24-hour news or television broadcasting his words of wisdom to the world.

More than one hundred years ago he was just another immigrant who left India for to the west for better education and opportunity, but through incidents that he felt were inhuman and unacceptable transformed him as a national leader, and by returning to India and leading the quest for India’s independence. His messages of peace, non-violence and non-cooperation are time tested and everlasting to achieve human needs. It is appropriate to chronologically present his life and times, as the readers might appreciate the simplicity of his life, travels and achievements.

A Short Chronological Sketch

2 October 1869	Birth at Porbunder in Gujarat
1883	Married Kasturba
4 September 1888	Left for London to study Law
12 January 1891	Passed the Law examination
10-11 June 1891	Called to the British Bar and enrolled in the High Court
12 June 1891	Set sail for home
6 July 1891	In India, introduced to Raychanbhai (Whom Gandhiji regarded as his Guru)
16 November 1891	Applied for enrollment in the Bombay High Court
24 May 1892	Came to Bombay to start practice in the High Court as Barrister
April 1893	Representing a Porbunder firm set sail for South Africa
June 1893	At Pietermaritzberg station Gandhiji was ordered to go into the van compartment of the train although he had a first class ticket.
22 May 1894	Proposed an Organization to watch interest of Indians and to oppose color bar against them in South Africa
22 August 1894	Founded Natal Indian Congress to fight color prejudice
3 September 1894	Admitted to Natal Supreme Court despite opposition by Natal Law Society
17 October 1899	Out break of Boer War and Gandhiji joined Ambulance Corps
18 October 1901	Started for India assuring to return to South Africa if his services were to be needed
27 December 1901	Moved a resolution on South Africa at Calcutta Congress session.
20 November 1902	At the growing pressure from Indians in South Africa, returned to South Africa
1903	Founded Transvaal British Indian Association
1 October 1904	Took over entire management responsibility of ‘Indian Opinion’
Nov. - Dec. 1904	Founded Phoenix settlement
September 1906	Started Passive Resistance Movement
13-22 November 1909	Wrote Hind Swaraj in Gujarat on board S.S. Kildonan Castle on the way to South Africa from London.
9 January 1915	Returned to India
25 May 1915	Founded Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab, Ahmedabad
April 1917	Champaran Satyagraha
1918	Ahmedabad Mill workers & Kheda Peasant Satyagraha
13 April 1919	Massacre at mass meeting at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Gandhiji implored people to be calm
8 October 1919	First issue of Young India under Gandhiji’s Editorship
1920-21	Khilafat and Non Co-operation Movements
5 February 1922	Chauri Chaura incident and withdrawal of Non Co-operation Movement.
10 March 1922	Arrested. On 21 March sent to Yeravada Jail. Remained in Jail till March 1924.
17 September 1924	Started 21 days’ fast for Hindu-Muslim unity
December 1924	Presided over the Belgaum Congress
December 1928	Attended Calcutta Congress where a draft Constitution of India was adopted on 31 December 1928.
December 1929	Gandhiji’s resolution on Complete Independence was adopted at open session of Lahore Congress along with immediate boycott of legislatures.
26 January 1930	Pledge of Independence day taken all over India.
19 February 1930	All India Congress Committee adopted Civil Disobedience program
12 March 1930	At 6.30 a.m. with 78 Ashramites Gandhiji started his Dandi March to break the Salt Law
4 May 1930	Arrested and taken to Yeravada Jail
26 January 1931	Released from jail
5 March 1931	Gandhi-Irwin pact was announced
29 March 1931	Left for London to attend Round Table Conference
5 December 1931	Decided to restart Non Co-operation Movement
4 January 1932	Started fast against separate electorate for the Harijans
8 May 1933	Started 21 day fast for the improvement of Harijan’s condition and was released at 6 p.m. from jail.
31 July 1933	Individual Civil Disobedience started
1 August 1933	Arrested and remanded to jail till 23 Aug. 1933
17 September 1934	Stated “I am going to resign from the Congress”
28 October 1934	Declared his intention to retire from Congress
1936	Founded Sevagram Ashram at Wardha
1937	Wardha Scheme of Education
May & Oct-Nov 1938	North West Frontier tours
3 March 1939	Started fast unto death at Rajkot and on settlement of the issue ended fast on 7 March 1939
15 October 1940	Started Anti-War Individual Satyagraha with Vinoba as the first Satyagrahi.
15 January 1942	‘My political successor is Jawaharlal’ Gandhi said.
5 March 1942	Cripps arrives
30 March 1942	The idea of ‘Quit India’ burst upon Gandhiji.
8 March 1942	Addressed All India Congress Committee Bombay and Quit India resolution was passed.
9 August 1942	Arrested and taken to Agakhan Palace-Jail
15 August 1942	Lighted the pyre of Mahadev Desai, his Secretary who died in Jail
10 February 1943	Started fast in Agakhan Palace-Jail
3 March 1943	Ended fast-in Jail
22 February 1944	At 7.35 p.m. Kasturba died. The sari woven from yarn spun by Gandhiji was wrapped round her body
6 May 1944	Released from Jail
March 1945	Cabinet mission
Jan-July 1945	Simla Conference
1946	Cabinet plan accepted
10 October 1946	In Noakhali and other districts in East Bengal inhuman atrocities started.
6 November 1946	Left Calcutta for Noakhali by a special train
Jan-Dec 1947	Toured troubled areas of Bengal, Bihar & Delhi
15 August 1947	At Calcutta, fasted as country was cut into two pieces
13 January 1948	Started fast in Delhi against communal riots
16 January 1948	‘I do not wish to live if peace is not established in India and Pakistan’
18 January 1948	Broke fast by taking orange juice from Maulana Azad
20 January 1948	A bomb exploded during prayer
27 January 1948	Wrote that Congress should cease as political body and should devote to peoples’ service
30 January 1948	At 5-17 p.m. shot dead on his way to evening prayer ground at Birla House, New Delhi.

(This capsule on Mahatma Gandhi has been compiled in the National Gandhi Museum)

Albert Einstein (my other favorite gentleman) and Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela along many world leaders admired Gandhiji’s message, his work, his way of life and his persistence in achieving his goal. Just the thought of his simplicity makes life simpler.

Focus on two perspectives to interject into my own thoughts on Gandhiji’s life and contributions Patience and Persistence. Seldom the world seems to be patient with people, practices, work, education, travels, love or relationships. Each of our wants seems to be to achieve wanting it now, and must have it now. None of us seem to have any patience in achieving the means to our needs. Without patience it is impractical to be persistent, and without persistence how we pursue our meaningful needs. It is probably old fashioned to preach on patience and persistence, but most successful people and enterprises are where they are by doing so. Let us try to imagine of Gandhiji’s travels, his life, his words, his sacrifices, his patience, his persistence and eventual death in the hands of one of his own countryman. Even in death he said “Hey Ram”.

My homage to our nation’s father ends with his quote “The earth provides enough to satisfy everyman's needs, but not everyone's greed”.

Research is from the Internet. Chicago residents will have the opportunity to visit the life size statue of the Mahatma in the Village of Skokie, which will be unveiled on October 2^nd, 2004, and more information is available at www.gandhimemorial.org.