SPEAKING
ABOUT MAHATMA GANDHI
Today 2nd October 2024 is the 155th
birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He
was born at Porbandar on 2nd October 1869 and was shot dead on 30
January 1948 at Birla House, New Delhi.
He was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and
writer who became the chief leader of the Indian Independence Movement against
the British Rule.
He did not use any armed force against the foreign rulers.
His weapons were truth, non-violence, Sarvodaya (progress of all) and Satyagraha (use of
soul-force against all forms of injustice, oppression and exploitation).
When India became free on 15 August 1947, the grateful people
of the country started calling him the Father of the Nation for his role in the
fight against the British. Earlier, it is believed, that the Indian poet,
writer and statesman Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) called him ‘Mahatma’ and
Gandhiji called Rabindranath Tagore (the composer of the national anthem of
India) ‘gurudev.’
Gandhiji
will remain immortal for his two ideals : non-violence and truth (Ahimsa and
satya).
His final resting place is called Raj Ghat which is situated
in New Delhi.
His birthday (2nd October) is observed as national
holiday.
The main purpose of life, according to Gandhiji, is to live
rightly, think rightly and act rightly. The soul, he says, must languish when
we give all our thought to the body.
His two other important sayings about life are : (
1): It does not mean enjoyment -----eating, drinking and making
merry----but praising God, i.e., rendering true service to humanity.
(2).“Live and let live or mutual forbearance and toleration
is the Law of Life. That is the lesson I have learnt from the Quran, the Bible, the Zend Avesta and
the Gita.
Finally, the following saying:
“ God is Light, not darkness. God is Love, not hate. God is
Truth, not untruth. God alone is great. We, His creatures, are but dust. “
G.R.Kanwal ********
2nd October 2024
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