Biography of Gandhi

Biography of Gandhi Written in August 2007

Alternate name: Mahatma Gandhi
Date of birth: October 2, 1869
Place of birth: Porbandar, Gujarat, British India
Date of death: January 30, 1948
Place of death: New Delhi, India
Movement: Indian independence movement
Major organizations: Indian National Congress

Attempts to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot & killed while having his nightly public walk on the grounds of the Birla Bhavan (Birla House) in New Delhi. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a Hindu radical with links to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan. Godse & his co-conspirator Narayan Apte were later tried & convicted; they were executed on 15 November 1949. Gandhi's memorial (or Samadhi) at Raj Ghat, New Delhi, bears the epigraph "He Ram", which may be translated as "Oh God". These are widely believed to be Gandhi's last words after he was shot, though the veracity of this statement has been disputed. Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation through radio:

“ Friends & comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, & there is darkness everywhere, & I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, & that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions & millions in this country. ”

According to his wish, the majority of Gandhi's ashes were immersed in some of the world's major rivers, such as The Nile, Volga, Thames, etc. A small portion was sent to Paramahansa Yogananda from Dr. V.M. Nawle, (a publisher & journalist from Pune (formerly Poona), India) encased in a brass & silver coffer. The ashes were then enshrined at the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial in the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine within a thousand-year-old stone sarcophagus from China.

Truth
Gandhi dedicated his life to the wider purpose of discovering truth, or Satya. He tried to achieve this by learning from his own mistakes & conducting experiments on himself. He called his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Gandhi stated that the most important battle to fight was overcoming his own demons, fears, & insecurities. Gandhi summarized his beliefs first when he said "God is Truth". He would later change this statement to "Truth is God". Thus, Satya (Truth) in Gandhi's philosophy is "God".

The concept of nonviolence (ahimsa) & nonresistance has a long history in Indian religious thought & has had many revivals in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish & Christian contexts. Gandhi explains his philosophy & way of life in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth. He was quoted as saying:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth & love has always won. There have been tyrants & murderers & for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always."

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, & the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty & democracy?"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

In applying these principles, Gandhi did not balk from taking them to their most logical extremes. In 1940, when invasion of the British Isles by Nazi Germany looked imminent, Gandhi offered the following advice to the British people (Non-Violence in Peace & War):

"I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you or humanity. You will invite Herr Hitler & Signor Mussolini to take what they want of the countries you call your possessions.... If these gentlemen choose to occupy your homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you will allow yourselves, man, woman, & child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them." This was too extreme and may be rightly for most people, but it was the right ime it seems for his views in India and for India.

However, Gandhi was aware that this level of nonviolence required incredible faith & courage, which he realized not everyone possessed. He therefore advised that everyone need not keep to nonviolence, especially if it were used as a cover for cowardice:

"Gandhi guarded against attracting to his satyagraha movement those who feared to take up arms or felt themselves incapable of resistance. 'I do believe,' he wrote, 'that where there is only a choice between cowardice & violence, I would advise violence.'"

"At every meeting I repeated the warning that unless they felt that in non-violence they had come into possession of a force infinitely superior to the one they had & in the use of which they were adept, they should have nothing to do with non-violence & resume the arms they possessed before. It must never be said of the Khudai Khidmatgars that once so brave, they had become or been made cowards under Badshah Khan's influence. Their bravery consisted not in being good marksmen but in defying death & being ever ready to bare their breasts to the bullets."

Vegetarianism
As a young child, Gandhi experimented with meat-eating. This was due partially to his inherent curiosity as well as his rather persuasive peer & friend Sheikh Mehtab. The idea of vegetarianism is deeply engrained in Hindu & Jain traditions in India, & , in his native land of Gujarat, most Hindus were vegetarian. The Gandhi family was no exception. Before leaving for his studies in London, Gandhi made a promise to his mother, Putlibai & his uncle, Becharji Swami that he would abstain from eating meat, taking alcohol, & engaging in promiscuity. He held fast to his promise & gained more than a diet: he gained a basis for his life-long philosophies. As Gandhi grew into adulthood, he became a strict vegetarian. He wrote the book The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism & several articles on the subject, some of which were published in the London Vegetarian Society's publication, The Vegetarian. Gandhi, himself, became inspired by many great minds during this period & befriended the chairman of the London Vegetarian Society, Dr. Josiah Oldfield.

Having also read & admired the work of Henry Stephens Salt, the young Mohandas met & often corresponded with the vegetarian campaigner. Gandhi spent much time advocating vegetarianism during & after his time in London. To Gandhi, a vegetarian diet would not only satisfy the requirements of the body, it would also serve an economic purpose as meat was, & still is, generally more expensive than grains, vegetables, & fruits. Also, many Indians of the time struggled with low income, thus vegetarianism was seen not only as a spiritual practice but also a practical one. He abstained from eating for long periods, using fasting as a form of political protest. He refused to eat until his death or his demands were met. It was noted in his autobiography that vegetarianism was the beginning of his deep commitment to Brahmacharya; without total control of the palate, his success in Bramacharya would likely falter.

Brahmacharya
When Gandhi was 16 his father became very ill. Being very devoted to his parents, he attended to his father at all times during his illness. However, one night, Gandhi's uncle came to relieve Gandhi for a while. He retired to his bedroom where carnal desires overcame him & he made love to his wife. Shortly afterward a servant came to report that Gandhi's father had just died. Gandhi felt tremendous guilt & never could forgive himself. He came to refer to this event as "double shame." The incident had significant influence in Gandhi becoming celibate at the age of 36, while still married.

This decision was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Brahmacharya — spiritual & practical purity — largely associated with celibacy & asceticism. Gandhi saw brahmacharya as a means of becoming close with God & as a primary foundation for self realization. In his autobiography he tells of his battle against lustful urges & fits of jealousy with his childhood bride, Kasturba. He felt it his personal obligation to remain celibate so that he could learn to love, rather than lust. For Gandhi, brahmacharya meant "control of the senses in thought, word & deed."

Simplicity

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Union Square Park, New York CityGandhi earnestly believed that a person involved in social service should lead a simple life which he thought could lead to Brahmacharya. His simplicity began by renouncing the western lifestyle he was leading in South Africa. He called it "reducing himself to zero," which entailed giving up unnecessary expenditure, embracing a simple lifestyle & washing his own clothes. On one occasion he returned the gifts bestowed to him from the natals for his diligent service to the community.

Gandhi spent one day of each week in silence. He believed that abstaining from speaking brought him inner peace. This influence was drawn from the Hindu principles of mauna (Sanskrit:???? - silence) & shanti (Sanskrit:????? - peace). On such days he communicated with others by writing on paper. For three & a half years, from the age of 37, Gandhi refused to read newspapers, claiming that the tumultuous state of world affairs caused him more confusion than his own inner unrest.

After reading John Ruskin's Unto This Last, he decided to change his life style & create a commune called Phoenix Settlement.

Upon returning to India from South Africa, where he had enjoyed a successful legal practice, he gave up wearing Western-style clothing, which he associated with wealth & success. He dressed to be accepted by the poorest person in India, advocating the use of homespun cloth (khadi). Gandhi & his followers adopted the practice of weaving their own clothes from thread they themselves spun, & encouraged others to do so. While Indian workers were often idle due to unemployment, they had often bought their clothing from industrial manufacturers owned by British interests. It was Gandhi's view that if Indians made their own clothes, it would deal an economic blow to the British establishment in India. Consequently, the spinning wheel was later incorporated into the flag of the Indian National Congress. He subsequently wore a dhoti for the rest of his life to express the simplicity of his life.

Faith
Gandhi was born a Hindu & practised Hinduism all his life, deriving most of his principles from Hinduism. As a common Hindu, he believed all religions to be equal, & rejected all efforts to convert him to a different faith. He was an avid theologian & read extensively about all major religions. He had the following to say about Hinduism:

"Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being ... When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, & when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, & find a verse to comfort me; & I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies & if they have not left any visible & indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita."

Gandhi Smriti (Mahatma Gandhi's house, New Delhi)Gandhi wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Gujarati. The Gujarati manuscript was translated into English by Mahadev Desai, who provided an additional introduction & commentary. It was published with a Foreword by Gandhi in 1946.

Gandhi believed that at the core of every religion was truth & love (compassion, nonviolence & the Golden Rule). He also questioned hypocrisy, malpractices & dogma in all religions & was a tireless social reformer. Some of his comments on various religions are:

"Thus if I could not accept Christianity either as a perfect, or the greatest religion, neither was I then convinced of Hinduism being such. Hindu defects were pressingly visible to me. If untouchability could be a part of Hinduism, it could but be a rotten part or an excrescence. I could not understand the raison d'etre of a multitude of sects & castes. What was the meaning of saying that the Vedas were the inspired Word of God? If they were inspired, why not also the Bible & the Koran? As Christian friends were endeavouring to convert me, so were Muslim friends. Abdullah Sheth had kept on inducing me to study Islam, & of course he had always something to say regarding its beauty." (source: his autobiography)
"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent & claim to have God on his side."
"The sayings of Muhammad are a treasure of wisdom, not only for Muslims but for all of mankind."
Later in his life when he was asked whether he was a Hindu, he replied:

"Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist & a Jew."
In spite of their deep reverence to each other, Gandhi & Rabindranath Tagore engaged in protracted debates more than once. These debates exemplify the philosophical differences between the two most famous Indians at the time. On January 15, 1934, an earthquake hit Bihar & caused extensive damage & loss of life. Gandhi maintained this was because of the sin committed by upper caste Hindus by not letting untouchables in their temples (Gandhi was committed to the cause of improving the fate of untouchables, referring to them as Harijans, people of Krishna). Tagore vehemently opposed Gandhi's stance, maintaining that an earthquake can only be caused by natural forces, not moral reasons, however repugnant the practice of untouchability may be.

Writings
Gandhi was a prolific writer. For decades he edited several newspapers including Harijan in Gujarati, Hindi & English; Indian Opinion while in South Africa & , Young India, in English, & Navajivan, a Gujarati monthly, on his return to India. Later Navajivan was also published in Hindi. In addition, he wrote letters almost every day to individuals & newspapers.

Gandhi also wrote a few books including his autobiography, An Autobiography or My Experiments with Truth, Satyagraha in South Africa about his struggle there, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule, a political pamphlet, & a paraphrase in Gujarati of John Ruskin's Unto This Last. This last essay can be considered his program on economics. He also wrote extensively on vegetarianism, diet & health, religion, social reforms, etc. Gandhi usually wrote in Gujarati, though he also revised the Hindi & English translations of his books.

Gandhi's complete works were published by the Indian government under the name The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1960s. The writings comprise about 50,000 pages published in about a hundred volumes. In 2000, a revised edition of the complete works sparked a controversy, as Gandhian followers accused the government of incorporating changes for political purpose.

Books on Gandhi
Several biographers have undertaken the task of describing Gandhi's life. Among them, two works stand out: D. G. Tendulkar with his Mahatma. Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 8 volumes, & Pyarelal & Sushila Nayar with their Mahatma Gandhi in 10 volumes.

Followers & influence
Gandhi influenced important leaders & political movements. One of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States, Martin Luther King, drew from the writings of Gandhi in the development of his own theories about non-violence. Anti-apartheid activist & former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was inspired by Gandhi. Others include, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Steve Biko, & Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gandhi's life & teachings inspired many who have specifically referred to Gandhi as their mentor, or dedicated their life to spreading Gandhi's ideas. The British musician, John Lennon, also referred to Gandhi when discussing his views on non-violence. At the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2007, former U.S. Vice-President & environmentalist, Al Gore, spoke of Gandhi's influence on him. In Europe, Romain Rolland first advertised the struggle of the Mahatma with his book Mahatma Gandhi. Lanza del Vasto went to India in 1936 in the aim to live with Gandhi, later decided to come back to Europe to spread Gandhi's philosophy. Lanza finally founded the Community of the Ark in 1948 on the model of Gandhi's ashrams. In addition, Madeleine Slade (known as "Mirabehn") was the daughter of an British admiral who spent much of her adult life in India as a devotee of Gandhi.

Legacy

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Tavistock Square Gardens, London.Gandhi's birthday, October 2, is a national holiday in India, Gandhi Jayanti. On 15 June 2007, it was announced that the "United Nations General Assembly" has "unanimously adopted" a resolution which has declared October 2 to be "the International Day of Non-Violence."

The word Mahatma, while often mistaken for Gandhi's given name in the West, is taken from the Sanskrit words maha meaning Great & atma meaning Soul. It is similar to the British honorifics like Your Excellency or Sir. But, unlike these that are officially conferred, the reference to Gandhi is an unofficial title that Indians use as though it were an official one.

Most sources, such as Dutta & Robinson's Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology, state that Rabindranath Tagore first accorded the title of Mahatma to Gandhi. Other sources state that Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta accorded him this title on January 21, 1915. In his autobiography, Gandhi nevertheless explains that he never felt worthy of the honour. According to the manpatra, the name Mahatma was given in response to Gandhi's admirable sacrifice in manifesting justice & truth.

Time Magazine named Gandhi the Man of the Year in 1930, the runner-up to Albert Einstein as "Person of the Century" at the end of 1999, & named The Dalai Lama, Lech Walesa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino, Jr., Desmond Tutu, & Nelson Mandela as Children of Gandhi & his spiritual heirs to non-violence. The Government of India awards the annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize to distinguished social workers, world leaders & citizens. Nelson Mandela, the leader of South Africa's struggle to eradicate racial discrimination & segregation, is a prominent non-Indian recipient.

The centennial commemorative statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the center of downtown Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.In 1996, the Government of India introduced the Mahatma Gandhi series of currency notes in rupees 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1000 denomination. Today, all the currency notes in circulation in India contain a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1969, the United Kingdom issued a series of stamps commemorating the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi.

In the United Kingdom, there are several prominent statues of Gandhi, most notably in Tavistock Square, London near University College London where he studied law. January 30 is commemorated in the United Kingdom as the "National Gandhi Remembrance Day." In the United States, there are statues of Gandhi outside the Union Square Park in New York City, & the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, & on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D. C., near the Indian Embassy. The city of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa — where Gandhi was ejected from a first-class train in 1893 — now hosts a commemorative statue. There are wax statues of Gandhi at the Madame Tussaud's wax museums in London, New York, & other cities around the world.

Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize, though he was nominated five times between 1937 & 1948, including the first-ever nomination by the American Friends Service Committee. Decades later, the Nobel Committee publicly declared its regret for the omission, & admitted to deeply divided nationalistic opinion denying the award. Mahatma Gandhi was to receive the Prize in 1948, but his assassination prevented the award from being awarded to him. The war breaking out between the newly created states of India & Pakistan could have been an additional complicating factor that year. The Prize was not awarded in 1948, the year of Gandhi's death, on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate" that year, & when the Dalai Lama was awarded the Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi."

In New Delhi, the Birla Bhavan (or Birla House), where Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, was acquired by the Government of India in 1971 & opened to the public in 1973 as the Gandhi Smriti or Gandhi Remembrance. It preserves the room where Mahatma Gandhi lived the last four months of his life & the grounds where he was shot while holding his nightly public walk.

A Martyr's Column now marks the place where Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated.

On January 30 every year, on the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi, in schools of many countries is observed the School Day of Non-violence & Peace (DENIP), founded in Spain in 1964. In countries with a Southern Hemisphere school calendar, it can be observed on March 30 or thereabouts.

Gandhi in film, literature, plays, & popular culture
Main article: List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
[show]v • d • eCinematic depictions of & references to Mahatma Gandhi
1963: Nine Hours to Rama (J. S. Casshyap) · 1982: Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) · 1993: Sardar (Annu Kapoor) · 1996: The Making of the Mahatma (Rajit Kapur) · 1998: Jinnah (Sam Dastor) · 2000: Hey Ram (Naseeruddin Shah) · 2000: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (Mohan Gokhale) · 2001: Veer Savarkar (Surendra Rajan) · 2004: Swades · 2005: Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (himself) · 2005: Mangal Pandey: The Rising (himself) · 2005: Water (Mohan Jhangiani) · 2006: Lage Raho Munna Bhai (Dilip Prabhavalkar) · 2007: Shankar Dada Zindabad (Dilip Prabhavalkar) · 2007: Gandhi, My Father (Darshan Jariwala)

Criticism & controversies
Gandhi's rigid ahimsa implies pacifism, & is thus a source of criticism from across the political spectrum.

Concept of partition
As a rule, Gandhi was opposed to the concept of partition as it contradicted his vision of religious unity. Of the partition of India to create Pakistan, he wrote in Harijan on 06 October 1946:

[The demand for Pakistan] as put forth by the Moslem League is un-Islamic & I have not hesitated to call it sinful. Islam stands for unity & the brotherhood of mankind, not for disrupting the oneness of the human family. Therefore, those who want to divide India into possibly warring groups are enemies alike of India & Islam. They may cut me into pieces but they cannot make me subscribe to something which I consider to be wrong [...] we must not cease to aspire, in spite of [the] wild talk, to befriend all Moslems & hold them fast as prisoners of our love.
However, as Homer Jack notes of Gandhi's long correspondence with Jinnah on the topic of Pakistan: "Although Gandhi was personally opposed to the partition of India, he proposed an agreement [...] which provided that the Congress & the Moslem League would cooperate to attain independence under a provisional government, after which the question of partition would be decided by a plebiscite in the districts having a Moslem majority."

These dual positions on the topic of the partition of India opened Gandhi up to criticism from both Hindus & Muslims. Muhammad Ali Jinnah & contemporary Pakistanis condemned Gandhi for undermining Muslim political rights. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar & his allies condemned Gandhi, accusing him of politically appeasing Muslims while turning a blind eye to their atrocities against Hindus, & for allowing the creation of Pakistan (despite having publicly declared that "before partitioning India, my body will have to be cut into two pieces"). In contemporary times, Marxist academicians like Ayesha Jalal blame Gandhi & the Congress for being unwilling to share power with Muslims & thus hastening partition. Hindu political activists like Pravin Togadia & Narendra Modi have also criticized Gandhi's leadership & actions on this topic. Gandhi also came under some political fire for his criticism of those who attempted to achieve independence through more violent means. His refusal to protest against the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Udham Singh & Rajguru were sources of condemnation among some parties. Economists, such as Jagdish Bhagwati, have criticized Gandhi's ideas of swadeshi. Some say he may have been wrong on some things, but those things seem obvious at times, to many, and really just as he was not perfect aides him as being a great human being and teacher for the world. His principles were certainly correct in many senses even if not at some times, but he made possibly among the greatest achivements in hostory by winning Indian independence and starting decolonialism in such a way and seeing India boom. As said in this, A History of India

Of this criticism, Gandhi stated, "There was a time when people listened to me because I showed them how to give fight to the British without arms when they had no arms [...] but today I am told that my non-violence can be of no avail against the [Hindu-Moslem riots] & , therefore, people should arm themselves for self-defense."[52]

Gandhi also expressed his dislike for partition during the late 1930s in response to the topic of the partition of Palestine to create Israel. He stated in Harijan on 26 October 1938:

Several letters have been received by me asking me to declare my views about the Arab-Jew question in Palestine & persecution of the Jews in Germany. It is not without hesitation that I venture to offer my views on this very difficult question. My sympathies are all with the Jews. I have known them intimately in South Africa. Some of them became life-long companions. Through these friends I came to learn much of their age-long persecution. They have been the untouchables of Christianity [...] But my sympathy does not blind me to the requirements of justice. The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the Bible & the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born & where they earn their livelihood? Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong & inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct.
He continued this argument in a number of articles reprinted in Homer Jack's The Gandhi Reader: A Sourcebook of His Life & Writings. In the first, "Zionism & Anti-Semitism," written in 1938, Gandhi commented upon the 1930s persecution of the Jews in Germany within the context of Satyagraha. He offered non-violence as a method of combating the difficulties Jews faced in Germany, stating,

If I were a Jew & were born in Germany & earned my livelihood there, I would claim Germany as my home even as the tallest Gentile German might, & challenge him to shoot me or cast me in the dungeon; I would refuse to be expelled or to submit to discriminating treatment. & for doing this I should not wait for the fellow Jews to join me in civil resistance, but would have confidence that in the end the rest were bound to follow my example. If one Jew or all the Jews were to accept the prescription here offered, he or they cannot be worse off than now. & suffering voluntarily undergone will bring them an inner strength & joy [...] the calculated violence of Hitler may even result in a general massacre of the Jews by way of his first answer to the declaration of such hostilities. But if the Jewish mind could be prepared for voluntary suffering, even the massacre I have imagined could be turned into a day of thanksgiving & joy that Jehovah had wrought deliverance of the race even at the hands of the tyrant. For to the God-fearing, death has no terror.
Gandhi was highly criticized for these statements & responded in the article "Questions on the Jews" with "Friends have sent me two newspaper cuttings criticizing my appeal to the Jews. The two critics suggest that in presenting non-violence to the Jews as a remedy against the wrong done to them, I have suggested nothing new....what I have pleaded for is renunciation of violence of the heart & consequent active exercise of the force generated by the great renunciation. He responded to the criticisms in "Reply to Jewish Friends" & "Jews & Palestine." by arguing that "What I have pleaded for is renunciation of violence of the heart & consequent active exercise of the force generated by the great renunciation." Most people would say this where his views could fall down, but his ideas worked in India, maybe they only work against brutal regimes that fear public opinion and home opinion and only if home opinion is not racist at the time.

Early South African articles
Some of Gandhi's early South African articles are controversial. As reprinted in "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi," (Vol. 8, p.120), Gandhi wrote in the "Indian Opinion" in 1908 of his time in a South African prison: "Many of the native prisoners are only one degree removed from the animal & often created rows & fought among themselves." Also as reprinted in "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi," (Vol. 2, p.74), Gandhi gave a speech on September 26, 1896 in which he referred to the "raw kaffir, whose occupation is hunting & whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with, & then pass his life in indolence & nakedness". The term "Kaffir" is considered a derogatory term today (it is worth noting, however, that during Gandhi's time, the term "Kaffir" had a different connotation than its present-day usage). Remarks such as these have led some to accuse Gandhi of racism. That is a shame, but he did not promote racism, and his works helped fight racism in South Africa.

Two professors of history who specialize in South Africa, Surendra Bhana & Goolam Vahed, examined this controversy in their text, The Making of a Political Reformer: Gandhi in South Africa, 1893–1914. (New Delhi: Manohar, 2005). They focus in Chapter 1, "Gandhi, Africans & Indians in Colonial Natal" on the relationship between the African & Indian communities under "White rule" & policies which enforced segregation (and, they argue, inevitable conflict between these communities). Of this relationship they state that, "the young Gandhi was influenced by segregationist notions prevalent in the 1890s."[63] At the same time, they state, "Gandhi's experiences in jail seemed to make him more sensitive to their plight [...] the later Gandhi mellowed; he seemed much less categorical in his expression of prejudice against Africans, & much more open to seeing points of common cause. His negative views in the Johannesburg jail were reserved for hardened African prisoners rather than Africans generally."

Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is a follower of Gandhi, despite efforts in 2003 on the part of Gandhi's critics to prevent the unveiling of a statue of Gandhi in Johannesburg. Bhana & Vahed commented on the events surrounding the unveiling in the conclusion to The Making of a Political Reformer: Gandhi in South Africa, 1893–1914. In the section "Gandhi's Legacy to South Africa," they note that "Gandhi inspired succeeding generations of South African activists seeking to end White rule. This legacy connects him to Nelson Mandela [...] in a sense Mandela completed what Gandhi started." They continue by referring to the controversies which arose during the unveiling of the statue of Gandhi. In response to these two perspectives of Gandhi, Bhana & Vahed argue: "Those who seek to appropriate Gandhi for political ends in post- apartheid South Africa do not help their cause much by ignoring certain facts about him; & those who simply call him a racist are equally guilty of distortion."

Recently, Nelson Mandela took part in the 29 January - 30 January 2007 conference in New Delhi which marked the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's introduction of satyagraha in South Africa. In addition, Mandela appeared to the audience via video clip at the South African premiere of Gandhi, My Father in July 2007. Of this clip, the film's producer Anil Kapoor said, "Nelson Mandela sent a special message for the film's opening. Mandela not only spoke about Gandhi, he spoke about me. What was heart-warming & humbling was that he thanked me for making this film, whereas I should thank him & South Africa for letting me shoot 'Gandhi My Father' in their country & allowing me to hold the world premiere there. Mandela identified deeply with the film." The current South African president, Thabo Mbeki, attended along with the rest of the South African Cabinet.

Some may say his assasination proves how evil people are, that they choose to assinate the person who did not want the violence, but he showed some people especially like him can be good.

Other criticisms
Dalit leader B. R. Ambedkar condemned Gandhi's use of the term Harijans to refer to the Dalit community. This term meant "Children of God"; it was interpreted by some as saying that Dalits were socially immature, & that privileged caste Indians played a paternalistic role. Ambedkar & his allies also felt Gandhi was undermining Dalit political rights. Gandhi, although born into the vaishya caste, insisted that he was able to speak on behalf of Dalits, despite the availability of Dalit activists such as Ambedkar.

In addition, Gandhi was also criticized by V.S. Naipaul in the book, India: A Wounded Civilization.

In the end he did good and attacked allot of racism and bigotry.

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http://www.lonympics.co.uk/new/10Mostfamous_fictionalScottish_people.htm The 10 most famous fictional Scottish people

A recipe site http://www.lonympics.co.uk/delicousdishes.htm

A Biography of Bobby Kennedy A Biography of JFK