Gandhi Be the change you want to see

Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world. ”

Vital Stats • Mohandas K. Gandhi • Born in 1869 into the vaishya (business) caste • Entered an arranged marriage at the age of 13 • Went to university in both India and England to become a lawyer

South Africa 1893 -1914 • Began career in South Africa – Was politically indifferent and suffered terrible “stage fright” • Experienced discrimination by the white South African government – Beaten for refusing to give up space on a stagecoach for a European • Founded the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 to fight racial discrimination in South Africa • Used satyagraha (non-violence) to compel the South African government to protect some rights for Indians

Philosophy • Ahimsa: non-violence • Satyagraha: “devotion to the truth” or nonviolent protest • Simplicity – Dress, food, etc. "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for".

Champaran Agitation 1918 • In this district, Indians lived in extreme poverty as farmers on British owned land • During a famine in 1918, the British increased taxes on the farmers • Gandhi publicized the situation and organized the civil resistance of tens of thousands Indian farmers • When the British tried to expel him from the region, hundreds of thousands protested and the British negotiated new rights for the farmers

Champaran Continued • Following his success in Champaran, Gandhi became a national hero • People began calling him: – Mahatma (Great Soul) – Bapu (Father)

Campaigns • Indian independence • Elimination of poverty • Abolition of the caste system • Unity and peace between Hindus and Muslims

Defining Moments • Amritsar Massacre 1919 • Salt March 1930 • Quit India Movement 1942 – The Indian National Congress refused to support the British war effort for democracy unless India was given selfrule – At the end of WWII, the British granted India independence

Legacy • Assassinated in 1948 • Influenced others to undertake non-violent struggle, including: – The Dalai Lama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela "Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood. " – Albert Einstein

Your Assignment (10 pts) • Using a piece of computer paper and other available classroom materials, carry out the following: – Divide the paper in half – Label one half “India Under British Rule” and depict life in India under British rule – Label the other half “Gandhi’s India” and depict life in India as Gandhi imagined it could be – Create a drawing that depicts both – Somewhere on the page, select and write a quote by Gandhi that reflects some part of your drawing – Your final product should contain no spelling errors, be in color and be extremely neat!