GANDHI

Gandhi a great man of peace

Gandhi a great man of peace

Born in India as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he later was given the name Mahatma Gandhi--Mahatma meaning "great soul." Architect of Indian independence, he truly was a great soul. At a time when his country was ruled by British, he wanted to change things and did so, differently than anyone else ever had. Many consider Gandhi the most influential non-politician of the 20th century. Although he often got involved in politics, as he said: "I am not a saint who has strayed into politics. I am a politician who is trying to become a saint." (Gandhi 1994 )

Gandhi was different from other revolutionaries of the time. For one thing, he was a great leader. As a child he used to be incredibly shy and even towards the beginning of his law career he did not have the courage to speak before a courtroom. Later on, however, as his skills as a lawyer developed, he became a better speaker and negotiator and over time a better leader.

The most distinguishable thing about Gandhi, though, was that he was a soldier of nonviolence. He felt that battles should be fought by boycotting and protesting, not by killing. He called this method "satyagraha", which means "holding to the truth." Essentially, if a law was unjust, people should disobey it. Gandhi also had a genuine care for all people(Bhattacharya 2007 ). Once, jokingly he said "I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers." He encouraged everyone to stand up together against the British, including the lowest class of India: the "untouchables." Many people criticized Gandhi for reaching out to them because they were considered unfit for others to even look at. However, that was his philosophy and he believed that the nation needed ...