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Thursday, November 08, 2007


 

Gujarat | Jawaharlal Nehru

Religion | Secularism

   Mahatma Gandhi


   

Gandhi became one of the pivotal figures in India's history in the Twentieth Century. Gandhi shaped India's history up to its independence in 1947. Gandhi was born at Porbander in western India. In 1888, he went to London to study law. He returned to Bombay to work as a barrister but went to South Africa to work in 1907. In South Africa, he took part in passive protests against the Transvaal government's treatment of Indian settlers who were in the minority in the region. In 1915, he returned to India and, after joining the Congress movement, he emerged as one of the party's leaders.

Gandhi encouraged Indians to boycott British goods and buy Indian goods instead. Gandhi preached passive resistance, believing that acts of violence against the British only provoked a negative reaction. Gandhi was imprisoned in 1922, 1930, 1933 and in 1942. While in prison, he went on hunger strike.

 

In 1931, Gandhi came to Britain for the Round Table conferences. He famous walk to the sea to produce salt was typical of his actions. Britain had a monopoly on salt production in India and Gandhi saw this as wrong. Hence his decision to produce salt by the sea.

He collaborated with Mountbatten and Wavell in the build up to independence in 1947. This association with the break-up of India was to cost him his life. There had been one assassination attempt on Gandhi on January 20th 1948 - it had failed. Just ten days later on the 30th January, he was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic who could not forgive Gandhi for his belief that Muslims had equal value to Hindus and no-one was better than anybody else.

 

With no signs of Left giving way on the India-US nuclear deal and expectations in the PMO of a shift in BJP's opposition to the pact proving unfounded, the November 17 AICC session will have just one omnibus political resolution which will mention . . . . (Congress To Play Down Us-India Nuclear Deal At Aicc, Times of India, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday took exception to the Congress washing the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bangalore after its (BJP) leaders staged a two-day protest at the venue. (Bjp Demands Public Apology From Congress , Hindu, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

The Congress Working Committee on Wednesday night decided to amend the Congress constitution to about a single category of membership. (No Karnataka, N-Deal At Cwc, Asian Age, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

Democracy without the liberty to choose the form of participation in public affairs - even if it be a bandh, hartal, dharmaghat or strike by the people - is meaningless. (Not What People Want, Times of India, SHIKHA MUKERJEE, Nov 07, 2007)

WORK for every hand, bread for every stomach, land for the landless, protection for small farmers and traders, change in the present economic policies.” (Rallying Forces For Land, Frontline, Purnima S. Tripathi, Nov 07, 2007)

Two monster movies are releasing this Friday, with ‘HIT’ in large purple neon signs written all over them. The quality won’t matter, the acting won’t matter, the reviews won’t matter; millions of Indians across the world will stampede . . . . . (Say Welcome To The Machine, Indian Express, SANDIPAN DEB, Nov 07, 2007)

This is one battle that President Pervez Musharraf was not prepared for. (Blogs Battle Censorship, Telegraph, Mandira Nayar, Nov 06, 2007)

Some serious-minded secularists feel that the sting operation showing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s foot soldiers boasting about conducting the Gujarat pogrom with state support should not have been publicised. (Modi Must Be Punished , Asian Age, Kuldip Nayar, Nov 05, 2007)

In the face of opposition from its coalition partner JD-S, the BJP today called off indefinite dharna which entered second day, but refused to give up its agitational path and decided to embark upon a “save democracy” yatra from the . . . . (Bjp Calls Off Dharna In Karnataka, Statesman, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

In the face of opposition from its coalition partner JD(S), the BJP on Sunday called off its indefinite dharna even as the former agreed to hand over a letter pledging “unconditional” support to the BJP for forming a Government in the state. (Bjp Gets Letter Of Support, Jds Gets Dharna Stopped, Indian Express, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

Senior Congress leaders on Sunday took exception to the BJPs criticism of Governor Rameshwar Thakur in connection with the delay in formation of the new government in the State. (Dont Target Guv, Cong Tells Bjp , Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

An irked BJP on Friday announced that its legislators will launch an indefinite dharna on Saturday in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on M G Road along with its ally, the JD(S), till the combine gets an invitation from Governor Rameshwar Thakur . . . . (Bjp Dharna, Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 03, 2007)

The light that emanates fromSuu Kyi shines all over Myanmar and the freedom loving people of the world. (Aung San Suu Kyi And India , Deccan Herald, Khushwant Singh, Nov 03, 2007)

The sight of Ms Benazir Bhutto offering namaz before the tomb of Mohammed Ali Jinnah was one to treasure. (Bazaar Parody Of Mussolini, Pioneer, Premen Addy , Nov 03, 2007)

Not many Indians are aware that the Burmese prisoner of conscience and Nobel Laureate has close Indian connections. (Suu Kyi’S Sunny Days, Hindustan Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 02, 2007)

I HAVE reasons to believe that Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when he was Prime Minister, wanted to dismiss Nahrendra Modi and had planned to do so after his visit to Ahmedabad. (Raj Dharma Fails In Gujarat, Tribune, Kuldip Nayar, Nov 02, 2007)

To be quiet is not to be ineffectual. Not if close to 25,000 people remain quiet and determined. (Different Walk, Telegraph, Editorial, The Telegraph, Oct 31, 2007)

An anxious BJP, on Tuesday, resolved to go ahead with its save democracy campaign from Wednesday, following the expiry of the 24-hour deadline it had set for Governor Rameshwar Thakur to extend an invitation to form the . . . . (Bjp Edgy, Jd(s)cool, Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 31, 2007)

Phillips Talbot, president emeritus of the Asia Society in the United States, is the latest author to add his voice to the complex debates on India’s Partition. (Around Midnight, OutLook, Mushirul Hasan, Oct 31, 2007)

CBI looks set to tell Supreme Court that it has found evidence of huge property that former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his kin had amassed over the years. (Mulayam, Kin Get 4 Weeks To Explain Assets, Times of India, Dhananjay Mahapatra, Oct 30, 2007)

 

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