Thursday, March 5, 2015

Gandhi Darshan - Gandhi ji Group of Organisations

Gandhi Darshan - Gandhi ji Group of Organisations 
Gandhi Bhavan Market, Mk Jahi Road,
Mk Jahi Road,
Hyderabad, AP 500001


GROUP OF GANDHI DARSHAN

ABOUT GANDHI JI - Gandhidarshan.org

ABOUT GANDHIJI:

Mahatma was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar. Mohandas or Mohan was youngest of the three sons of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi. His father had been Prime Minister successively in three Kathiawar States. He was straight and true as steel, known for his steadfastness and loyalty. The little house were Gandhi was born is today known as the "Kirti Mandir".

Even as a child Gandhi was deeply influenced by his mother Putlibai's deeply religious and austere beliefs. He did his primary schooling at Porbandar, and his high school at Albert High School, Rajkot. Gandhi showed no particular brilliance, played no games, and was quite an introvert. He read little beyond text books, but respected his teacher, and was determined not to copy from his neighbour's answer sheets.

Marriage with Kasturba, at the age of thirteen, was almost play. But Gandhi began as a jealous and possessive husband; he wanted to make his illiterate wife an ideal one. The other person he was much attached to was his eldest brother Laxmidas. When their father was no more, it was Laxmidas who helped to educate him and send him to England for legal studies.

Putlibai let Gandhi go abroad only after he vowed to lead a simple & religious life. For a while Gandhi was tempted to follow westerners. But soon he returned to simplicity. A vegetarian by tradition he soon became one by conviction, joining and working actively for the London Vegetarian Society. He was called to the Bar in June 1891.

The Crossroads:
In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to handle a case. But though his legal work was soon over, he stayed on for 21 years, fighting against racial discrimination and for the rights of the Indian Community. South Africa was the turning point of his life, where his perfectly normal life ceased to exist and he became a human rights activist, ever so staunch in his belief of achieving independence through ahimsa (non-violence).

Ashram Settlement:
In founding and running his Ashram settlement at Phoenix and Tolstoy farm, Gandhi was much influenced by Tolstoy and Ruskin towards leading a simple community life. The third of "the moderns" who impressed Gandhi was Raj Chandra, the Jain philosopher and intellectual.

Service in hour of need:
During the Boer war and the Zulu rebellion he helped the British Raj at the hour of its need, by raising Indian Ambulance and Stretcher-barer Corps which served close to the line of fire. Gandhi was awarded medals for this service.

The India Struggle:
The Natal India Congress founded by Gandhi in 1894, on lines similar to the Indian National Congress, and later the British Indian Committee in the Transvaal fought against restrictions on Indian trade, movement and residence. During the campaign against the 'Black' Registration Act, Gandhi lit a grand bonfire of thousands of the registration certificates.

The Homecoming:
The Passive Resistance Struggle was to be long-drawn-out. Thousands of satyagrahis suffered imprisonment, loss of property, trade. Tolstoy farm was built by Gandhi on land donated by Kallenbach, as a colony for housing satyagrahis families. They did farming, grew fruit, followed simple crafts and conducted school - all noble experiment in community living.