PART 4.02
MAHATMA GANDHIJI AMAR RAHE!
CHRONOLOGY OF A BLESSED LIFE
by
Velandy Manohar, MD
Distinguished Life Fellow and
Past President, Asian American Caucus
American Psychiatric Association
Past President Indo American Psychiatric Association
“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” Mahatma Gandhiji wrote in Harijan, March 28, 1936.
CHRONOLOGY OF A BLESSED LIFE
1869, OCT 2. Birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was affectionately called “Bapu.”
1883 Marries Kasturba. She was affectionately called “Ba”
1885 Birth of Indian National Congress
1888, SEPT 4 Sets sail to England to study law
1891, SEPT Called to bar, returns to India
1893, APRIL Leaves for South Africa for the first time. Acts as legal consultant
1893, MAY-JUNE Experiences racial discrimination and decides to fight against racial prejudice in South Africa
1897 Petitions British authorities to end Discriminatory laws in South Africa.
1899 Forms Indian ambulance corps during Boer war
1901- 1902 Returns to India, practices law and promotes the causes of Indians in South Africa.
1902 Recalled to South Africa to fight anti-Asiatic legislation in Transvaal. Is nearly fatally assaulted on his return to South Africa..
1905 Opposes partition of Bengal
1906 Announces Indian home rule
Declares disinterestedness in worldly goods
Takes vow of celibacy for life
1906, sept.11 Organizes Indian opposition to Transvaal’s Anti-Asiatic laws.
He takes an oath of non-violence/passive resistance at a mass meeting.
1907, JAN Writes on Ethical Religion
1908, JAN Adopts the word Satyagraha to replace Passive Resistance to denote his non-violent struggle
1908 Sentenced to two months imprisonment for failure to leave Transvaal
1909 NOV. Writes about Hind Swaraj or Indian home rule or Self-Rule. Swaraj has deeper meaning.
1913, MAY Indian marriages are invalidated in South Africa.
1913, SEPT. Satyagraha to protest the invalidation of marriages starts.
Kasturba is arrested
1913, OCT Gandhiji urges miners to strike, he leads March into Transvaal
1914, JAN Bapu suspends Satyagraha after reaching agreement with General Smuts. The latter was an implacable foe who regarded Gandhiji very highly
1914 Bapu returns to India.
1914, May 20 He founds the Satyagraha ashram in Ahmedabad, India
1915, Jan 21 Mayor Nautamlal Mehta [Nagar Sheth] and 40 residents of Jetpur Village officially conferred the title of Mahatma to Bapu in written Maanpatra {letter of Honor}. Nobelist Tagore met Bapu in March 1915. The National Gandhi Museum in Rajghat could authenticate this.
1916 Feb 04 Delivers epochal speech at the Benares Hindu university on Swaraj- Self Rule in political and personal dimensions
1917 Bapu fights successfully against indentured Indian emigration
1918, JAN Bapu takes up the cause of the textile laborers in Ahmedabad; initiates Satyagraha in Bombay district
1919, APRIL 1 Bapu inaugurates all India Satyagraha movement
1919, APRIL 11. Arrested in Delhi, escorted back to Bombay.
1919, APRIL13 JALLIANWALA BAGH HATYAKA ON BAISAKHI FESTIVAL DAY Gen Dwyer’s troops fire on unarmed crowd killing over 000 people. Mahatma Bapu said, "The impossible men of India shall rise and liberate their motherland.” He called an end to the Fast Satyagraha because more violence erupted. Winston Churchill, “The incident at Jallianwala Bagh was an extraordinary event, a monstrous event, an event which stands in singular and sinister isolation.”
1919, OCT Bapu assumes editorship of “Young India”
1919, NOV Bapu presides over the All-India Khilafat movement in Delhi
1920, SEPT Indian national congress at Calcutta accepts Gandhiji’s programme of noncooperation to gain redress of Punjab and Khilafat wrong doings.
1921, APRIL Bapu leads total boycott of western cloth.
1922, MAR Bapu gives notice to viceroy of intention to launch Bardoli Satyagraha
1922, MAR 18 Bapu was arrested and sentenced to six years imprisonment for sedition
1924, SEPT Bapu begins 21 day fast for Hindu-Muslim unity
1925, NOV Bapu begins to write final version of autobiography. The title translated from Gujarati is the story of my experiments with Truth. It was published in installments from 1925-1929 in Nav Jivan and the English Translation in Young India. The translator Is Mahadev Desai.
1928, DEC Gandhiji moves in favor of independence if Dominion status is not granted to India by 1929. Canada and Austrailia had Dominion Status.
1929, DEC At Lahore meeting CWC includes calls for complete Independence at Gandhiji’s insistence
1930, FEBR Gandhiji launches Nation Wide Civil disobedience movement
1930, APRIL 6 Gandhiji launches Dandi march launches Salt Satyagraha and defies Salt taxation laws
1930, May Gandhiji is arrested and imprisoned. India is shut down. Ba and other women patriots such as Sarojini Naidu were actively engaged in the Dandi March and Satyagraha.
1931, MAR Gandhiji and Viceroy Irwin reach agreement.
1931, AUG Gandhiji sails for England to attend second round table conference.
1932, SEPT 20 Gandhiji begins fast unto death in jail to secure abolition of separate electorates for Harijans. Name Gandhiji used to refer to “untouchables” Hari Jan translates to people of God.
1932, SEPT 26 Gandhiji’s fast ends because his cause prevails. It is important to bear in mind the architect of the Indian Constitution is member of the Harijan community. Many leaders were members of various castes from the “highest” to the “lowest” in terms of ones assigned caste at birth.
1933, FEB 11 Bapu launches weekly paper “Harijan”
1934 SEPT Bapu announces retirement from politics to engage in developing village industries, Harijan service and education through basic crafts
1939, MARCH Bapu commences fast unto death to secure adherence of the govt. to promised reforms from the 1931 accords and the earlier promises after WWI.
1939, JULY 7TH First letter to Herr Hitler mailed from Wardha 1 month before Non-Aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union and 5 weeks before Invasion of Poland and the outbreak of WW II. Second letter was written on Dec 24, 1940. By then all of Europe had been conquered by Herr Hitler except the Soviet Union. Germany, Italy and Japan had formed an Alliance and Operation Barbarossa for the attack on the Soviet Union was ready. Despite severe bombardment on London and England Germany postponed Operation Sea Lion –the invasion of Britain. Germany was on the ascendency in Europe, Africa and Asia.
1940, OCT Gandhiji sanctions individual civil disobedience in wartime.
1941, DEC Bapu asks to be relieved of leadership in CWC (working committee). America enters the War after sneak attack on Pearl.
Jan 20 1942. The Wannsee Conference with 15 high ranking nazis was conevened to plan and implement the final solution. Mahatma Gandhi had written about the pivotal role Herr Hitler had on the World stage at that time. His first hand written letter 07 17 1939 said this to Herr Hitler, “…It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to a savage state. Must you pay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you to be? Will you listen to the appeal of one who has deliberately shunned the method of war not without considerable success? Any way I anticipate your forgiveness, if I have erred in writing to you. I remain, your sincere friend, M.K. Gandhi
1942, MAY Gandhiji appeals to Britain to quit India
1944, FEB “Bapu’s beloved better half, Ba” - Kasturba Gandhi passes away
1944, SEPT. Gandhi-Jinnah talks regarding Pakistan
1946, AUG Gandhiji opposes partition of India
1946, AUG The great Calcutta killing. The British Govt and Police appear to be helpless
1946, AUG The Congress Party forms interim govt.
1946, OCT The Noakahalli massacre. Bapu and Badhsha Khan- The frontier Gandhi toured the area and brought the horrific killings to an end.
1947, APRIL Gandhiji and Jinnahji issues joint appeal for peace. Peace Prevails in Calcutta and Bengal. Bapu was referred to as the One man Police Force.
1947, MAY CWC accepts partition in principle over Gandhiji’s objection
1947, AUG 14 Gandhiji deplores birth of Pakistan but hails the birth of freedom on the Subcontinent
1948, JAN 12-18 Bapu fasts for communal peace in Delhi. Serious Civil disorder was prevalent after the violent vivisection of India.
1948, JAN 30 Mahatma Gandhiji attains moksha through his martyrdom, Nish Kama karma and Nishpala Tyaga
Mahatma Gandhiji Amar Rahe
Ba aur Bapu Zindabad.
May the wicked become virtuous
May the virtuous attain tranquility
May the tranquil be freed from their bonds
May the liberated help make the shackled go free.
May peace pervade the three spheres
Asato ma Sadgamaya
Tamaso ma Jyotir gamaya
Mrityor ma Amritam gamaya
Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.
Lead us o! Lord from untruth of our senses bound existence
To the Truth that abides in our essence
Lead us from the darkness of our mundane existence to the glorious illumination of the transcendental experience
Lead us o! Lord from death of our passions and attachments to the immortality of the liberated soul.
Lead thou me on
May peace prevail in the three spheres of experience.
Velandy Manohar, MD
Distinguished Life Fellow and Past President, Asian American Caucus
American Psychiatric Association. Past President Indo-American Psychiatric Association