Prominent world leaders are born; they are not made. Throughout his life, Mahatma Gandhi spread and preached the message of peace and non-violence. Through his work, he hoped and believed that one day the whole world would be united under one God. Although he was popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, his birth name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Nanda, 2020). He was born on October 2nd, 1869. He was the last born to his father, Karamchand Gandhi, and his mother, Putlibai. After studying in India, Gandhi traveled to England to study law against the wishes of his parents. After three years in England, Gandhi returned to India to practice law. However, he was unable to practice law in India, and as a result, he moved to South Africa, where he became an accomplished lawyer. It was during his stay in South Africa that Gandhi experienced terrible ordeals that led him to become an activist (Nanda, 2020). In May 1893, Gandhi experienced racial discrimination whereby he was thrown out of a train reserved for white people only despite having a first-class ticket. Later on, Gandhi was prevented from spending the night in hotels reserved for white people only. These experiences drove Gandhi to become an activist, where he championed the rights of minority groups in the country.
As a lawyer, Mahatma Gandhi knew the rights and liberties that minority groups in South Africa were deprived of. His first action was to bring together the Indian Community, and it was at this stage that he formed the Natal Indian Congress (Khandelwal & Khanum, 2017). As secretary of the organization, Gandhi went to court to present the grievances and horrible living conditions of his fellow countrymen. Gandhi was blessed as a leader, and he knew how to relate with people. Also, Gandhi took over the Indian National Congress and turned it into a force to be reckoned with. Through the organization, Gandhi led non-violent movements in the country protesting against British goods in a bid to minimize the influence Britain had amassed in his country. The Indian National Congress gained a considerable number of supporters, mainly from villages and other small towns in India. Congress-led supporters countrywide boycotted taxes, and eventually, the civil disobedience of the party saw many arrested, including its leader, Mahatma Gandhi. One of the most famous campaigns of the party was the Salt March of 1930 (Gayatri et al., 2020). Gandhi led his followers to protest against the Britons, who had taken over the country's salt production industry. They heavily taxed the salt and forced poor people in the country to buy the salt at an inflated price.
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Highlights of Mahatmas Gandhi’s leadership
Gandhi’s efforts through his philosophy of non-violence saw him become one of the most renowned leaders of all time, not just in India but also throughout the whole world. He received praise and recognition for his actions from leaders from all over the world. There are several highlights of Gandhi’s leadership. Gandhi demonstrated the true meaning of “leading by example” when he joined his fellow countrymen on a hunger strike in protest against social segregation that was happening in India at the time. During his time in South Africa, he formed the Natal Indian Congress in partnership with other activists to fight for Indian rights (Dündar, 2016). Since Indians in certain parts of South Africa were denied the right to vote, Congress acted as their voice in the political activities in the country. Also, Gandhi created the India Ambulance Corps to care for British soldiers with health problems and injuries. Gandhi also led his followers and countrymen in forming a society where they could live in harmony, observing fasting and healthy dietary plans.
The Transvaal area in South Africa was densely inhabited by the Dutch and Indians that lived in the region were required to be registered and fingerprinted. Gandhi led a movement to protest the Transvaal Asiatic Amendments Act. Moreover, Gandhi led demonstrations protesting the suspension of Indian civil liberties, as this suspension denied Indians the right to protest and participate in protests peacefully. Britons in India made life unbearable for Indians by introducing goods that flooded the local markets, and they imposed heavy taxes. As a result, Gandhi organized several boycotts in protest of British influence in his country. In 1930, people marched for 200 miles from Ahmedabad to Dandi, being led by Gandhi in protest of the Salt Act that prohibited Indians from manufacturing their salt (Campbell, 2019). After seven years away from politics, Gandhi returned to the center stage and led a movement in partnership with several Indian leaders and politicians to demand India's independence.
Characteristics of Gandhi that make me consider him as a great leader.
I consider Mahatma Gandhi to be one of the greatest ever leaders the world has seen because of his selfless attitude and unassuming nature. First and foremost, Gandhi always led by example. For example, he organized a hunger strike that saw meaningful reform happen in his country (Dündar et al., 2016). Secondly, Gandhi treated everyone equally, from the poor to the wealthy. He never considered himself to be above others. I also find Gandhi's persistence and perseverance as a unique quality. Whatever movement of protest that he started, he ensured that he followed it through to the very end. He made sure that he achieved the desired outcome regardless of the health and social costs these movements had on him and his followers. Another Mahatma Gandhi quality I admire is his transparency. Gandhi was free-spirited, and his ability to display his true self to others made people listen keenly to his opinions and revolutionary ideas.
Furthermore, Gandhi never put his needs before those of others. He cared for people suffering from leprosy without regard to his health (Nanda, 2020). On a specific occasion, when Gandhi was traveling by train visiting different regions in India, he dropped one of his sandals. He immediately threw the other shoe close to the other that fell, hoping someone in need would discover them and have a pair of fitting sandals(Khandelwal & Khanum, 2017). Gandhi had perfect public relations skills, which he used to convince people to join different movements and protests. Mahatma Gandhi was also disciplined and followed the teachings of his religion to the letter. He was a vegetarian from a young age, and he stuck by this regiment till the day he died. He also followed the "do no harm" teachings of his religion (Campbell, 2019). He believed that non-violence was the right approach to achieving the desired results in the face of conflict (Dündar et al., 2016). In conclusion, Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most revolutionary leaders the world has ever seen. His principles of selflessness and humility are extraordinary and had a massive impact on many people. He helped his country gain independence, and his influence continues to spread throughout the world through his message of peace and non-violence.
References
Campbell, M. (2019). Religious Non-violence: An Analysis of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thich Nhat Hanh. The Hilltop Review , 11 (2), 6.
Dündar, H., Erdogan, E., & Hareket, E. (2016). A Role Model in Light of Values: Mahatma Gandhi. Educational Research and Reviews , 11 (20), 1889-1895.
Gayatri, M. P., & Kumar, G. A. (2020). The Mahatma: A Leader and Management Guru-Some lessons. Studies in Indian Place Names , 40 (24), 166-171.
Khandelwal, P., & Khanum, F. (2017). Mahatma Gandhi as an Authentic Leader: A Narrative Autobiographical Approach.
Nanda, B. R. (2020). Sojourn in England and return to India. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mahatma-Gandhi/Sojourn-in-England-and-return-to-India
