This lesson explores one man’s campaign to

overcome racism and injustice.

 ‘An for an
makes the whole world blind.’

Mohandas Gandhi
 Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી; Hindi: मोहनदास
करमचंद गांधी, pronounced [moːɦənd̪aːs kərəmtɕənd̪ ɡaːnd̪ʱi]  ( listen); 2 October
1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological
leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered
satyagraha. This is defined as resistance to tyranny through mass
civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total
nonviolence. This concept helped India gain independence and inspired
movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is often
referred to as Mahatma Gandhi ([məɦaːt̪maː]; Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā or
"Great Soul", an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore).[1] In
India he is also called Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ, bāpu or "Father") and officially
honored in India as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2 October, is
commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as
the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi was assassinated on 30
January 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist.
Mohandas Gandhi was born in the state
of Gujarat, India in 1869.
At the age of
thirteen Mohandas
was married to
Kasturba.

The marriage had

been arranged for him
by his family.

They had four sons.

A few days later, on January 30th 1948
Gandhi was shot by a Hindu fanatic on
his way to a prayer meeting in Delhi.
In India Gandhi is often called ‘The
Father of the Nation.’

Gandhi’s birthday,
October 2nd, is a
public holiday in India.

Click here for Timeline Tool

‘Be the Change you want to
see in the World!’
Mohandas Gandhi
 Gandhi's 11 Vows
Ahimsa Nonviolence
Satya Truth
Asteya Non Stealing
Brahmacharya Self Discipline
Aparigraha Non-Possession
Sharirshrama Bread Labor
Aswada Control of the Palate
Sarvatra Bhayavarjana Fearlessness
Sarva Dharma Samantva Equality of All Religions
Swadeshi Use Locally Made Goods
Sparshbhavana Remove Untouchability
 Trusteeship (Gandhism)
• Trusteeship is a socio-economic philosophy that was propounded by Mahatma Gandhi[1] .
• Putting it in Gandhiji's words "Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth – either by way of legacy, or by
means of trade and industry – I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me; what belongs to me is the
right to an honourable livelihood, no better than that enjoyed by millions of others. The rest of my wealth belongs
to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community." [1] Gandhiji along with his followers, after
their release from the prison formulated a "simple" and a "practical" formula where Trusteeship was explained.
• It had the following 6 points, which were later published in the newspaper 'Harijan'.
• "1) Trusteeship provides a means of transforming the present capitalist order of society into an egalitarian one. It
gives no quarter to capitalism, but gives the present owning class a chance of reforming itself. It is based on the
faith that human nature is never beyond redemption.
• 2) It does not recognize any right of private ownership of property except so far as it may be permitted by society
for its own welfare.
• 3) It does not exclude legislative regulation of the ownership and use of wealth.
• 4) Thus under State-regulated trusteeship, an individual will not be free to hold or use his wealth for selfish
satisfaction or in disregard of the interests of society.
• 5) Just as it is proposed to fix a decent minimum living wage, even so a limit should be fixed for the maximum
income that would be allowed to any person in society. The difference between such minimum and maximum
incomes should be reasonable and equitable and variable from time to time so much so that the tendency would
be towards obliteration of the difference.
• 6) Under the Gandhian economic order the character of production will be determined by social necessity and not
by personal whim or greed."
• – Harijan, 25-10-1952
 Satyagraha
• Satyagraha is formed by two Sanskrit words Satya (truth) and Agraha (holding firmly to). The term was popularized during the
Indian Independence Movement, and is used in many Indian languages including Hindi
• Satya
• The pivotal and defining element of Gandhism is satya, a Sanskrit word usually translated into English as truth, whose literal
meaning is 'what actually is' (deriving from the root verb as meaning 'to be'). The principle of Satya as espoused by Gandhi
needed that Truth must pervade all considerations of politics, ego, society and convention. Gandhi did not consider himself to be a
pacifist, socialist or on any definable spectrum of politics. He professed to adhere to the pure, existing facts of life to make his
decisions.
• Gandhi’s commitments to non-violence, human freedom, equality and justice arose from his personal examination.
• Truth is interpreted subjectively. Gandhism does not demand that its adherents agree to Gandhi’s own principles to the letter, but
in spirit. If one honestly believes that violence is sometimes necessary, it is truthful to believe in it. When Gandhi returned to India
in the middle of World War I, he said he would have supported the British in the war. It would have been wrong, according to
Gandhi, to demand equal rights for Indians in the Empire, and not contribute to its defence. On the other hand, by the time of the
advance of the Japanese in World War II, Gandhi had given up notions of fighting alongside the British and argued for
nonviolence instead. Gandhiji the father of the nation was a propounder of Ahimsa.
• Gandhi developed a way of life by his constant “experimenting with truth” — a phrase that formed the subtitle to his autobiography.
He was prepared to learn through trial and error, often admitting to mistakes and changing his behaviour accordingly. This was
particularly notable when Gandhi stopped all nationwide civil resistance in 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident. He would
forsake political independence for truth — believing that Indians should not become murderers and commit the very evils they
were accusing the British of perpetrating in India.
• Gandhism is more about the spirit of Gandhi’s journey to discover the truth, than what he finally considered to be the truth. It is the
foundation of Gandhi’s teachings, and the spirit of his whole life to examine and understand for oneself, and not take anybody or
any ideology for granted.
• Gandhi said: “The Truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction.” [3]
• Gandhi’s philosophy encompassed ontology and its association with truth. For Gandhi, "to be" did not mean to exist within the
realm of time, as it has in the past with the Greek philosophers. But rather, "to exist" meant to exist within the realm of truth, or to
use the term Gandhi did, satya. Gandhi summarized his beliefs first when he said "God is Truth", which his experimenting later
prompted him to change to "Truth is God". The first statement seemed insufficient to Gandhi, as the mistake could be made that
Gandhi was using truth as a description of God, as opposed to God as an aspect of satya. Satya (truth) in Gandhi's philosophy is
God. It shares all the characteristics of the Hindu concept of God, or Brahman, and is believed by Gandhians to live within each
person as their conscience while at the same time guiding the universe.
 Seven Blunders of the World
• The Seven Blunders of the World is a list that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi gave to
his grandson Arun Gandhi, written on a piece of paper, on their final day together, shortly
before his assassination.[1] The seven blunders are:
• Wealth without work
• Pleasure without conscience
• Knowledge without character
• Commerce without morality
• Science without humanity
• Worship without sacrifice
• Politics without principle
• This list grew from Gandhi's search for the roots of violence. He called these, acts of
passive violence. Preventing these is the best way to prevent oneself or one's society from
reaching a point of violence.
• To this list, Arun Gandhi added an eighth blunder, rights without responsibilities.[2]
• According to Arun Gandhi, the idea behind the first blunder originates from the feudal
practice of Zamindari. He also suggests that the first and the second blunders are
interrelated.
 Useful Web Links
• http://www.facinghistory.org/campus/BeTheChange - Be The Change-
learn about today’s activists and how you can be the change
• http://www.dosomething.org/ - a website for young people about taking
action
• http://www.idealist.org/teachers/index.html - idealists without borders –
resources and activities for teachers
• http://www.idealist.org/kt/index.html - idealists without borders –website
for children
• http://www.indianchild.com/mahatma_gandhi.htm - information about
Mahatma Ghandi
• http://www.myhero.com – teaching resources and thousands of stories
of remarkable individuals written by children and adults alike
• http://www.bethechange.org/ - posts, ideas and information on how to
bring about positive change
• http://www.gandhi-
manibhavan.org/gandhiphilosophy/philosophy_trusteeship.htm