Gandhi: From His Humble Beginnings to His Ultimate Triumph There was ones a man who was venerated

not only in his motherland, India, but all over the world. He was an advocate for social change, an individual fighting against the atrocious racism and inhumane treatment of the Europeans towards the Indians. He was described as a private man without wealth, property or title and yet, his every action and every word influence the entire human race. He was a man who spoke for millions of people. He was mankinds conscience. He was a person whose strongest weapon is peace and who made humility and simple truth stronger than a long-standing empire. His name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or popularly known to us as Mahatma Gandhi. This motion picture entitled Gandhi is a classic epic that showed the heart and soul of a man who made such an impact to the world. It portrayed the story of Gandhi from his humble beginnings to his ultimate triumph until his assassination that incited an international mourning. His torment ended a nations sufferings and he freed India from the hands of its British colonizers through ahimsa or nonviolence and with peace and truth as his weapons. The film started with Ghandis political awakening in South Africa wherein he saw the injustices done towards the Indians there. They had no political rights, were referred to by using the disparaging term coolies and were barely treated as human beings. It is in here that he developed into a leader of the Indian community and practiced his theory of nonviolent resistance. In his long stay in this country, he wrestled for Indians claim to their rights and their resistance to oppressive legislations.

When he went back to India, he devoted almost year in travelling around the country studying the impoverished Indian conditions. After that, he involved himself in various local struggles like what happened in Champaran where the workers of the indigo plantation complained of harsh working conditions and high rentals imposed by their English landlords. These participations earned him a considerable reputation and support from the people. In the long run, he was seen as the father of the nation and was called Bapu by many and then Rabindranath Tagore, Indias most prominent writer, labeled him Mahatma or Great Soul. His writings and advocacies awakened the peoples longing for independence thus; actions were made by the Indians to call for Home Rule. These movements resulted to many brutalities from the British side including the massacre of a large crowd of unarmed Indians at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar led by General Dyer. In the following years, Gandhi initiated non-cooperation movements that paralyzed the British administration in India. In the course of his struggle for independence, Gandhi has been arrested and imprisoned many times both in Africa and India and yet he never did stop. Bapu was not fighting for the mere independence of his country but also for maintaining the balance of relationship between the Hindus and Muslims in India which led to 21-day fasting when riot broke out at Kohat for he believes that they do not constitute separate elements of the society. He was also an activist for the rights of women and the untouchables, the repressed class in India. Civil disobedience started when Gandhi led the defiance of the Salt Law. The production and sale of salt was monopolized by British government and going against the law that sends the message that there will be more resistance on their part unless

their demands were met. Though he was warned that the government might not react, he believed that the function of a civil resistance is to provoke a response and he was right. As stated by Gandhi in the film, 100, 000 English men simply cannot control 350 million Indians if those Indians refuse to cooperate. After doing such an action thousands were hauled in the jail including Gandhi but still the struggle did not stop. The Round Table Conference attended by Gandhi in London proved inconclusive and so everything continued. One of the greatest blows in Gandhis life is the death of his wife Kasturba who supported him all throughout his decisions and actions but with the support of other people he went on. When the conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims intensified he again fasted and promised not to stop unless the ferocious fighting has completely halted. After all the fighting and resistance, independence was finally given to them on August 15, 1947. Mahatma Gandhis life ended when he was shot three times by a young man in his chest when he was to do his prayer meeting in the garden. The film Gandhi, demonstrated how saintly and strong Mahatma is on his beliefs. The movie was directed by Richard Attenborough and is an Indian and British production. It took ten years to complete the film and was finally released on 1982. The role of Mahatma Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley and he was truly able to portray the heart and soul of Gandhi. The setting, imagery and plotting of this motion picture is really good and it helps the audience to fully appreciate the movie. The use of English language in the making of this film is also a great plus since it allows more people to

comprehend the life and philosophies of Gandhi. Though it is quite long compared to mainstream movies, every scene is captivating and enlightening that it does not bore the viewers. It really deserves all the honor and awards that it received all through the years. Mahatma Gandhimen honored him, women loved him, an Empire feared him and a nation worshipped him.