mahatma gandhi essay upsc

Mahatma Gandhi – Biography, Movements, Literary Works

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a renowned freedom activist and a powerful political leader. He played an important role in India’s struggle for Independence against the British rule of India through non-violent means which ultimately led to Indian independence. He was also known as Father of India, Bapu (endearment for father), and Mahatma (Great Soul). He also improved the lives of India’s poor people and depressed classes. His ideology of truth and non-violence influenced many including Martin Luther and Nelson Mandela. His professions include lawyer (studied law at London, 1888), politician, activist, and writer.

This topic of “Mahatma Gandhi – Biography, Movements, Literary Works” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

Early Life of Mahatma Gandhi:

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India, to Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai. At age 13, he married Kasturba Kapadia as part of an arranged marriage. She bore four sons and supported Gandhi’s endeavors until her 1944 death.

In September 1888 at age 18, Gandhi left India alone to study law in London. Gandhi also adopted vegetarianism and joined the London Vegetarian Society , whose intellectual crowd introduced Gandhi to authors Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He was also deeply influenced by the stories of Shravana & Harishchandra, Bhagavad Gita, and Thirukkural (ancient Tamil literature) as they reflected the importance of truth. These books’ concepts set the foundation for his later beliefs.

Gandhi passed the bar on June 10, 1891, and returned to India. For two years, he attempted to practice law but lacked the knowledge of Indian law and the self-confidence necessary to be a trial lawyer. Instead, he took on a year-long case in South Africa.

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Contributions of Mahatma Gandhi:

Gandhi’s movement in south africa:.

• 1893: Gandhi went to South Africa to work as a lawyer. There he had first-hand experience of racial discrimination when he was thrown out of the first-class compartment of the train despite holding the first-class ticket because it was reserved for white people only and no Indian or black was allowed to travel in the first class. This incident had a serious effect on him. He also observed that this type of incident was quite common against his fellow Indians. Therefore, he decided to protest against racial discrimination in South Africa.
• 1894: Gandhi agrees to extend his stay in South Africa, and helps to establish the Natal Indian Congress . He assumes a prominent and vocal role in the local campaign for Indian rights.
• 1899: Gandhi forms the Indian Ambulance Corp to provide relief support for British soldiers during the South African War (formerly the Anglo-Boer War).
• 1901: Goes to India to attend a session of the Indian National Congress. He returns to South Africa the following year.
• 1902: Gandhi establishes law offices in Johannesburg.
• 1903: Gandhi begins printing the newspaper, Indian Opinion (later titled Opinion ), in Johannesburg.
• 1904: Gandhi established The communal Phoenix settlement . Meets Herman Kallenbach (Architect & Gandhi’s associate).
• 1906: Gandhi gave birth to the idea of Satyagraha . He chaired a meeting in Johannesburg, in which the Indian community was called upon to resist new anti-Asiatic laws through acts of civil disobedience.
• 1908: Gandhi is arrested for not carrying a passbook. After he was released, he led thousands of Indians in burning their passbooks and registration papers at Johannesburg.
• 1910: Gandhi and Kallenbach established Tolstoy Farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It becomes Gandhi’s base in South Africa.
• 1913: After the Searle Judgement (under which marriages conducted under Indian law were declared invalid), many Indian women join the Satyagraha.
• 1914: Suspends Satyagraha, in return for the abolition of taxes, recognition of Indian marriages, and the freedom of movement of Indians.
• Movement in South Africa transformed Gandhi into a new person and it played an important role in the evolution of Satyagraha which was used in upcoming freedom struggles in India.

Gandhi’s Movement in India:

• 1915: Gandhi returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress with Gopal Krishna Gokhale as his mentor.
• 1916: He established the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad so that his followers could learn and practice the truth and non-violence.
• 1917: Champaran satyagraha –  marks Mahatma Gandhi’s first successful application of his method of ‘satyagraha’ in India. The indigo cultivators of Champaran, Bihar were greatly exploited by the planters who were largely European. The cultivators were bound by law to grow indigo on 3/20 th (the tinkathia system) of the total area of their land and sell it to the planters at the price fixed by the latter. As a result of this system, the poor peasants were greatly distressed and approached Gandhi in order to lead their struggle against the planters. Gandhi accepted their request but was banned from entering the district by district authority orders. In protest, Gandhi did satyagraha. As a result of his campaign, an enquiry was conducted into the conditions of the peasants. This went a long way in giving the indigo cultivators some relief.
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike : In February 1918, there was a conflict between mill owners and workers of the Gujrat Mill. Gandhiji organised satyagraha in favour of cotton mill workers in 1918 at Ahmedabad. It was one of the formative events in the political career of Mahatma Gandhi. 
• Kheda Satyagraha of 1918: Gandhi organised this movement to support peasants of the Kheda district, Gujarat. The people of Kheda were unable to pay the high taxes levied by the British due to crop failure and a plague epidemic.
• Young India was a weekly paper or journal in English started by Mahatma Gandhi. It was published from 1919 to 1931. Through this work, he desired to popularise India’s demand for self-government or Swaraj. He used Young India to spread his unique ideology and thoughts regarding the use of nonviolence in organising movements and to urge readers to consider, organise, and plan for India’s eventual independence from Britain. 
• Navajivan (a new life) was weekly newspaper published by Gandhi, in Gujarati , from 1919 to 1931, from Ahmedabad.
• 1920-22: Non-Cooperation Movement – Gandhi launched this mass movement which involved participation from the nationalists as well as the public.  Factors that led to the formation of this movement were the oppressive policies of Britishers such as the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh incident in Amritsar. The campaign involves Indians revoking their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of inducing the British to grant self-governance (swaraj). The British government arrested Gandhi and sentenced him to six years in jail for sedition. Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement after the Chauri-Chaura Incident . After the non-cooperation movement ended, Gandhi withdrew from the political platform and focused on his social reform work.
• 1929: Navajivan Trust  is a  publishing house  based in  Ahmedabad ,  India . It was founded by  Mahatma Gandhi in 1929  and has published more than 800 titles in  English ,  Gujarati ,  H i ndi and other languages to date. The objective of Navajivan Trust was to propagate peaceful means for the attainment of  Hind Swaraj  (Swaraj for India).
• 1930: Civil Disobedience Movement – The Simon Commission came to India in 1928. It was to look into the functions of the constitutional system in India. As there was no Indian member in it, it was boycotted by all political parties in the country. Later, in 1929, the Congress under the leadership of Nehru declared ‘Poorna Swaraj’ as its main goal. As nationalist feelings began to rise, Gandhi sent a letter containing eleven demands to Lord Irwin in 1930 asking him to accept it. When he refused, Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement. Civil disobedience implies the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, orders, and demands of a government. In the year 1930, Gandhi started this movement (Dandi) by violating the salt law. The movement was discontinued following the Gandhi Irwin Pact of 1931 .
• Communal Award – Ramsay Macdonald announced communal award due to repeated failure of communities to decide on the proportion of representation. The award provided for a separate electorate for depressed classes. Gandhi condemned this award as it was based on Britishers’ Divide and Rule Policy and it will destroy Hinduism. He led a fast unto death which ultimately resulted in Poona Pact between Congress and depressed classes headed by B.R. Ambedkar . Poona pact provides for reservation of depressed classes in Hindu joint electorate.
• As a result of the communal awards and Poona pact, Gandhi dedicated himself to the upliftment of depressed classes and untouchables. Gandhi founded Harijan Sevak Sangh (All India Anti-Untouchability League) in 1932. He also started a journal named Harijan which means “People of God”.
• 1934 : Gandhi resigned from the Congress party membership as he did not agree with the party’s position on different issues.
• 1936: Gandhi returned to active politics in 1936 with the Lucknow session of Congress where Jawaharlal Nehru was the president.
• 1938 : Gandhi and  Subhash Chandra Bose ’s principles clashed during the Tripuri session which led to the Tripuri crisis in the Indian National Congress.
• 1942: Quit India Movement – The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Also known as the Bharat Chhodo Andolan , this movement was a mass civil disobedience that took place in the country. Gandhi demanded that the British must leave India immediately or face dire consequences. As a part of this movement, a call for mass agitation was followed by violence that took over the country after which Indian National Congress leaders were arrested. The main reason for the Quit India Movement to begin was because the Britishers were planning to drag the country into World War II without consent to fight on behalf of the United Kingdom (UK). During that time, more than 87,000 Indian soldiers were martyred in World War II including people from Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Also, the Cripps Mission which was led by Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the War Cabinet in March 1942, made an attempt to secure India’s cooperation in World War II. Following this, Cripps was sent to India to discuss and support the British Government’s Draft Declaration with Indian leaders. Moreover, the declaration also granted India Dominion Status after the war. To which, Congress denied discussing any terms unless given total freedom.
• 1947: India wins independence. Gandhi fasts as penance for inter-communal violence following the partition of India and Pakistan.

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Gandhian Ideologies:

Gandhi developed a set of religious and social ideas first during his period in South Africa from 1893 to 1914 and later in India. He developed these ideologies from various inspirational sources including Bhagavad Geeta, Jainism, Buddhism, Bible, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Tolstoy (His book The Kingdom of God is within you had a deep influence on Gandhi), John Ruskin (Gandhi paraphrased his book Unto the Last as Sarvodaya ), among others. These ideologies have been further developed by later Gandhians most notably, in India by Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan , outside of India by Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and others. Major Gandhian ideologies are as follows.

Truth and Non-Violence: 

• They are the twin cardinal principles of Gandhian thoughts.
• Relative truth of truthfulness in word and deed.
• Absolute truth – the ultimate reality. This ultimate truth is God (as God is also Truth). Morality – the moral laws and code – its basis.
• Nonviolence is Active love, that is, the polar opposite of violence, in every sense. Nonviolence or love is regarded as the highest law of humankind.

Satyagraha:

• It is a method of securing rights through nonviolent action, that is, through personal suffering rather than inflicting injury on others.
• It means the exercise of the purest soul-force against all injustice, oppression, and exploitation.
• The origin of Satyagraha can be found in the Upanishads, and the teachings of Buddha, Mahavira, and other greats including Tolstoy and Ruskin.
• The term Sarvodaya means ‘Universal Uplift’ or ‘Progress of All’.
• It was first coined by Gandhiji as the title of his translation of John Ruskin’s book on political economy, Unto the Last .
• Although the word swaraj means self-rule, Gandhiji gave it the content of an integral revolution that encompasses all spheres of life.
• The sum total of the swaraj (self-rule) of individuals.
• Freedom for the meanest of his countrymen. 
• Much more than freedom from all restraints, it is self-rule and self-restraint and could be equated with moksha or salvation.
• He envisaged Ram Rajya where the swaraj is achieved for the people by the people.
• The word swadeshi is a conjunction of two Sanskrit words – ‘Swa’ means self or own and ‘desh’ means country. So Swadesh literally means one’s own country. But it can be loosely translated in most contexts as self-sufficiency.
• It is the focus on acting within one’s own community, both politically and economically.
• It is the interdependence of Community and Self-sufficiency.
• Gandhi believed this would lead to independence (swaraj) as the British control of India was rooted in control of her indigenous industries.
• Swadeshi was represented by the charkha or the spinning wheel, The “center of the solar system” of Mahatma Gandhi’s constructive program.

Trusteeship:

• It is a socio-economic philosophy propounded by Gandhiji.
• It provides a means by which the wealthy people would be the trustees of Trusts that looked after the welfare of the people in general.
• Gandhi believed that Education needs to be a lifelong experience.
• He developed a scheme on education named Nayee Taleem.
• He gave priority to vocational education, the idea of ‘earn & learn’, and the learnings like social forestry, nursing, home science, handicrafts, etc.

Death of Gandhi:

On 30th January 1948, Gandhi was on his way to address a prayer meeting in the Birla House New Delhi when a Hindu fanatic named Nathuram Godse fired three bullets into his chest from close range killing him instantly.

Legacy of Gandhi:

Gandhi always held on to non-violence and simple living throughout his life, in his principles, practices, and beliefs. He influenced several great leaders and the country respectfully addresses him as the father of the nation or Bapu. Rabindranath Tagore is said to have given the title of Mahatma to Gandhi. It was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who first addressed him as the Father of the Nation. Many great world leaders like Nelson Mandela followed Gandhiji’s teachings and way of life. Therefore, his impact on the world is still very high.

Literary Works of Gandhi:

• Hind Swarajya (1909),
• Indian Home Rule (1910),
• Sermon on the Sea (1924 – the American edition of Hind Swaraj),
• Dakshina Africana Satyagrahano Itihasa / Satyagraha in South Africa (1924-25),
• Satyana Prayogo Athava Atmakatha / An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth (1924-25),
• Mangalaprabhata (1930),
• India’s Case for Swaraj (1931),
• Songs from Prison: Translations of Indian Lyrics Made in Jail (1934),
• The Indian States’ Problem (1941),
• The Good life (1943),
• Gandhi Against Fascism (1944),
• From Yeravda Mandir: Ashram Observances (1945),
• Conquest of Self (1946),
• Women and Social Injustice (1947),
• Self-restraint v. Self-Indulgence (1947),
• Gandhigrams (1947). 

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Essay on Mahatma Gandhi for Students in English [500+ Words]

December 10, 2020 by Sandeep

Essay on Mahatma Gandhi:  The entire life of Mahatma Gandhi belonged to truthiness, vegetarianism, simplicity, non-violence, and faith in god. During his life, he had been an inspiration to many national and international leaders. He trusted in truth and never took the assistance of fakeness or lie to accomplish their tasks. In India, a public holiday is declared on 2nd October ( Gandhi Jayanti ) to honour him. Also, to mark his sacrifice for his nation, his image has engraved on the Indian currency notes. Below we have provided Mahatma Gandhi Essay in English, written in easy and simple words for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 school students.

Essay on Mahatma Gandhi in English

Mahatma Gandhi was a man of power, honesty, sacrifices, and simplicity. He was a patriotic personality. His life was unbelievable. He never liked others’ appreciation. His efforts to protect India are unparalleled. Only with his efforts, the British left India in 1947. Mohandas Gandhi is another name of Mahatma Gandhi. Even he is also famous as ‘Father of Nation.’ He was born on 2nd October in the year 1869 in the state of Porbandar, Gujarat. He was the youngest among the three sons of Karamchand Gandhi.

Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai Gandhi were his parents. His mother was the fourth wife of his father, Karamchand Gandhi. His father became the prime minister of states like Rajkot, Vankaner, and Porbandar. His parents have three sons. When Mahatma Gandhi became 13 in age, he got married to Kasturba Makhanji. After his marriage, he completed his education. Then, he went to London to pursue a degree in law. After this, he practiced as a lawyer. He also started to read the scriptures of Bhagavad Gita that had an immense influence on his life.

During his childhood, he was massively influenced by the tales of Harischandra and Shravana that taught him about the significance of affection and truth. Moreover, his parents raise him as a vegetarian; however, during his stay in London, he started eating meat. Once Gandhiji came back to India after finishing his study in law, he started finding a job as a lawyer. He had to do a lot of struggle to find the right job. Lastly, he got an invitation from South Africa by a wealthy merchant to work as a lawyer. That proposal was a turning point in his life.

During his job in South Africa, he witnessed racial discrimination. Once he faced several humiliations, he decided to raise his voice. Then, he became an activist to find cases in favor of Indians. At that time, he also established the Natal Indian Congress in 1894. Besides, he was also influenced by Satyagraha, which means the devotion of truth. Even, he started non-violent protests in 1906. Also, he stood for civil rights in favor of South Africa. Movements started by Mahatma Gandhi in favour of India are

Khilafat Movement: This movement was run from 1919-1924. It was a revolt by the nationalists and the Indian Muslims. This movement was started to pressure the British Government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as the Islamic Caliph. The leadership of this movement comprised Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, who had been newspaper editors in Delhi in those days. Maulana Mahmud ul-Hasan, Abdul Kalam Azad, Maulana Abdul Bari were also some of the leaders of this movement. During this movement, Mahatma Gandhi even got the support of the Muslims to fight against the British to make Indian independence. This movement was crucial as it reflected Hindu-Muslim cooperation. Finally, in the year 1921, this movement was suppressed by the British Government.

Non-cooperation Movement: To provide the Indian a self-government, Mahatma Gandhi took a step where he organized a non-cooperation movement from 1920-1922. This non-violent movement was also known as Swaraj. The commencement of this non-cooperation movement was the outcry over the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in the year 1919. In Jallianwalla Bagh (in Amritsar, Punjab), the British government had killed hundreds of Indians who were gathered for peaceful assembly in a lawn. The complete garden becomes a ground of cruel massacre. General Dyer, who was responsible for that act, was not taken to task. Being a part of this movement, Indians boycott the Indian government and also refuses to pay taxes.

Salt Satyagraha: When the British government in India started levying excess taxes or excise duty on salt, then the Mahatma Gandhi began to historic Salt Satyagraha to break this law. For this, Gandhi Ji marched to the coastal village of Dandi to break the salt law. During his march, he used to visit different communities to teach about the need for social reforms. This march was last long for 24 days. After viewing this, the British government arrested the people from Indian National Congress who were involved in this march. When the government got pressurized for the arrests as of several outbreaks of civil disobedience, then they released the arrested leaders.

Quit India Movement: Bharat Chodo Andolan is another name of the Quit India Movement that was launched on 8th August 1942 by the All India Congress Committee. As the name suggests, this movement was started to end up the British rule from India. Mahatma Gandhi started this movement at Gowalia Tank Maidan, where he taught the Indians to “Do or Die.” Even those leaders who got arrested during this movement which took a step back. The protest was a mix of violent and non-violent demonstrations. The fact is, the British did not want to leave India in pressure or with this movement. Before leaving, they wanted the war only. Finally, in 1945, the British revealed that they would send a planned withdrawal from the country.

Mahatma Gandhi was not in favor of dividing India. But he was agreed to keep harmony. Moreover, Gandhiji initiated his fast to make sure of the harmony between the two countries. Besides, Pakistan was granted with payment according to the Partition Council agreement. On 30th January 1948, with the bullets of Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi succumbed. Nathuram Godse was from the group of Hindu radicals who trusted that India became weakened as of the partition payment made to Pakistan.

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Gandhian Philosophy

Last updated on September 14, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi was a unique personality.

What made him special?

What were his views? What is the importance of Gandhian Philosophy? How it is relevant in modern times?

Table of Contents

What is Gandhian philosophy?

Gandhian Philosophy is the religious and social ideas adopted and developed by Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhian Philosophy exists on several planes – spiritual or religious, moral, political, economic, social, individual, and collective.

Gandhian Philosophy emphasizes not utopian idealism, but practical idealism.

Roots of Gandhian Philosophy

Gandhi was born in India in 1869. From 1893 to 1914 he lived in South Africa. Later, he emerged as the face of Indian freedom movement .

The base of Gandhian philosophy is the spiritual or religious component. He was a firm believer in God.

He was also a believer in humanity.

He believed that human nature is good. He considered all people are capable of moral development.

Gandhiji developed these ideologies from various inspirational sources such as  Bhagavad Geeta ,  Jainism, Buddhism, Bible, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Tolstoy, and John Ruskin among others.

Leo Tolstoy’s book ‘ The Kingdom of God is within you ” had a deep influence on Mahatma Gandhi. The same was the case with John Ruskin’s ‘Unto This Last’.

Gandhiji paraphrased Ruskin’s book ‘Unto This Last’ as ‘Sarvodaya’, which meant the upliftment of all.

The goal of Gandhi was to change society and each individual using the values of honesty and nonviolence.

These ideas were further developed by many followers of Gandhi who proudly called themselves “Gandhians”.

Those who actively followed Gandhian principles in life include Vinoba Bhave,  Jayaprakash Narayan, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Also read: Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Important Gandhian Philosophies

1. truth and non-violence.

These are generally considered to be the two key ingredients of Gandhian thought.

It is possible to pursue one without the other. Thus, seeking the truth can be done violently. Nations enter conflicts assuming they are on the side of truth or that the truth is on their side.

Those who are more sensitive and think the truth is on their side demand that a just war should be fought instead of one that is avoided at all costs.

The most sensitive were the pacifists among them. By avoiding violence altogether. But it could be argued that in doing so they have gone too far and abandoned truth, especially when interpreted as justice.

Even Mahatma Gandhi argued that although he was opposed to war, the two parties engaging in it may not stand on the same plane: the cause of one side could be more just than the other so that even a nonviolent person might wish to extend his or her moral support to one side rather than to the other.

Thus just as it is possible to pursue truth without being nonviolent, it is also possible to pursue nonviolence without pursuing truth.

It could be proposed that such a disjunction between the two runs the risk of cowardice being mistaken for, or masquerading as nonviolence.

The point becomes clear if we take the word “truth” to denote the “right” thing to do in a morally charged situation.

Gandhi’s opinion on the Non-violent Way

By using a non-violent approach, we aim to eliminate capitalism, not the capitalist. We encourage the investor to think of himself as a trustee for people who rely on him to create, hold onto, and grow his capital.

The worker is not required to wait for his conversion. Work is power if money is. Both are depending upon one another.

The moment the worker recognizes his potential, he is in a position to stop being the capitalist’s slave and start sharing in his success.

If he aims at becoming the sole owner, he will most likely be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

No need for me to worry that someone will replace me if I refuse to cooperate. Because I hope to persuade my co-workers to oppose my employer’s wrongdoing, This method of mass worker education is undoubtedly a slow one, but as it is also the most reliable, it must also be the fastest.

It is simple to show in the end that the worker is right and that no human being is so flawless as to merit his eliminating the person whom he mistakenly believes to be completely evil.

2. Satyagraha

The concept was introduced in the early 20th century by Mahatma Gandhi and designated a determined but nonviolent resistance to evil.

The supreme idea of truth naturally leads to the Gandhian ideology of Satyagraha. Protecting the standards and tenets of truth is essential if it is the ultimate reality. God, who is the utmost truth and reality, requires a votary who is completely compassionate and unselfish.

Gandhi’s Satyagraha became a major tool in the Indian struggle against British imperialism and has since been adopted by protest groups in other countries.

The ancient Indian philosophy of ahimsa, or “non-injury,” which is rigorously practised by Jains, many of whom reside in Gujarat, where Gandhi was raised, is the inspiration behind Satyagraha.

Gandhi also drew inspiration from the works of Leo Tolstoy and Henry David Thoreau, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita, on which he produced a commentary, to modernize the notion of ahimsa and give it broad political implications as Satyagraha.

Gandhi first conceived Satyagraha in 1906 in response to a law discriminating against Asians that was passed by the British colonial government of the Transvaal in South Africa.

In 1917, the Champaran district, which produced indigo, hosted the first Satyagraha campaign in India. Fasting and economic boycotts were used as Satyagraha tactics in India over the ensuing years, up until the British left in 1947.

Since Satyagraha depends on the opponent, who is the embodiment of evil, upholding a high standard of ethical conduct, and demands an unreasonably high level of commitment from those working for social change, critics of the movement have asserted that it is unrealistic and incapable of achieving universal success.

These arguments have been made both during Gandhi’s lifetime and since.

However, Satyagraha left a lasting legacy in South Asia and was a key component of the civil rights movement headed by Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States.

3. Sarvodaya

The word “Sarvodaya” means “Universal Uplift” or “Progress of All.” The phrase was first used by Mohandas Gandhi to describe the aim of his political philosophy in his 1908 translation of “Unto This Last,” a work by John Ruskin on political economy.

Later Gandhians adopted the phrase as a moniker for the social movement in post-independence India that worked to ensure that self-determination and equality reached all strata of Indian society, including the Indian nonviolence leader Vinoba Bhave.

Objects of the Sarvodaya Movement

The Sarvodaya Movement has as its target the establishment of a whole network of such self-supporting village communities.

 Family ties, which are currently restricted to blood groups, will be extended to include the entire village, erasing any disparities based on race, creed, caste, language, and other factors.

The planning of agriculture will ensure that there is enough food for everyone. Up until everyone in the hamlet has a job, the industry will operate on a cottage basis.

Village Council, a body that represents the entire village, will be responsible for determining the requirements of the community.

Principles of the Sarvodaya

• There is no centralized authority, and there is a political and economic atmosphere in the villages.
•  The spirit of love, fraternity, truth, nonviolence, and self-sacrifice will permeate all people. The foundation of society will be nonviolence.
• There will be no party system and majority rule and society will be free from the evil of the tyranny of the majority.
• Socialist in the truest sense, the Sarvodaya society. The same ethical, social, and financial standards will apply to all calls. The greatest potential for development exists within each person’s personality.
•  Sarvodaya society is based on equality and liberty. There is no room in it for unwholesome competition, exploitation, and class hatred.
• Sarvodaya is a symbol of universal progress. Every person should work independently and adhere to the concept of non-possession. The goal of: from each according to his effort and each according to his needs will then be achievable.
• There won’t be any private property, which serves as a weapon of exploitation and a breeding ground for prejudice and hatred. Similar to how the profit motive will vanish, rent and interest will also disappear.
• The Sarvodaya Movement is based on Truth, nonviolence, and Self-denial.
• The Sarvodaya Movement makes an earnest and audacious effort to foster the environment required to unite such people with steadfast trust in the Welfare of All.
• The benefit to the person would be little. Each quality’s growth is dependent on every other quality. If every quality were somewhat enhanced, the person would benefit more.

4. Swadeshi

The combination of two Sanskrit terms yields the English word “Swadeshi,” which has Sanskrit roots. Swa and desh both refer to one’s own or one’s nation.

Swadesh, therefore, refers to one’s homeland. The adjectival version of the word swadeshi, which means “of one’s own country,” can be loosely translated as “self-sufficiency” in most settings.

The message of the Charkha

Gandhiji asserts that the Charkha has the distinction of being able to address the issue of economic distress in a way that is most logical, straightforward, affordable, and professional.

It stands for both the wealth and freedom of the country. It represents commercial peace rather than commercial strife.

The spinning-meaning wheel is considerably bigger than its diameter. Simple life, helping others, living without hurting others, and forging an unbreakable tie between the wealthy and the poor, capital and labour, and the prince and the peasant are all part of its teachings. Naturally, the bigger lesson applies to everyone.

5. Trusteeship

Trusteeship is a key component of Gandhian economics that could be called the nonviolent equivalent of ownership.

The idea was taken from English law by Gandhi. It denotes that one is a trustee rather than the owner of their belongings, including eventually their skills or abilities.

All must be used for the greater good of society, which includes one’s own welfare in the end. In this system, material possessions do not serve as status symbols that increase our sense of self-worth.

Trusteeship is a successful strategy for reducing excessive consumption. The economy might be rebalanced under trusteeship and put its focus back on pressing needs.

Gandhi believed that possessing more than one need necessarily entails robbing others of their requirements. There is enough on the earth to meet everyone’s needs, but not enough to satisfy everyone’s greed, he said.

The relevance of Gandhian Philosophy in Modern Times

Make in India is a manifestation of Gandhi’s ideals of self-sufficiency.

Gandhi’s philosophy of inclusive growth is fundamental to the building of a resurgent rural India.

He believed in “production by the masses” rather than in mass production, a distinctive feature of the industrial revolution.

Environment

 Gandhi warned the country of unrestricted industrialism and exploitation of nature for human greed.

The results of not adhering to Gandhian environmentalism are serious environmental damage and non-sustainable development.

Administration

By emulating Gandhi’s values of non-violence and Satyagraha, internal matters such as insurgency issues in Kashmir, central India, or the North-Eastern states might be handled much better.

International

Even India’s foreign policy is founded on peaceful coexistence, and this is seen in the fact that India does not engage in aggression initially, even when security threats mount.

To conclude we can say that most of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi hold relevance even in today’s world.

Seven Social Sins by Mahatma Gandhi

Seven Social Sins by Mahatma Gandhi were first published in his newspaper Young India in 1925. Those are a comprehensive list of behaviours that cause serious harm to society.

1. Wealth without Work

2. Pleasure without Conscience

3. Knowledge without Character

4. Commerce (Business) Without Morality (Ethics)

5. Science without Humanity

6. Religion without Sacrifice

7. Politics without Principle

• Wealth without Work:  It depicts making wealth by unfair means, by taking shortcuts. Examples: Black Money, Tax evasion, scams, insider trading, etc.
• Pleasure without Conscience:  Earning happiness at the expense of others is equivalent to sin. Selfishness compels a person to disregard the needs of others. Without moral justification, it would promote bad practices. Additionally, it would lead to a rise in drug and alcohol abuse as well as mindless shopping.
• Knowledge without character:  A person with character possesses attributes of honesty and integrity. A person who commits this vice may end up like Osama Bin Laden, while a person with moral character may end up like Swami Vivekananda.
• Business without morality:  One particular segment of the community would end up being overworked at the expense of another. Social friction and community conflict would rise as a result of this. Examples of this sin include unsafe working conditions, adulteration, and lack of security.
• Science without humanity:  The huge pharmaceutical companies keep prescription prices high, making them unaffordable for the poor and those in need. If nuclear power is utilized to generate electricity, that is great, but using it to destroy nations like Hiroshima and Nagasaki by bombing is utterly immoral.
• Religion without sacrifice:  Today’s religion consists merely of rituals and activities. Sin is when we fail to live out the moral precepts of brotherhood, compassion, and affection.
• Politics without principle:  Criminalization of politics, unaccounted money, and use of muscle power shows politics without principle.

To read more about Mahatma Gandhi’s biography click here.

Article Written by: Remya

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Mahatma Gandhi's Movements during Freedom Struggle

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Sub-Categories:

GS-I: Modern History

Prelims : History of India and Indian National Movement.

Mains : Modern Indian History from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues

Mahatma Gandhi Movements: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. He earned a degree in law from England in 1891. Before entering Indian politics in 1915, he was in South Africa from 1893 to 1914. In the course of his struggle in South Africa, he developed his political philosophy based on non-violence and Satyagraha to give a new direction to the mass movement.

The emergence of Mahatma Gandhi in Indian politics marked the beginning of a new phase in the Indian national movement, the phase of mass movements. This made Gandhi become the most important figure in the history of the Indian freedom struggle.

Arrival of Gandhi in India

Gandhi returned to India in January 1915. His efforts were well known in South Africa, not just among the educated but also among the common people.

• Gandhiji spent a year travelling around British India, getting to know the land and its people on the advice of Gopal Krishna Gokhale . In February 1916, he made his first major public appearance at the inauguration of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) .
• Gandhiji’s speech at Banaras revealed that Indian nationalism was an elite phenomenon, and he wished tomake Indian nationalism more properly representative of the Indian people as a whole.

Champaran Satyagraha (1917)

Champaran Satyagraha was the first attempt at mobilising the Indian masses by Gandhi on an invitation by Rajkumar Shukla in the context of indigo peasants of Champaran. This Gandhian Movement was the First Civil Disobedience in India.

• It was mainly due to the tinkathia system of indigo farmers , where peasants were forced to grow indigo on 3/20 part of their total land. 
• Gandhi intervened in the matter but was asked to leave the place by authorities. However, Gandhi refused to leave, thus disobeying the order. Eventually, Gandhi was able to convince the government about the illness of the tinkathia system and look into the matter. 
• The government appointed a committee to go into the matter and nominated Gandhi as a member. As a result, the tinkathia system was abolished, and in a compromise settlement, only 25 % of the money taken by peasants was compensated.
• Participants: Rajendra Prasad, Narhari Parekh, and J.B. Kripalani 

Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918)

Following the Champaran Satyagraha, the next step in mobilising the masses was the workers of Ahmedabad's urban centre. Ahmedabad Mill Strike was the result of the disagreement between the textile workers and the mill owners arose in March 1918 regarding the end of the plague bonus. 

• Mill owners paid bonuses of 75% of their salary to retain the workers during the outbreak of the plague in 1917. But, after the end of the plague, workers were demanding an increase of 50 % in wages while mill owners were advocating discontinuance of the bonus. As a result, a deadlock was created. 
• Gandhi intervened at the request of Anusuya Sarabhai and undertook a fast unto death. As a result, owners agreed to the 35% wage hike.
• This was the first movement where fasting , a means of self-suffering to create moral pressure, was used by Gandhi as a political weapon in India.

Kheda Satyagraha (1918)

Due to the failure of the monsoon, the peasants of the Kheda district were in distress. In 1918, they mobilised themselves, demanding revenue relief from the government due to the crop failure and rise in prices. Kheda Satyagraha was the First Non-Cooperation by Gandhi in the Indian National Movement.

• According to the government's famine code, cultivators were entitled to total remission if crop yield fell below 25% of the average. But the authorities rejected it. As a result, peasants turned to Gandhi.
• Gandhi intervened on behalf of the poor peasants, advising them to withhold payment and 'fight unto death against such a spirit of vindictiveness and tyranny.'
• The government ordered it to be restrained in the collection of revenues (collected only from those ryots who could afford to pay) and not to confiscate lands. Gandhi decided to withdraw from the struggle.
• Participants: Sardar Vallabhbhai Pate l , Narahari Parikh, and Indulal Yagnik.

Satyagraha Against the Rowlatt Act (1919)

In 1917, a sedition committee was formed under Justice Sidney Rowlatt to curb revolutionary activities and investigate the ‘seditious conspiracy’. It recommended the Rowlatt Act (Anarchic and Revolutionary Offenses Act of 1919) ought to limit the liberty of the people passed by the Imperial Legislative Council. Gandhi launched the Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act . 

• The Rowlatt Act allowed political and revolutionary activists to be tried without judicial proceedings or even imprisoned without trial for two years. It also suspended the right to habeas corpus and the right to appeal. 
• Gandhiji called it the “Black Act '' and launched the satyagraha against the Act. It involved fasting, praying, disobeying laws, and risking arrest and imprisonment. The satyagraha brought Gandhi to the centre of the Indian national movement. 
• Gandhi also organised Satyagraha Sabha, his own organisation, to carry out the movement. However, due to the violence in some parts of India, Gandhi had to call off the Satyagraha. 
• Gandhi's ability to connect with the masses was demonstrated during this Satyagraha. Gandhian ideology and methods for the freedom struggle (Non-violence and Satyagraha) were introduced to the Indian masses. 

Non-Cooperation Movement (1921-22)

The horrific massacre at Jallianwala Bagh took place in the backdrop of protests against the Rowlatt Act. As a result, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920.

• In September 1920, the Congress held a special session in Calcutta and resolved to accept Gandhi's proposal of non-cooperation with the British government until Khilafat and Punjab grievances were addressed and self-government was established.
• This Gandhian movement was merged with the Khilafat movement, which demanded that the Turkish Sultan or Khalifa retain control over the Muslim sacred places in the erstwhile Ottoman empire. 
• Methods: Non-cooperation movement included the boycott of schools, colleges, courts, government offices, legislatures, and foreign goods and the return of government-conferred titles and awards.
• Withdrawal: Mahatma Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement following the Chauri Chaura violent incident on 5 February 1922 , in which 23 police officers were killed. After the withdrawal, he focussed on the constructive programme of social reforms. 

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)

After the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement (also known as Salt Satyagraha ) is regarded as the second major mass movement and a significant advancement in broadening the social reach of India's freedom struggle. 

• Gandhi declared at the Calcutta Congress in 1928 that the British must grant India dominion status, or the country would erupt in a revolution for complete independence. The British paid no attention to this. As a result, INC in its Lahore session (1929) demanded ‘Punra Swaraj’ , and decided to celebrate 26th January as ‘ Independence Day’ . It also declared that a civil disobedience movement would be started under the leadership of Gandhi.
• Gandhi announced the 'Dandi March' against the unjust tax on salt as part of the movement. On April 6 1930 , he violated the salt regulations, thereby launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Induced by Gandhi's extraordinary endeavours at Dandi, defiance of the salt laws spread throughout the country. However, it was halted for a period after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. 
• When the movement was resumed after the failure of the Second Round Table conference, it began to dwindle towards the end of 1932. It was officially withdrawn in May 1934 .

Quit India Movement (1942)

The Quit India Movement (August Kranti Movement) was the ‘third great wave’ of India’s struggle for freedom, launched on August 8, 1942 , under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. This Gandhian Movement was more of a rejection of British rule than a traditional Satyagraha, and it influenced the unprecedented and tumultuous events that occurred in Indian history over the next five years.

• It was the result of Indian disillusionment with British rule, with the immediate causes being the failure of the Cripps mission and the hardships caused by World War II . 
• On August 8, 1942, the All India Congress Committee met at Gowalia Tank in Bombay and passed the famous Quit India Resolution. On the same day, Gandhi issued his 'Do or Die' call. It demanded an end to British rule in India with immediate effect, the formation of a provisional government after the war and the declaration of free India .
• As a result, major leaders of the Indian National Congress were arrested and imprisoned without trial by British officials. However, the protests continued across the country with huge mass participation. 
• Although it did not immediately achieve its goals, it contributed to the weakening of British rule and paved the way for the independence of India . 

PYQs on Gandhian Movements 

Q)  Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate (UPSC Mains 2019)

Q)  Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (UPSC Mains 2018)

Q)  With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2019)

• Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of ‘indentured labour’.
• In Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.
• Consequent upon the breaking of the Salt Law by the Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1 and 3 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b)

Q)  Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha? (UPSC Prelims 2018)

a) Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement.

b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement.

c) Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement.

d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops

Answer: (c)

Question 5: Quit India Movement was launched in response to (UPSC Prelims 2013)

a) Cabinet Mission Plan

b) Cripps Proposals

c) Simon Commission Report

d) Wavell Plan

FAQs on Gandhian Movements

What are the 7 major movements of gandhiji.

The seven major movements of Mahatma Gandhi included the Champaran Movement, the Ahmedabad Mill Strike, the Kheda Movement, the Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act, the Non-cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Quit India Movement.

What was Gandhi's first movement in India?

The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was Gandhi's first Satyagraha movement in India and is regarded as a historically significant revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. During the British colonial period, a farmer's uprising occurred in the Champaran district of Bihar, India.

What are some of the challenges that Gandhian movements faced?

Gandhian movements faced challenges such as resistance from colonial authorities, lack of widespread support, internal divisions, and the difficulty of maintaining nonviolent discipline among participants. Additionally, economic and social realities often clashed with the idealistic principles of Gandhi's philosophy, making it challenging to achieve lasting change.

What was the impact of the Gandhian movements on the Indian independence struggle?

The Gandhian movements had a profound impact on the Indian independence struggle. Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance (Satyagraha) and civil disobedience mobilised millions of Indians, uniting them in a peaceful but determined quest for freedom. His leadership inspired the Quit India Movement and other campaigns that eventually led to India gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947, marking a historic achievement in the nation's history.

Where and when did Mahatma Gandhi make his first public appearance in India upon coming back from South Africa?

On February 4, 1916, in BHU, Gandhiji made his first public appearance since his return from South Africa. He spoke to the crowd in BHU, which was primarily made up of impressionable youngsters, princes, well-dressed individuals, etc.

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RSTV IAS UPSC – India and Mahatma Gandhi

• October 2, 2019

The Big Picture- RSTV

India and Mahatma Gandhi

  TOPIC: Paper I: Essay General Studies 1: Personalities in Indian national movements General Studies 4: Ethics; Indian thinkers and philosophers

Mahatma Gandhi: Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat

Gandhi: Philosophy and significance in present times

Opinions and views about his person and his non-violent technique of struggle remain deeply divided. For some, he was a puritanical, conservative critique of modernity. For them he created and perpetuated unrealistic and confused ideas about economic development and technological progress.

For his admirers, Gandhi was a man of spiritual truthfulness and democratic action, both at the public and personal levels, with a unique method of struggle that combined political pragmatism with ethical integrity. Some among these admirers evaluate Gandhi’s impact on human history as being as significant as that of Jesus, Buddha and Karl Marx.

Two Gandhi’s

• In the minds of people around the world, Gandhi represents two different and contradictory characters.
• The first Gandhi is the political Gandhi who fought against British colonialism and is the father of the modern Indian nation. This is the man Albert Einstein lauded as “a leader of his people, unsupported by any outward authority, a politician whose success rests not upon craft nor the mastery of technical devices, but simply on the convincing power of his personality.”
• The second Gandhi is the Ashramic Gandhi who is more of a mystic than a politician, who used fasting as a method of struggle, and who Rabindranath Tagore considered as the “Mahatma”, the “Great Soul”.

Quest for spiritual cause – Satya

In Gandhi’s autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth , one can find the idea that life is nothing but a spiritual experience with truth, and a struggle against all forms of untruth and injustice.

As such, Gandhi claimed that his life was his message, simply because he extended his practice of satyagraha to all walks of life. Gandhi, in short, was a leader looking for a spiritual cause. He found it, of course, in his non-violence and, ultimately, in independence for India. Truth, Satya, was the central axis of the Gandhian system of thought and practice.

For Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, everything turned on Truth — satyagraha, swaraj, ahimsa, ashram, brahmacharya, yajna, charkha, khadi, and finally, moksha itself. 

“Truth is not merely that which we are expected to speak and follow. It is that which alone is, it is that of which all things are made, it is that which subsists by its own power, which alone is eternal.”

Truth alone triumphs?

Outcome hinges exactly on the truth of her testimony versus his defence. Only one can be true.

• When Truth is rendered negotiable and dispensable, the balance of justice is disastrously upset. Gandhi strained to hear the “small, still voice” within himself, the voice belonging to one he called “antaryami”, “atma” or “God” — an inner prompt, the self as a guide and a compass – so that he could keep moving ever closer to Truth.
• It was this voice that he followed, sometimes to the bafflement of others who could not hear it. This was the voice that made him undertake life-threatening fasts his health wouldn’t permit; withdraw from active politics at the most crucial junctures of India’s anti-colonial struggle; and many other decisions which are still difficult for us to understand.
• Even close and loyal associates like Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel were often confounded by Gandhi’s actions and decisions; more sceptical and antagonistic peers like M.A. Jinnah and B.R. Ambedkar couldn’t make sense of his motivations at all.

Home and the world

Of late, many musicians in south India have faced vicious attacks from rightwing Hindutva groups for singing hymns and psalms, thereby allegedly hijacking “Hindu” Carnatic music for “Christian” evangelical aims.This despite the fact that the violin, central to the Carnatic system in modern times, is a European gift to Indian music.

Both Christian and Muslim religious lyrics and poetry have been a constitutive part of the Carnatic repertoire throughout the 20th century. Gandhi made great use of the Bible in his prayers, teachings, writings and Ashram liturgies. He was often accused of being a crypto-Christian.

However, he flatly refused to give preference to the Vedas over the Bible. He is no Sanatani Hindu who is narrow, bigoted and considers evil to be good if it has the sanction of antiquity and is to be found supported in any Sanskrit book.

Just before the Kristallnacht (an incident known as “Kristallnacht”, Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews), Gandhi advised European Jews to relocate to Palestine and make it their homeland only with the cooperation and goodwill of native Arabs, and not otherwise. This appalled even sympathetic Jews like Buber and Magnes, who had admired and supported Gandhi at the time of the Salt March in 1930, before the Nazi takeover of Germany.

Gandhi a political thinker and a social reformer

There is more to Gandhi which makes him a political thinker and a relevant social reformer. Gandhi was a dialogical thinker who was open to other horizons of thinking. He firmly believed that the spirit of genuine reciprocity and solidarity is not just a moral requirement, but also a geopolitical necessity.

• Gandhi rejected the idea that there is one privileged path to god. He also believed that all religious traditions are an unstable mixture of truth and error.
• He encouraged inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, so that individuals could see their faith and culture in a comparative and critical reflection of the other.
• As such, Gandhi considered interculturalism as a call for simultaneous awareness of commonalities, acceptance of differences, and recognition of shared values.
• Interestingly, Gandhi was a political thinker and a social practitioner who was constantly experimenting with modes of comparative and cross-border cultural constellations. In Gandhi’s political thinking, the experience of freedom derives not only from constitutional rights but mainly from the diverse modes of participation of the individual in a common humanity. Today, many around the world consider Gandhian ideas as impractical, not to say utopian.
• Gandhian ethics of social and political reconstruction are more relevant than ever, since they represent an act of self-transformation of humanity rather than an illusory dream of a political leader. Gandhi wanted to change the values that govern the social, political and economic activities in human society.
• Gandhi believed that decentralised politics and an egalitarian economy function better at the level of micro-communities, where citizens can operate in relations of reciprocity and mutuality. For him, it was clear that neither society nor the individual can live without a moral vision of the world. Gandhi had his moral and political dreams of changing humanity.

There are ample events and incidents insisting that we can continue to consult Gandhi on all manner of issues that may trouble our individual or collective conscience. Truth is the key to Gandhi’s philosophy, and we rely on Gandhi even decades after his death and long after his supposed lapse into political irrelevance.

Gandhi was a man of experimentation, a man who insisted on the quest for truth. Therefore, it should not come to us as a surprise that the literal meaning of satyagraha is “asserting for truth”.

Einstein Challenge:

Albert Einstein’s famous words on Gandhi: “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”

• Proposed by PM Modi on Mahatma’s 150 th birthday celebration
• Challenge: How do we ensure the ideals of Gandhi are remembered by future generations?

Gandhi’s favourite hymn: “Vaishnava Jana To,” which says that a true human is one, who feels the pain of others, removes misery and is never arrogant.

In 1925, Gandhi wrote in “Young India”: “It is impossible for one to be internationalist without being a nationalist. Internationalism is possible only when nationalism becomes a fact, i.e., when peoples belonging to different countries have organized themselves and are able to act as one man.” He envisioned Indian nationalism as one that was never narrow or exclusive but one that worked for the service of humanity.

First World Youth Conference on Kindness

• Organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development and Ministry of Human Resource Development on the theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World: Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’ at the VigyanBhavan in New Delhi. 
• Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, the conference aimed to provide global youth and policymakers an innovative, engaging and inspiring platform to come together and strive to discover ground-breaking pathways to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention

• 116 foreign delegates including sanitation ministers visited select sites related to the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi on the “Gandhi Trail”. The “Gandhi Trail” is a trip to Gujarat, where the delegates will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and see Swachh Bharat at work on the ground in Punsari village.
• The MGISC is a four-day convention which includes more than 160 international representatives from 68 countries. It aims to share sanitation success stories and lessons from the participating countries.

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs): Inspired by Gandhian philosophy; Co-operative societies, women participation and empowerment, socio-economic equality etc,.

Decentralization: Keeping Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of ‘Swarajya’ in mind to strengthen grass root administration.

Do or Die Speech by Gandhiji: In 1942 , Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of ‘Do or Die’ from Gowalia Tank Maidan to end the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement .

Who gave the title of ‘Mahatma’ to the ‘Father of the Nation’ : Gurudev – Rabindranath Tagore

The first Nationwide Movement: Rowlatt Satyagraha

Quit India is also called as India August Movement (August Kranti)

Majoor Mahajan Sangh: Gandhi formed the Majoor Mahajan Sangh, an association for workers’ rights. During those days, “Mahajan” was used as a title of respect for elites. Gandhi inverted the social structure by attaching the name “Mahajan” to “Majoor,” or laborers. With that linguistic choice, Gandhi enhanced the pride of workers.

Dyerism: In 1919, the Rowlatt Act enacted by the British government took away the civil rights of Indians. Those who protested peacefully in Jallianwala Bagh faced merciless police firing on the orders of General R Dyer. That cold-blooded assault was described by Mahatma Gandhi as Dyerism. He employed the concept to denote practices of exclusion, including the ostracisation of the Dalits from all spheres of social life in 1919.

Pietermaritzburg: A railway station in South Africa where a young Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a “Whites-only” compartment 125 years ago

• On the night of June 7, 1893, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, then a young lawyer, was thrown off the train’s first class compartment at Pietermaritzburg station after he refused to give up his seat as ordered by racially prejudiced officials
• The incident led him to develop his Satyagraha principles of peaceful resistance and mobilize people in South Africa and in India against the discriminatory rules of the British

Gandhi called it “the prince among the political sections of the IPC designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen”: Section 124A of the IPC

• The section deals with the offence of sedition, a term that covers speech or writing, or any form of visible representation, which brings the government into hatred or contempt, or excites disaffection towards the government, or attempts to do so.
• It is punishable with three years in prison or a life term.
• “Disaffection”, it says, includes disloyalty and feelings of enmity.
• However, it also says expressing disapproval of government measures or actions, with a view to getting them changed by lawful means, without promoting hatred or disaffection or contempt towards the government will not come under this section.
• Sedition was introduced in the penal code in 1870, a decade after the Indian Penal Code came into force.
• It was a colonial law directed against strong criticism of the British administration.
• Its most famous victims included Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhijis Nai Talim

• On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s upcoming 150th birth anniversary celebrations, a movement has begun, across the educational institutions in the country to promote Nai Talim, Work Education and Experiential Learning.
• A special effort is on school and teacher education in the areas of work education and experiential learning through the education departments of Universities as well as Central and State Governments and the SCERTs.
• Union HRD Ministry released the curriculum on Experiential Learning – Gandhijis Nai Talim. This curriculum was brought out simultaneously in 13 languages i.e., Assamese, Tamil, Bengali, Odiya, Kannada, Malyalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi and English.
• It is in consultation with the state councils of educational research and training along with the universities in the country. The curriculum was a holistic approach of developing body, mind and soul (hand, head and heart), by making a productive art, craft or community engagement activity as the centre of learning.

Gandhipedia 

• With the government marking the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi with several programmes throughout the year, an encyclopedia-like “Gandhipedia” would be among the efforts to spread his values (under Union Culture Ministry).
• The National Council for Science Museums (NCSM), based in Kolkata, is developing a Gandhipedia “to sensitize” youth and society “at large” about positive Gandhian values.
• This comes about 10 months after President launched a web portal http://gandhi.gov.in/ to provide people with free access to an online repository of Gandhian literature, philosophy, audios, videos and rare photographs of the Father of nation

Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha: To improve Hindi literacy among the non-Hindi speaking people of South Indi and is headquartered in Chennai.

• The organisation was established by Annie Besant with support from Mahatma Gandhi, who became the founder president of the Sabha, who held the post till his death.
• The first Hindi class here was taken by M. Gandhi’s son Devdas Gandhi.
• In 1964, the institution was recognised by the Indian Government as one of the Institutes of National Importance.

The Story of Indian Flag

• Pingali Venkayya was a freedom fighter and the designer of the Indian National Tricolour who went on to become synonymous with the spirit of free and independent India. Venkayya earlier served as a soldier in the British Army in South Africa during the Anglo Boer war in Africa.
• Acknowledging the need for a national flag, Gandhi then asked Venkayya to design a fresh one at the national congress meeting in 1921. Initially, Venkayya came up with saffron and green colours, but it later evolved with a spinning wheel at the centre and a third colour-white.
• The flag was officially adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931.

Gandhi & Indian National Congress (INC) had launched 3 major mass movements against British during the freedom struggle:

(i) 1920-22: Non-cooperation Movement (NCM) – Nagpur session (1920)

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre : Gandhi launched a nationwide protest against the Rowlatt Acts with the strongest level of protest in the Punjab.

• The situation worsened in Amritsar in April 1919, when General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on demonstrators hemmed into a tight square, resulting in the deaths of 379 civilians.
• Montagu ordered an inquiry into the events at Amritsar by Lord Hunter. The Hunter Inquiry recommended that General Dyer, who commanded the troops, be dismissed, leading to Dyer’s sacking.
• The Amritsar massacre further inflamed Indian nationalist sentiment ending the initial response of reluctant co-operation. At the Indian National Congress annual session in September 1920, delegates supported Gandhi’s proposal of swaraj or self-rule – preferably within the British Empire or out of it if necessary. The proposal was to be implemented through a policy of non-cooperation with British rule meaning that Congress did not field candidates in the first elections held under the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms in 1921.

(ii) 1930-34: Civil Disobedience movement (CDM) – Lahore session (1929)

Dandi March

• On March 12, 1930, Gandhi along with 80 satyagrahis started out from Sabarmati Ashram and marched over 390 km to reach the coastal village of Dandi.
• The march, a protest against the coercive salt tax imposed by the British, was the most significant organised challenge to British authority after the Non-Cooperation Movement of the early 1920s.
• The march sparked a series of acts of civil disobedience across India against the salt laws.
• Over 60,000 people were arrested across the country. Soon after, the Congress planned a Satyagraha at the Dharasana Salt Works, 25 miles south of Dandi.
• However, the plan was shelved after Gandhi was arrested days before the beginning of the movement.

 (iii) 1942-44: Quit India movement (QIM) – Bombay on 8th August 1942

• After the failure of Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major campaign against the British rule – ‘Quit India Movement’ (QIM) in August 1942. And on 8 th and 9 th August, all senior leaders were arrested leaders of younger generation carried on with the plan.
• Prevalence of violence & underground activities – Parallel governments were setup in many parts of countries. Removal of railway tracks, Looting of treasury, Blowing up bridges, Burning post-office and police stations, Cutting telephone lines, etc. 
• Despite the lack of centralized planning and coordination, Indians actively participated in large numbers. Lord Linlithgow had to use the help of army and arrest over 90,000 Indians to crush this movement. 
• But we understand that Quit India movement was more of a spontaneous revolt than a planned one .

Global Success of Satyagraha

Gandhi applied his experiments with truth and practice of non-violence, not only at an individual level but also in the process of the global affairs. In Gandhi’s model of national and international politics, truth (satya) and non-violence (ahimsa) were brought into a mutually interacting and reinforcing relation. Therefore, as in the case of means and ends, truth and non-violence were, for Gandhi, interchangeable entities beyond cultural borders and mental ghettos.

By Gandhi in India

• Champaran Satyagraha – 1917
• Persuaded by Raj Kumar Shukla to study the conditions of the Indigo Plantation workers in Champaran, a district in Bihar
• The system prevalent in the Indigo Plantations was the  Tinkathia System , in which, the peasants were required to mandatorily cultivate indigo in 3/20th of their land holdings.
• Govt. had appointed a Commission of Inquiry to go into the whole issue and nominated Gandhiji as one of its members > found the planters guilty of exploitation. A compromise was reached and planters were ordered to refund 25% of the amount they had illegally taken.

There were two main systems of indigo cultivation – nij and ryoti.

• Ahmedabad Satyagraha – 1918
• Due to plague, the mill owners had increased the pay to 75% to attract workers. However, once the plague conditions subsided, the mill owners wanted to bring down the pay to 20%. The workers didn’t agree with this reduction and wanted 50% of the pay to remain. 
• The logic they sited was that WW1 had increased the prices. Gandhiji didn’t want the interest of the industrialist class to be hurt. He tried hard to persuade Ambalal Sarabhai who was his friend but failed.
• Left with no option, he asked workers to go on a strike. When Gandhiji saw the strike subsiding, he went on a fast. This put pressure on the mill owners who agreed for the 35% increment.
• Kheda Satyagraha – 1918
• Teamed up with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to help the cause of peasants. The peasants were in extreme distress as their crop produce had been 1/4th of the original. As per the revenue code, they were entitled for a full concession. However, the Govt. wasn’t willing to let go of their revenues and kept pressurizing the peasants.
• Gandhiji urged all farmers to fight unto death against this injustice of the British. He appealed the rich farmers to support to the poor farmers by not paying revenues despite having the capability. 
• Later the British came out with a policy asking the rich farmers to pay their due voluntarily. (Which backfired as no rich farmer willingly wanted to pay revenue)
• Rowlatt Satyagraha – 1919
• British, in the name of curbing terrorist violence, had introduced a Bill that severely curtailed the liberties of the Indians. It had provisions for arrest without warrant and detention for 2 years . 
• Gandhiji called for a nation-wide  hartal  accompanied by fasting and praying. The Movement went in a different direction than what was expected – events of violent outbreaks. The Rowlatt Satyagraha was withdrawn on 18th April, 1919 because of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that happened on 13th April 1919.

Image Source: https://www.livemint.com/Politics/AeKzn7TXUJNXKSoLF6wpVN/How-Satyagraha-still-drives-change-globally.html  

In 2018-July, Government decided to grant Special Remission to Prisoners on the upcoming occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

• Prisoners, including politicians, convicted in cases of murder, rape or corruption, will not be released
• Women convicts aged 55 and above, who have completed half of their sentence, will be released
• Male convicts of aged 60 or more, who have completed half of their sentence, will be released
• Those convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1985 (TADA), The Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA), Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 will not be released.

Pardon: It removes both the sentence and the conviction and completely absolves the convict from all sentences, punishments and disqualifications.

Commutation : It denotes the substitution of one form of punishment for a lighter form. For example, a death sentence may be commuted to rigorous imprisonment, which in turn may be commuted to a simple imprisonment.

Remission: It implies reducing the period of sentence without changing its character. For example, a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for two years may be remitted to rigorous imprisonment for one year.

Respite: It denotes awarding a lesser sentence in place of one originally awarded due to some special fact, such as the physical disability of a convict or the pregnancy of a woman offender.

Reprieve: It implies a stay of the execution of a sentence (especially that of death) for a temporary period. Its purpose is to enable the convict to have time to seek pardon or commutation from the President.

Prelims-centric Questions

A. With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements: 

• Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of ‘indentured labour’. 
• In Lord Chelmsford’s ‘War Conference’, Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War. 
• Consequent upon the breaking of Salt Law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers. 

Which of the statements given above are correct? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 1 and 3 only 

(c) 2 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Solution (b) 

Explanation: Lord Chelmsford, the then Viceroy of India, invited Gandhi to Delhi at a War Conference. In order to gain the trust of the empire, Gandhi agreed to move people to enlist in the army for World War I. 

Hence Statement 2 is wrong. Statement 1 and 3 are correct.

B. Movement leader of All India Anti-Untouchability League: Mahatma Gandhi – While in jail, Gandhi set up the All India Anti-Untouchability  League in September 1932

C. In 1932, Mahatma Gandhi began a fast unto death in Yerwada Jail against:

• Communal award of Ramsay Mac Donald
• Violation of Gandhi-Irwin Pact
• British repression of Satyagrahis
• Communal riots in Calcutta

D. Harijan Sevak Sangh born out of the historic Poona Pact between: Dr.BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi

E . Gandhiji relinquished his title ‘Kaiser-e-hind’ bestowed on him by the British for his services during the Boer War in South Africa.

F. Mahatma Gandhi undertook fast unto death in 1932, mainly because:

• Round Table Conference failed to satisfy Indian political aspirations
• Congress and Muslim League had differences of opinion
• Ramsay Macdonald announced the Communal Award
• None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct in this context

Explanation: Gandhi took fast unto death on the announcement of communal award and Poona pact was signed after that with agreement of Gandhiji and Ambedkar

Connect the dots: 

• Evolution of separate electorate in British Raj
• Three round table conferences
• Participation of Congress and its outcome

G. Mahatma Gandhi said that some of his deepest convictions were reflected in a book titled, “Unto this Last” and the book transformed his life. What was the message from the book that transformed Mahatma Gandhi?

• Uplifting the oppressed and poor is the moral responsibility of an educated man
• The good of individual is contained in the good of all
• The life of celibacy and spiritual pursuit are essential for a noble life
• All the statements (a), (b) and (c) are correct in this context

H. Reason for Mahatma Gandhi to organize a satyagraha on behalf of the peasants of Kheda?

• The Administration did not suspend the land revenue collection in spite of a drought.
• The Administration proposed to introduce Permanent Settlement in Gujarat.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a.) 1 only

(b.) 2 only

(c.) Both 1 and 2

(d.) Neither 1 nor 2

Connecting the Dots:

• Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. ( UPSC 2018 : GS I; 10 marks)
• Discuss the moral principles given by Mahatma Gandhi. Quote instances from his life where he practiced his principles before preaching them.
• “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – M.K.Gandhi
• What was more important to Mahatma Gandhi- means or end of an action? How did he practice these principles in his public life?
• The life of Mahatma Gandhi is a perfect example of restraint, forgiveness and magnanimity. Comment. Why are these attributes important in today’s world? Discuss.
• How did Gandhi’s arrival change the discourse of the nationalist movement? Did it make the movement more inclusive and representative? Critically comment.
• The Champaran Satyagraha catapulted Mahatma Gandhi as the true leader of the Indian national movement. Do you agree? Substantiate.
• What were the similarities and dissimilarities between the approach of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar towards the upliftment of the so called lower castes?
• What factors do you think led to attitudinal change of Mahatma Gandhi from a non-compromising peaceful Gandhi of Non – Cooperation (1920) to an aggressive Gandhi of Quit India Movement (1942)?
• Why according to Mahatma Gandhi, nonviolence was an act of courage and needed to immense mental strength to practice? Analyse.
• Serious consideration must be given to the idea of a universal basic income as a more effective way of achieving Mahatma Gandhi’s objectives of “wiping every tear from every eye.” Comment.
• Discuss the ideas of Gandhi on Gram Swaraj and rural economy.
• We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. Comment.
• “Nationalist movement in India before the arrival of M. Gandhi was a movement representing the classes as opposed to the masses”. Critically analyse
• Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in their struggle for freedom.
• Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle during the Gandhian phase.
• “The Quit India Movement was more of a spontaneous revolt than a planned movement of Congress.” Discuss.
• Highlight the similarities and differences in the approach of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom of their respective countries?
• “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. “ Discuss.
• “Rights accrue automatically to him who duly performs his duties.” Explain.
• Explain Gandhi’s spirit of ownership and how it fits in the current challenge that we face today -Climate Crisis. (Hint: We, as inheritors of the earth, are responsible for its well-being, including that of the flora and fauna with whom we share our planet.)
• Had Gandhiji not withdrawn the Civil Disobedience Movement, India would have achieved freedom much earlier. Do you agree? Critically comment.
• Even though the Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movement had ended in apparent failure, the national movement had been strengthened in many ways? Do you agree? Substantiate.
• What role did students play in India’s freedom struggle? Examine.
• During the Quit India movement, the masses were united irrespective of their background. However, today, when India faces much severe challenges, the unity seems elusive. Identify the major challenges faced by Indian society today and how can they be forced to ‘Quit India’?
• Examine the concept of ‘satyagraha’. Was it a successful strategy? Examine.   

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Indian National Movement and Mahatma Gandhi

Table of content.

The Constitution of India is the product of the Constitution Assembly. It has inherited a solid ideological base and principles from the nationalist movement. In 1909, Mahatma Gandhi mentioned in his book ‘Hind Swaraj’ that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of the Indian public and has survived this long for a similar reason. Thus, Gandhi planned a non-cooperation movement throughout India, which would unfold bit by bit. It ought, to begin with, the surrendering of assorted government titles and a boycott of civil services, army, police, courts and legislative councils, schools, and foreign products. 

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Mahatma Gandhi And The National Movement

Mahatma Gandhi is the most influential leader and a revered person who participated in India’s struggle for freedom against British Raj. Mahatma Gandhi was born on  October 2, 1869, in Gujarat. The fight to free India was being fought for many years, but Gandhi gave that fight a direction and brought the whole country together. He was an anti-colonialist, non-violent freedom fighter who led the country towards freedom without picking up any weapon. He believed in the power of Truth or Satya. Thus, he named his movement Satyagraha. Gandhi’s belief and fight for truth got him universal support. He was the originator of non-violence cooperation. He applied it to large-scale political masses and obtained an effective result. He was also one of the first leaders who used the Fasting scheme as a political device. 

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Champaran Satyagraha(1917)

Gandhi’s first civil disobedience movement was the Champaran satyagraha. Gandhi travelled to Champaran, Bihar, after being persuaded by Rajkumar Shukla, an indigo farmer, to explore the plight of the farmers there. Europeans compelled cultivators in the Champaran district of Bihar to grow indigo, a blue dye, which caused them tremendous agony. They couldn’t cultivate the food they needed, and their indigo payments were insufficient.

Result of Champaran Satyagraha

The government subsequently appointed a commission to investigate the cultivators’ claims. Gandhi accepted to serve on the committee after being asked. As a result, the Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed within a few months. The cultivators and land tenants were greatly relieved.

Important Pages

Rowlatt act satyagraha (1919).

In March 1919, the Rowlatt Act, also known as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, was approved. With this bill, the Imperial Legislative Council gave the British government the authority to arrest anyone accused of terrorism. It also authorised Britishers to detain people for up to two years without trial. In addition, the police have been given permission to search any location without a warrant.

In April 1919, Gandhi launched a nationwide Satyagraha movement against the act. It received a massive response with people already suffering from poor socio-economic conditions, coming out in support from all across the country. 

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)

The non-cooperation movement was a nationwide movement launched on September 04, 1920 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The movement was launched in the wake of  a series of events like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the passing of the Rowlatt Act. 

The movement was able to accrue the sympathy of the masses and established Gandhiji as the leader of the resistance. It was active for only two short years and was dissolved due to the Chauri Chaura incident. 

Khilafat Issue (1919 – 1925)

While incidents like the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre ignited the spirit of nationalism among Indians, Satyagraha movements were still limited to big cities and towns. Gandhi realised the need for a more broad-based movement. He was convinced that freedom is possible only if Hindus and Muslims get united on a common platform.The Khilafat issue or Khilafat movement allowed him to do it. The first world war, which left the socio-economic condition of India devastated, had also annihilated nations worldwide. Among those empires included Ottoman Turkey, which witnessed a terrible defeat. 

There were rumours about Britishers imposing a harsh treaty – Treaty of Sèvres on the Ottoman emperor, who was the Islamic world’s spiritual head, the Khalifa. A Khilafat Committee was formed in then called Bombay in March 1919 by Indian Muslims to defend their Khalifa.Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali joined hands with prominent Muslim leaders like Sheikh Shaukat Ali Siddiqui, Pir Ghulam Mujaddid Sarhandi, and Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan and built the India Khilafat Committee. The aim was to create political unity among Muslims and use their influence to protect the Khalifa. 

Disobedience Movement (1930)

The Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission, is recognised as a catalyst for the civil disobedience movement. It was set to debate constitutional reform in India, which was carried out without a single Indian member, prompting a great protest. But before it arrived in India, the Congress was rife with internal debate and had two choices:

• Liberals like Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das wanted to contest the provincial elections and oppose the British within the Councils (set up by the Government of India Act, 1919).
• Revolutionaries like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose urged mass agitation and complete independence.

The commission’s arrival and the worsening economic condition with the onset of the worldwide economic depression propelled the demands of the revolutionaries, resulting in the civil disobedience movement.  

Quit India Movement 

Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement on August 08, 1942, at Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank Maidan. 

• On August 08, the Indian National Congress signed the ‘Quit India Resolution’ and elected Mahatma Gandhi as the movement leader
• The ‘Quit India Resolution’ stated the following as the provisions of the movement- an immediate end to British rule, declaration of a free India that can defend itself against imperialism and fascism, the formation of an interim government in the event of British withdrawal, and the initiation of a civil disobedience movement
• ‘Quit India’ by Yusuf Meherally. Meherally was elected as the Mayor of Bombay in 1942 and was a prominent socialist and trade unionist
• ‘Do or Die’ was coined by Mahatma Gandhi during his speech on 8th August
• Gandhi instructed government servants to proclaim their loyalty to the INC
• He instructed the soldiers in the army to refrain from shooting at compatriots
• He instructed peasants to pay the agreed-upon rent to only those anti-government zamindars
• He instructed the people from princely states to only support anti-government leaders and wish to declare their sovereign as part of the Indian nation

The Indian Nationalist movement had an important role in building the nation. It aided in helping the members of the Constitutional assembly draft the main principles for the Indian Constitution. It was created through observation and adopting different constitutions like the British, US, and German. Furthermore, the adoption of objective resolution has helped in drafting the Indian Constitution.

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Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What is the idea of Satyagraha?

What was mahatma gandhi's teaching, what was chamapran satyagraha, who started the khilafat movement.

The Ali brothers, Shoukat Ali and Mohammad Ali, started the Khilafat movement.

How was the Quit India Movement different from other Gandhian Movements?

  The idea of Satyagraha is a non-violent resistance against British rule in India, started by Mahatma Gandhi. He had used Satyagraha in the independence movement of India, which was grappling with severe socio-economic conditions after WW1.

   Mahatma Gandhi taught and preached the truth, non-violence, mutual respect, cooperation, and sacrifice. That’s how he fought and won freedom for India.

T he Champaran Satyagraha was an uprising among the peasants in the Champaran district of Bihar state. It was led by Mahatma Gandhi and was against the forced indigo cultivation by farmers.

In contrast to other Gandhian movements such as non-cooperation and civil disobedience, the Quit India movement was spontaneous participation of the masses.

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Essay on Mahatma Gandhi – Contributions and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi

500+ words essay on mahatma gandhi.

Essay on Mahatma Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi was a great patriotic Indian, if not the greatest. He was a man of an unbelievably great personality. He certainly does not need anyone like me praising him. Furthermore, his efforts for Indian independence are unparalleled. Most noteworthy, there would have been a significant delay in independence without him. Consequently, the British because of his pressure left India in 1947. In this essay on Mahatma Gandhi, we will see his contribution and legacy.

Contributions of Mahatma Gandhi

First of all, Mahatma Gandhi was a notable public figure. His role in social and political reform was instrumental. Above all, he rid the society of these social evils. Hence, many oppressed people felt great relief because of his efforts. Gandhi became a famous international figure because of these efforts. Furthermore, he became the topic of discussion in many international media outlets.

Mahatma Gandhi made significant contributions to environmental sustainability. Most noteworthy, he said that each person should consume according to his needs. The main question that he raised was “How much should a person consume?”. Gandhi certainly put forward this question.

Furthermore, this model of sustainability by Gandhi holds huge relevance in current India. This is because currently, India has a very high population . There has been the promotion of renewable energy and small-scale irrigation systems. This was due to Gandhiji’s campaigns against excessive industrial development.

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence is probably his most important contribution. This philosophy of non-violence is known as Ahimsa. Most noteworthy, Gandhiji’s aim was to seek independence without violence. He decided to quit the Non-cooperation movement after the Chauri-Chaura incident . This was due to the violence at the Chauri Chaura incident. Consequently, many became upset at this decision. However, Gandhi was relentless in his philosophy of Ahimsa.

Secularism is yet another contribution of Gandhi. His belief was that no religion should have a monopoly on the truth. Mahatma Gandhi certainly encouraged friendship between different religions.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi has influenced many international leaders around the world. His struggle certainly became an inspiration for leaders. Such leaders are Martin Luther King Jr., James Beve, and James Lawson. Furthermore, Gandhi influenced Nelson Mandela for his freedom struggle. Also, Lanza del Vasto came to India to live with Gandhi.

The awards given to Mahatma Gandhi are too many to discuss. Probably only a few nations remain which have not awarded Mahatma Gandhi.

In conclusion, Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest political icons ever. Most noteworthy, Indians revere by describing him as the “father of the nation”. His name will certainly remain immortal for all generations.

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

• Mahatma Gandhi
• APJ Abdul Kalam
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• Swami Vivekananda
• Mother Teresa
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Subhash Chandra Bose
• Abraham Lincoln
• Martin Luther King

FAQs on Mahatma Gandhi

Q.1 Why Mahatma Gandhi decided to stop Non-cooperation movement?

A.1 Mahatma Gandhi decided to stop the Non-cooperation movement. This was due to the infamous Chauri-Chaura incident. There was significant violence at this incident. Furthermore, Gandhiji was strictly against any kind of violence.

Q.2 Name any two leaders influenced by Mahatma Gandhi?

A.2 Two leaders influenced by Mahatma Gandhi are Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela.

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Essay on Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle

Students are often asked to write an essay on Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle

The birth of a leader.

Mahatma Gandhi was born in India in 1869. He studied law in England before returning to India. He later moved to South Africa, where he first used nonviolent resistance.

Gandhi’s Philosophy

Gandhi believed in ‘Satyagraha’, or truth-force. He thought peaceful protests were the best way to resist unfair laws. This was a new idea in the fight for freedom.

Gandhi and India’s Freedom Struggle

Gandhi returned to India in 1915. He led the Indian National Congress, guiding India towards independence. He organized nonviolent protests against British rule.

Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi’s nonviolent methods inspired many, and India gained independence in 1947. His ideas continue to influence people worldwide.

250 Words Essay on Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle

Introduction.

Mahatma Gandhi, fondly referred to as the ‘Father of the Nation,’ played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence. He employed non-violent civil disobedience methods, setting a unique paradigm for freedom struggles worldwide.

Non-Violent Approach

Gandhi’s primary weapon in the struggle was non-violence or ‘Ahimsa.’ His philosophy was grounded in the belief that moral superiority could not be achieved through violent means. This approach resonated with the masses and enabled widespread participation, thereby intensifying the struggle against the British Raj.

Mass Mobilization

Gandhi’s leadership was marked by his ability to mobilize the masses. His simple lifestyle and empathetic nature helped him connect with the common people. He initiated campaigns like the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement, which saw mass participation unprecedented in the history of the Indian freedom struggle.

Championing Swaraj

Gandhi’s concept of ‘Swaraj’ or self-rule was not just political independence but also economic and social self-reliance. He advocated for the boycott of British goods and promoted indigenous industries, enhancing India’s economic independence and providing a blueprint for post-colonial economic development.

Mahatma Gandhi’s role in India’s freedom struggle was transformative. His non-violent approach, ability to mobilize the masses, and vision for Swaraj were instrumental in shaping the course of India’s freedom struggle. His philosophies have left an indelible mark on India’s ethos and continue to inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the globe.

500 Words Essay on Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, famously known as Mahatma Gandhi, played a pivotal role in the Indian freedom struggle against British rule. His unique approach of ‘Satyagraha’ (insistence on truth) and ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) left an indelible mark on the world and significantly contributed to India’s independence.

Advent of Satyagraha

Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraha was a revolutionary method in the fight for freedom. It was a non-violent resistance against the oppressor, where the oppressed demonstrated their moral superiority. The first significant application of Satyagraha was in South Africa, where Gandhi led the Indian community against racial discrimination. This laid the foundation for his future endeavors in India.

Non-Cooperation Movement

Returning to India in 1915, Gandhi transformed the Indian National Congress from an elitist party into a mass movement. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922) was the first large-scale initiative against British rule under his leadership. Gandhi called for a complete boycott of British goods and services, which included schools, courts, and government services. The movement stirred the nation, uniting Indians across regions, religions, and classes. Despite its abrupt end due to the Chauri Chaura incident, the movement marked the beginning of a nationwide struggle for freedom.

Civil Disobedience Movement

The Civil Disobedience Movement, initiated with the Dandi March in 1930, was another milestone in India’s struggle for freedom. Gandhi and his followers marched about 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, where they made salt, defying the British salt laws. This act was a symbolic defiance of the British monopoly and a peaceful protest against their oppressive regime.

Quit India Movement

In 1942, Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, demanding an end to British rule in India. His call for ‘Do or Die’ resonated with the masses, leading to widespread protests across the country. The movement was a significant blow to the British, shaking the foundations of their rule in India.

Gandhi’s Philosophy and Its Impact

Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and truth was not merely a strategy for the freedom struggle, but a way of life. His principles of simplicity, self-reliance, and communal harmony continue to inspire millions around the world. His innovative methods of civil resistance have influenced numerous freedom struggles globally, including the civil rights movement in the U.S. led by Martin Luther King Jr.

Mahatma Gandhi’s role in the Indian freedom struggle was monumental. His non-violent resistance against British rule united the diverse Indian population and instilled in them a sense of national pride. His principles and methods, though criticized by some, proved to be effective in achieving India’s independence. Gandhi’s legacy continues to influence and inspire movements for civil rights and social change worldwide, making him a global icon for peace and justice.

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Gandhian Ideology

Gandhian ideology (also known as Gandhism) is the set of religious and social ideas adopted and developed by India’s Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, first during his period in South Africa from 1893 to 1914, and later in India.

Although incorporating certain Western ideologies that Mahatma Gandhi was exposed to, Gandhian ideologies were primarily rooted in Indian culture.

This article will give details about Gandhian Ideology within the context of the IAS Exam . Aspirants can learn from the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and integrate it with ethics preparation of UPSC Mains GS 4.

Gandhian Ideology- Download PDF Here

Major Gandhian Ideologies

The following thoughts are part of Gandhian ideologies

• Truth and Non-violence: They are the twin pillars of Gandhian thoughts.For Mahatma Gandhi, truth translated into words and deeds. For him, the ultimate truth was God and morality. Thus moral laws and code became its basis.  As far as Mahatma Gandhi was concerned, non-violence was active love, the direct opposite of violence.
• Satyagraha: Satyagraha meant the exercise of the purest soul-force against all forms of injustice, oppression and exploitation. The method secures rights by personal suffering and not inflicting injuries
• Sarvodaya : Sarvodaya is a term meaning ‘Universal Uplift’ or ‘Progress of All’. The term was first coined by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his translation of John Ruskin’s tract on political economy, “Unto This Last”.
• Swaraj: Although the word swaraj means self-rule, Mahatma Gandhi gave it the content of an integral revolution that encompasses all spheres of life.
• Trusteeship: Trusteeship was a socio-economic philosophy that meant the rich people would be the trusses of trusts and charities set up for the purpose of the common people.
• Swadeshi: Swadeshi, the adjectival form, means of one’s own country, but can be loosely translated in most contexts as self-sufficiency.

Swadeshi is the focus on acting within and from one’s own community, both politically and economically.

It is the interdependence of community and self-sufficiency.

For more relevant notes, visit the linked article.

NCERT Notes: Indian National Movement – Extremist Period Gandhi Irwin Pact

Relevance of Gandhism in 21st Century

Although it is widely believed that Gandhism is a challenge to pursue in the 21st century; that is not the case. Gandhi’s principles can be applied in the following ways:

• Concept of Society: The contemporary society is a complex whole which is neither value-oriented nor purely speculative. Tradition and authority which were once revered are now utterly disregarded. The whole of humanity is steered by jealousy, distrust, suspicion and hatred. Violence, poverty and intolerance are on the rise. The outer homogeneity brought by science and civilization doesn’t emanate with the inner unity of our souls. So, there is a dire need to reform our minds. He says that adherence to truthfulness should be our only purpose of existence. The ultimate end of the individual is the realization of truth and justice through consistent endeavours, not only for ourselves but for the entire humanity.
• Economy: While it is generally recognized that socialism can’t be established without the use of force, Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of socialism involves the use of non-violence. He didn’t believe in extremes and neither appreciated complete liberty, as in a capitalist democracy, nor regimentation as in communist dictatorships. His idea was that power is to be as decentralized as possible. Globalization means integration of world economies through cross-country exchange of goods, ideas, information, and many services. Dominant economies with the aid of Multinational Companies and International Organizations are serving their interests to the extent that often the interest of the poor countries is compromised.
• Education: Mahatma Gandhi thought that humanization of knowledge can lead us to immunization of ideas against communal distrust. He was critical of traditional education and said that being literate doesn’t mean being educated.
• Swaraj: Swaraj meant to be free from external influences and foreign control. Now the country is independent and free from any external control. In today’s competitive and fast-paced world, there must be control over our inner conscience. Self-empowerment is the need of the hour. Every person should search for their own identity, and shouldn’t try to fit themselves in the moulds created by society.
• Technology: The Gandhian principles are still relevant and technology can be used to enhance their effectiveness. The main tenet that he propagated was Satya.

It would include truth with respect to speech, reality as it exists and good as opposed to immoral, evil, and bad. As opposed to this, in contemporary times, people are not truthful and they are not presented with the existing reality of the system.

Here, technology plays its part. Technology can help bring the reality and truth out of the systems. It can curb our main evil, corruption. Information and Communications Technology plays a significant role in this. It facilitates the movement of data among governmental institutions, among citizens and between citizens and government as well. It helps bring transparency, answerability, and public participation.

To learn about some important political ideologies and their meaning , visit the linked article.

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Arrival of Gandhi in Indian Politics – UPSC Modern History Notes

• The arrival of Mahatma Gandhi in Indian politics in 1915 was a watershed moment in the freedom struggle. Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and Satyagraha (truth force) revolutionized the way the Indian people fought for their independence.
• Before Gandhi’s arrival, the Indian National Congress (INC) was a largely ineffective organization. The INC had been founded in 1885, but it had been unable to achieve any significant progress in its campaign for Indian independence. The INC’s leaders were mostly educated elites who were more interested in dialogue and negotiation with the British than in mass mobilization.
• Gandhi changed all of that. He understood that the British would not be swayed by arguments or appeals to reason. They could only be defeated by a mass movement of the Indian people who were willing to use non-violent means of protest.
• Gandhi’s first major campaign was the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917. The Champaran farmers were being forced to grow indigo for the British, and they were being severely punished if they refused. Gandhi led a non-violent protest against the indigo planters, and the British were eventually forced to give in to the farmers’ demands.
• The Champaran Satyagraha was a huge success, and it showed the Indian people that non-violence could be an effective tool for achieving social change. Gandhi went on to lead many other successful campaigns, including the Ahmedabad Mill Strike in 1918, the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918, and the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920-22.
• Gandhi’s arrival in Indian politics had a profound impact on the freedom struggle. He gave the Indian people a new sense of hope and determination, and he showed them that it was possible to achieve independence through non-violence. Gandhi’s legacy continues to inspire people all over the world who are fighting for social justice and freedom.

• Gandhi’s arrival in India during the independence struggle marked a significant turning point in the country’s history. After spending two decades in South Africa, where he developed the concept of Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance), Gandhi brought his principles and methods to India.
• In 1915, Gandhi launched his first major movement in India known as the Champaran Satyagraha. This movement aimed to address the exploitation of indigo farmers by British landlords in Champaran, Bihar. Through nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, Gandhi mobilized the local farmers and fought for their rights. The Champaran Satyagraha marked the beginning of Gandhi’s use of these techniques in the Indian Freedom Struggle.
• Gandhi’s implementation of Satyagraha had a profound impact on the Indian independence movement. It demonstrated the power of nonviolent resistance as a means to challenge and confront oppressive systems. Gandhi’s philosophy and methods resonated with the masses, and his leadership inspired countless individuals to join the struggle for freedom.
• Over the years, Gandhi led numerous other movements, such as the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Salt March, and the Quit India Movement. These movements galvanized the Indian population and garnered international attention, putting significant pressure on the British government.
• Gandhi’s commitment to Ahimsa (nonviolence) and his emphasis on moral principles and self-sacrifice made him a revered and respected leader. His approach to resistance not only challenged British rule but also aimed to transform individuals and society as a whole.
• Gandhi’s role in the Indian Freedom Struggle was transformative, as he became the guiding force behind the movement for independence. His philosophy and tactics not only shaped the course of the struggle but also left a lasting legacy in the fight against oppression worldwide.

Table of Contents

Here are some of the key contributions of Mahatma Gandhi to Indian politics:

• He introduced the concept of non-violence as a tool for political protest.
• He organized mass movements of the Indian people to fight for their rights.
• He helped to unite the different religious and social groups in India.
• He inspired the Indian people to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve independence.
• Gandhi’s arrival in Indian politics was a turning point in the freedom struggle. He helped to transform the INC into a mass movement, and he gave the Indian people the inspiration and the tools they needed to achieve independence. Gandhi’s legacy continues to inspire people all over the world who are fighting for social justice and freedom.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: when did mahatma gandhi arrive in indian politics.

A: Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Indian politics in 1915, after spending over two decades in South Africa where he honed his skills as a leader and activist.

Q: What motivated Gandhi to enter Indian politics?

A: Gandhi was motivated by a deep sense of duty and a commitment to fighting injustice. He was particularly moved by the plight of the Indian community and sought to address social, economic, and political issues through nonviolent means.

Q: What was Gandhi’s initial role in Indian politics?

A: Initially, Gandhi’s role was focused on social reform and community development. He advocated for the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the marginalized and the upliftment of the untouchables. His first major campaign in India was the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, addressing issues faced by indigo farmers.

Q: How did Gandhi’s philosophy influence Indian politics?

A: Gandhi’s philosophy, centered on nonviolence (ahimsa) and civil disobedience, had a profound impact on Indian politics. His methods of peaceful resistance and mass mobilization became powerful tools for challenging British colonial rule and promoting unity among diverse groups in India.

Q: What was the significance of Gandhi’s entry into Indian politics?

A: Gandhi’s entry into Indian politics marked a pivotal moment in the country’s struggle for independence. His unique approach of nonviolent resistance not only played a crucial role in achieving freedom from British rule but also left a lasting legacy that inspired civil rights movements worldwide.

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UPSC Key—28th March, 2024: Wage Rates under MGNREGA, India TB Report 2024 and Female Labour Force Participation Rate

Exclusive for subscribers from monday to friday: why india employment report 2024 and unemployment rate is relevant to the upsc exam what significance do topics like composition of india-pakistan trade, lalit kala academy and water crisis have for both the preliminary and main exams you can learn more by reading the indian express upsc key for march 28, 2024..

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for March 28 , 2024 .  If you missed the March 27, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

Lalit Kala Akademi chief’s powers curbed by Culture Ministry

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- IN AN unprecedented move, the Ministry of Culture has curtailed the powers of the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) Chairman, V Nagdas, barring him from taking any “administrative actions”, including on matters related to “appointment, recruitment, transfer, disciplinary action and financial decisions”, without consulting the ministry.

• Why Ministry of Culture has curtailed the powers of the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) Chairman, V Nagdas?

• What is the function of Lalit Kala Academy?

• What is the contribution of Lalit Kala Academy?

• Who established Lalit Kala Academy?

• “The Lalit Kala Akademi is not a discriminatory body, it has projects and programmes not only for folk and tribal artists but also for promoting and propagating these genres among modern and contemporary artists across various platforms¬”-Comment

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 ‘Irregularities’ in Lalit Kala Akademi: Probe panel gives clean chit to suspended secy

EXPRESS NETWORK

NREGA wages: Goa sees highest hike of `34 per day, UP, Uttarakhand lowest at `7

Preliminary Examination:  Economic and Social Development

Main Examination:  General Studies II: Important aspects of Governance and Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

• What’s the ongoing story -THE CENTRE on Wednesday notified new wage rates for unskilled manual workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 for the financial year 2024-2025, with Goa seeing the maximum hike of 10.56% over the current wage rate, and Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand recording the lowest raise of 3.04% each.

• How were the new wage rates for unskilled manual workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005 decided?

• For Your Information- The new wage rates, notified by the Ministry of Rural Development under sub-section (1) of section 6 of MGNREGA 2005, will become effective from April 1, 2024. As per the notification, the highest rate of NREGS wage (Rs 374 per day) has been fixed for Haryana, while the lowest (Rs 234 per day) has been fixed for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. As far as the state-wise increase over the current year (FY 2023-2024) is concerned, Goa has seen the maximum hike of 10.56% (Rs 34), taking the wage to Rs 356 per day for FY 2024-2025 against Rs 322 per day in the current fiscal.

In fact, three other states — Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana — have also seen over 10% hike in the NREGS wages. In Karnataka, the new NREGS wage rate will be Rs 349 per day, 10.44% higher than the existing rate of Rs 316 per day. For Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the NREGS wage rates have been fixed at Rs 300 per day for 2024-2025, which is 10.29% higher as compared to Rs 272 per day during the current financial year.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh , which share the same wage rate under the NREGS, have seen almost 10% hike — Rs 243 per day from the existing Rs 221. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which share the same NREGA wage rate, have recorded the lowest hike at just 3.04% from existing Rs 230 to Rs 237 per day. Eight other states have seen a hike below 5% — Haryana, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Overall, the wages have seen an average increase of about 7% — from the existing all-India average wage rate of Rs 267.32 per day to Rs 285.47 per day for the financial year 2024-25. The Central government fixes state-wise wage rates for NREGS workers under sub-section (1) of section 6 of the MGNREG Act, 2005. The NREGS wage rates are fixed according to changes in the CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index- Agriculture Labor), which reflects the increase in the inflation in the rural areas.

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Mandate, Goals

• What are the core objectives of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)?

• When was Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act passed by the Indian Parliament?

• What is the relationship between the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS)?

• In what way paradigm shift has taken place with the implementation of MGNREGA?

• Who are the key stakeholders of MGNREGS?

• What is the role of Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat in MGNREGS?

• How is Household defined in MGNREGA?

• Issues with MGNREGA?

• What are the eligibility criteria for receiving the benefits under MGNREGA scheme?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Nodal Ministry

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Social Audit

• How schemes such as MGNREGA can help alleviate distress migration?

📍 Budget 2023 cuts MGNREGS funds: The debate around the rural employment scheme

📍 NREGS wages set to be hiked, Govt gets EC nod after poll conduct code

India TB Report-2024: Missing cases shrinking, 95% got treatment in 2023

Main Examination:  General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

• What’s the ongoing story – The gap between the estimated number and actual cases of tuberculosis (TB) is closing, according to the India TB Report 2024 released by the Union Health ministry on Wednesday. This is an important marker as the “missing cases” are assumed to not have received treatment, continuing to spread the infection to others.

• India TB Report 2024-What are the key takeaways?

• For Your Information- According to the report, the majority of the TB cases are still reported by the government health centres, even as there has been an uptick in notifications by the private sector. Nearly 33% or 8.4 lakh of the 25.5 lakh cases reported in 2023 came from the private sector. To compare, only 1.9 lakh cases were reported by the private sector in 2015, the year considered to be the baseline by the programme that is geared towards the elimination of the disease.

The estimated incidence of TB in 2023 increased slightly to 27.8 lakh from the previous year’s estimate of 27.4 lakh. The mortality due to the infection remained the same at 3.2 lakh as per the data. These estimates are based on a new methodology that India developed and has since been accepted by the World Health Organisation.

Last year, when the in-country model was used to estimate the number of cases and deaths due to tuberculosis, there was a sudden drop in the mortality figures seen in the global report released by the WHO. India’s TB mortality dropped from 4.94 lakhs in 2021 to 3.31 lakhs in 2022. The number of cases reported in a year also went down from 29.4 lakh in 2021 as per the previous method to 27.4 lakh in 2022, according to the data.

The report shows that India reached its 2023 target of initiating treatment in 95% of patients diagnosed with the infection. It says 58% of those diagnosed were offered a test to check whether their infection was resistant to the first line drugs, an increase from 25% in 2015. The programme recommends drug susceptibility treatment to ensure that people who may have drug resistant TB are able to access e therapies from the get go instead of being treated with the first-line therapy initially.

• What does the report say about coverage of TB treatment in India?

• India TB Report 2024 and Global TB Report 2023-key Highlights and who publishes?

• Tuberculosis (TB) and India-Impact

• World Health Organisation’s Global TB Report 2023-what are the key takeaways?

• India has made tremendous progress in its fight against TB-What measures India adopted?

• “Despite this, elimination by 2025 doesn’t seem to be happening”-Why so?

• Know the term-BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin)

• National Strategic Plan 2017-2025 for TB Elimination in India-Issues and Challenges

• Do You Know- India’s contribution to the global burden is 27%, which is down one percentage point from the previous year’s 28%. What is more important is that there has been an increase in reporting of TB cases. The estimated number of cases in a country is based on a mathematical model, and there is a gap between that and the number of people who actually get diagnosed and put on treatment in a country.

The Global TB report 2023 shows that reporting of cases has improved in India, going beyond the pre-pandemic levels. This is despite the fact that India, along with Indonesia and the Philippines, accounted for 67 per cent decline in reporting of TB cases globally during the pandemic. India reported 24.2 lakh cases in 2022 similar to the 24.04 lakh cases reported during 2019.

The report also noted that India was the only country to have completed a National TB prevalence survey since 2019. “The survey was started in 2019, interrupted for several months in 2020 and then completed in 2021. Results from this survey were a key input to the estimates of TB incidence in India published in this report,” the WHO report said. India has set a target of 2025 for eliminating TB in the country. The national strategic plan 2017-2025 sets the target of no more than 44 new TB cases per lakh population by 2025. The 2023 report pegs this number at 199 cases per lakh. Achieving this target is a big task as the plan had envisaged an incidence of only 77 cases per lakh population by 2023.

The programme also aims to reduce the mortality to 3 deaths per lakh population by 2025. Even with the WHO accepting the lowered estimates for India, this stands at 23 per lakh population.

📍 India’s TB problem and the right to treatment

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

EXPERIMENTS WITH WATER

Preliminary Examination:  Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination:  General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

• What’s the ongoing story -Bengaluru is experiencing its worst water crisis in decades. The weak monsoon last year has compounded an already difficult situation caused by unregulated urban growth and depleting groundwater resources. Chennai too has experienced shortages in recent years. Several other Indian cities are under similar stress, indicating that water supply is rarely factored in urban planning.

• “The entire state of Karnataka is facing water scarcity”-Why?

• Why the shortage?

• What makes the difference in the case of Karnataka?

• For Your Information- During last year’s monsoon, Karnataka received rainfall that was 18 per cent below normal, the least since 2015. Even the post-monsoon period did not bring much rain to the state. Like most other parts of the country, Karnataka receives a bulk of its annual rainfall during the monsoon, and it is this water that fills up the reservoirs and recharges the aquifers. A rainfall deficit in the monsoon months almost inevitably results in water stress.

Karnataka was not the only state to receive below-normal rainfall last monsoon. Kerala, for example, finished the season with a 34 per cent deficit. Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh had almost 25 per cent deficit each. However, what makes the difference in the case of Karnataka, as pointed out by Vimal Mishra, a professor of Civil Engineering and Earth Sciences at IIT Gandhinagar , is the nature of the underground aquifers in the area.

“South India has a very different kind of aquifer system. It is very rocky. The aquifers don’t hold a lot of water. They empty out quickly, and they also get recharged pretty quickly. What this means is that groundwater resources are not able to sustain for very long in the event of a prolonged dry spell. This is very different from the aquifers in north India, which have a much better capacity to hold water. This is why Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which got even less rainfall last year than Karnataka, have not seen similar water scarcity,” Mishra, the Vikram Sarabhai Chair professor at IIT Gandhinagar, said. “Aquifers in north India, once full, can hold enough water to sustain the demand for a couple of years,” he said.

Another direct consequence of low rainfall has been the relatively low level of water in reservoirs. Latest data from the Central Water Commission shows that Karnataka reservoirs are currently holding water at only 26 per cent of their full capacity, which is at least ten percentage points lower than what is expected at this time of the year. Instead of the nearly 8.8 billion cubic meters of water that is expected in Karnataka’s reservoirs at this time of the year, only 6.5 billion cubic meters is currently available. And this is depleting steadily. A month earlier, the state’s reservoirs were holding 7.78 billion cubic meters of water, CWC data shows. Again, it is not just Karnataka’s reservoirs that have below-normal water levels. Other states in south India are facing the same problem, with Telangana being in a far worse situation. But the demands in Karnataka are different, and its reservoirs are depleting faster than those of the neighbouring states. Clearly, the state is being forced to draw more from the reserves even before the start of the summer season.

“Roughly about half of Bengaluru gets its drinking water through piped supply. The remaining half mostly uses groundwater for drinking purposes. The areas that have piped supply are not facing much disruption because this water is coming from the reservoirs. In these kinds of situations, when the rainfall has been scanty and reservoir levels are low, the tendency of the governments is to prioritise drinking water needs, especially in the urban areas. It is in parts of Bengaluru that are dependent on groundwater that the drinking water problem seems most acute,” Mishra said.

• “There are a lot of long-term structural issues”-What are they?

• The quality of water is known to deteriorate in the distribution network because of multiple factors-what are they?

• Do You Know- According to the standards of the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation — the technical wing of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs that sets norms for water supply and sanitation — Indian cities have a daily per capita water requirement of 135 litres per capita. Under the current piped water supply approach, all of this water is treated to meet drinking water quality standards. However, a person requires only a fraction of this amount for drinking and cooking purposes. The practice of treating enormous quantities of water to drinking water quality standards and distributing it through a network that cannot guarantee safe delivery needs examination. Considering the capital-intensive nature of the distribution network and constraints on repair and maintenance, we need to segregate water for drinking purposes and other domestic uses.

The model of decentralised treatment and non-pipe mode of drinking water delivery, followed by the PDW industry is promising. Bengaluru’s recent crisis has pushed the city’s authorities to experiment with water ATMs. Such initiatives are at an early stage in some other cities including Delhi . There are caveats, though. Not everyone can afford water sold by private players. The WHO’s concerns about the reverse osmosis method used by the industry to purify water — it robs the water of essential minerals — are also valid. Acknowledging the feasibility of decentralised water treatment and supply does not rule out conversations on appropriate technologies. More experiments to evolve affordable and context-specific institutional arrangements, including those related to technology, need to be undertaken. Piped water supply too evolved over centuries because of a series of technological and institutional improvements. It is time to look for an alternative model of water supply to overcome the water quality issues. Decentralised treatment and non-pipe mode of service delivery are worth experimenting with.

📍 What has caused the water crisis in Bengaluru, neighbouring areas

India-Pak: question of trade

Mains Examination:  General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

• What’s the ongoing story -On March 23, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said his country may “seriously examine” the question of resuming trade with India. Pakistan stopped trade after the constitutional changes in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Like other aspects of the India-Pak relationship, trade too has been impacted by Islamabad’s hard line on Kashmir and its support for terrorism. The dire state of the Pakistani economy, however, has raised hopes for a change in Pakistan’s approach. But New Delhi will keep its fingers crossed.

• Why was India-Pakistan trade paused?

• What was the composition of India-Pakistan trade?

• What was the fallout?

• Has anything changed since then?

• Why might Pakistan be reconsidering trade with India?

• What explains the timing of Pakistani minister Dar’s comments?

• How seriously should Dar’s comments be taken?

• What are the challenges to normalisation of India-Pakistan trade?

• What is the broad history of India-Pakistan trade?

• For Your Information- After the wars of 1965 and 1971, trade links were largely cut off. The borders were shut, and became heavily militarised, which is part of the reason trade volumes between the two countries never grew significantly. Much of the real trade took place via other countries.

Agreements such as the SAARC Preferential Trade Agreement (1993) were signed, but Pakistan was not interested in trade with India. It demanded that India must resolve the Kashmir issue before the normalisation of economic ties. In the 2010s, the Manmohan Singh -led government tried very hard to improve trade ties. The World Bank was helping negotiate a petroleum agreement that would allow Pakistan to buy fuel across the border from the Jalandhar refinery. There were also talks about trading in electricity. However, the Pakistan Army pulled the plug every time.

During the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit of 2014, member countries agreed to open borders to facilitate the movement of trucks and trains. But the Pakistan Army stepped in again to block the agreement. Meanwhile, India’s position on Kashmir has strengthened. The abolition of Article 370 shocked Pakistan. Its efforts to get China to do something about it in the UN Security Council did not work. Pakistan’s best friends in the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have not criticised India, and have maintained close ties with New Delhi. Pakistan recognises that it has put itself in a tight corner. The logic of the economy demands that it changes its hard line. But domestic political inertia makes it difficult for Pakistan to do so.

• How soon could India and Pakistan move towards better economic ties?

• Who benefits from a resumption of bilateral trade?

📍 Pakistan may ‘seriously examine’ resuming trade with India: Why it paused, what it constituted

State of employment in India: what a new report says about youths & women, concerns & caution

Preliminary Examination:  Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Social empowerment

• General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

• General Studies‐ III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

• General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

• What’s the ongoing story- There have been “paradoxical improvements” in labour market indicators such as the labour force participation rate, workforce participation rate, and unemployment rate in India in recent years after long-term deterioration from 2000-2019. The improvement has coincided with periods of economic distress, both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, says the India Employment Report 2024 released by the Institute for Human Development and International Labour Organisation on Tuesday

• ‘India Employment Report 2024’-What are the key takeaways?

• For Your Information- The report has flagged concerns about poor employment conditions: the slow transition to non-farm employment has reversed; women largely account for the increase in self-employment and unpaid family work; youth employment is of poorer quality than employment for adults; wages and earnings are stagnant or declining. The ‘employment condition index’ has improved between 2004-05 and 2021-22. But some states — Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and UP — have remained at the bottom throughout this period, while some others — Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat — have stayed at the top.

The index is based on seven labour market outcome indicators: (i) percentage of workers employed in regular formal work; (ii) percentage of casual labourers; (iii) percentage of self-employed workers below the poverty line; (iv) work participation rate; (v) average monthly earnings of casual labourers; (vi) unemployment rate of secondary and above-educated youth; (vii) youth not in employment and education or training.

Informal employment has risen — around half the jobs in the formal sector are of an informal nature. Self-employment and unpaid family work has also increased, especially for women. Almost 82% of the workforce is engaged in the informal sector, and nearly 90% is informally employed, the report said. Self-employment remains the primary source of employment — 55.8% in 2022. Casual and regular employment accounted for 22.7% and 21.5% respectively.

The share of self-employment remained almost stable around 52% between 2000 and 2019, while regular employment increased by almost 10 percentage points, to 23.8% from 14.2%. This reversed by 2022, with self-employment increasing to 55.8%, while the share of regular employment declined to 21.5%. Casual employment consistently declined to 22.7% in 2022 from 33.3% in 2000. Regular employment is generally seen as providing better-quality jobs due to the regularity of employment and associated social security benefits, while casual work is linked with relatively poor-quality jobs due to its irregular nature and lower daily earnings.

• What about female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India?

• Do You Know- The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India remains among the world’s lowest. Female LFPR declined by 14.4 percentage points (compared to 8.1 percentage points for males) between 2000 and 2019. The trend reversed thereafter, with female LFPR rising by 8.3 percentage points (compared to 1.7 percentage points for male LFPR) between 2019 and 2022.

There is a considerable gender gap — women’s LFPR (32.8%) in 2022 was 2.3 times lower than men’s (77.2%). India’s low LFPR is largely attributed to the low female LFPR, which was much lower than the world average of 47.3% in 2022, but higher than the South Asian average of 24.8%, as per ILO data. There has been a reversal of the slow transition towards non-farm employment after 2018-19. The share of agriculture in total employment fell to around 42% in 2019 from 60% in 2000.

This shift was largely absorbed by construction and services, the share of which in total employment increased to 32% in 2019 from 23% in 2000. The share of manufacturing in employment has remained almost stagnant at 12-14%. Since 2018-19, this slow transition has stagnated or reversed with the rise in the share of agricultural employment. There has been a rise in youth employment, but the quality of work remains a concern, especially for qualified young workers.

Youth employment and underemployment increased between 2000 and 2019 but declined during the pandemic years. However, unemployment among youths, especially those with secondary-level or higher education, has intensified over time. In 2022, the share of unemployed youths in the total unemployed population was 82.9%. The share of educated youths among all unemployed people also increased to 65.7% in 2022 from 54.2% in 2000.

The unemployment rate among youths was six times greater for those who had completed secondary education or higher (18.4%) and nine times higher for graduates (29.1%) than for persons who could not read or write (3.4%) in 2022. This was higher among educated young women (21.4%) than men (17.5%), especially among female graduates (34.5%), compared to men (26.4%). The unemployment rate among educated youths grew to 30.8% in 2019 from 23.9% in 2000, but fell to 18.4% in 2022.

• What is the way forward for this situation?

📍 India’s employment conditions continue to be poor: Report

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Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2024 – Week 173 – A Business That Makes Nothing More Than Money Is Poor Business.

Insights weekly essay challenges 2024 – week 173.

30 March 2024

Write an essay on the following topic in not more than 1000-1200 words:

“A Business That Makes Nothing More Than Money Is Poor Business.”

Essay synopsis.

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