The Partition of India

Mahatma Gandhi: Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India in 1869 and died in 1948. He was western educated, specifically trained in England. Although he was a nationalist, he was anti-modern because he was skeptical to industrialism. He believed in the ideal of satyagraha, the non-tolerance of evil, but also the understanding that violence is not the answer to that evil. He also believed in non-violence. He did not cooperate with anything British, specifically trading with the British, British schooling or products, and even paying taxes to the British. He served as a civil rights activist after being thrown off a train when refusing to move from his seat in first class. He became the leading member of Congress Party in the 1930’s and shortly after participated in the March to Sea for salt during the British imposed salt tax. Every single aspect of Gandhi’s life was peaceful, if the people around him decided to disobey and use violence as a means of getting what they wanted, Gandhi would take it upon himself to fast. He was eventually assassinated by a Hindus

resistance. In 1939, Gandhi returned to political life because of the federation of Indian principalities with

Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in the Indian coastal city of Porbandar (Background Essay). He then studied law in London, where he noticed that Indians were expected to imitate their rulers, the Englishmen (Background Essay). Gandhi wanted all people to live free, even those imposed by India’s caste system so he decided to take action in a peaceful manner (Background Essay). By doing so he was able to gain India’s independence in 1947 (Background Essay). This caused Gandhi to be known as “ Mahatma” or “ Great Soul” because he was able to do it without violence (Background Essay). Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he accepted the consequences to his actions, strived for fairness to all mankind, and didn’t think of the British as enemies.

British rule was tough on many Indians. Gandhi, an Indian born lawyer, believed in freedom and peace for his people. He once experienced racism when he was kicked out of a train in Europe. He changed people’s point of view without breaking the law, which was tough for him. Gandhi made his nonviolent movement work through the use of determination, peaceful civil disobedience, and being a powerful leader.

In 1757, Great Britain extended its empire into India. This occupation would not fully end until 1947. In the time between, there were many movements by the Indian people to gain independence from the British. The movement that finally succeeded in winning India’s independence was led by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi’s methods for fighting against the occupation of the British were very different from those of any of the freedom movements before. And that was why it worked. Gandhi did not agree with the general reasoning of the time: that conflicts could be solved through negotiation and forceful resistance.1 Rather, his faith led him to go

Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar India to a Hindu father and Jainist mother. His very religious mother was a practitioner of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god Vishnu). Influenced by his mother's beliefs Gandhi was governed by self-discipline and nonviolence. He soon got married and sailed off to study law. When Gandhi returned he was in shock of what had happened to India, in just 1 year. Gandhi's beliefs never changed and he still strongly believed in self-discipline and nonviolence. He wanted to make a change in India’s cultures. And that’s exactly what he did, he made the change he saw in the world. Gandhi used many tactics to get India's independence, such as Civil disobedience, embracing the enemy, and acceptance of jail time.

The South African civil rights movement, was greatly impacted upon by Gandhi. After becoming a legal barrister in England, he accepted a yearlong contract from an Indian firm, to a post in the Colony of Natal, South Africa. Gandhi was horrified by the racism and prejudice he experienced as an Indian immigrant in South Africa. On a train voyage to Pretoria, Gandhi was beaten by a Caucasian stagecoach driver and thrown out of a first-class railway compartment. This was because he refused to give up his seat for a European passenger. That

Gandhi was always an active member in equality for the Indian people especially after he was denied to keep studying law in England and was kicked off the first class train so he stayed in India and decided to practice hinduism. He lived the rest of his life out telling people to follow the nonviolent disobedience and “on January 30, 1948, he was on one such prayer vigil in New Delhi when he was fatally shot by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who objected to Gandhi’s tolerance for the Muslims” (History.com Staff).

After World War I, India established organizations known as the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League to lead their efforts toward independence. Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the Russian Revolution played a major role. Mahandes Gandhi, an Indian nationalist, led the movement toward independence for India. He was raised as a Hindu and studied law in England. He was opposed to the idea of the caste or class system especially the exclusion of the Untouchables. During his leadership, the British allowed the Indians to “self-rule”, but this lifestyle was rejected by the Muslims because the wanted complete independence. As a

Born on October 2nd, 1869, Mahatma Gandhi studied the law and spoke for the civil rights of the citizens of India both in India and South Africa to be freed from Great Britain. Gandhi became a leader of the Indians fight for independence, organizing boycotts against the British, in forms of civil disobedience. He was killed in 1948.

Imperialism swept across the world following the Industrial Revolution as trade opened up transcontinentally and capitalism became the driving economy of Europe. England expanded its influence to Africa as did Belgium and France. A scramble for Africa occurred, with England fighting for dominance over China as well. As invasions and wars began in Africa, China dealt with the British opium trade and its effect on the Chinese people. Imperialism had varying effects on these different countries and continents. In Egypt and the Indian government, it evoked feelings of nationalism in the people for their native land. Resistance was another reaction from most countries as anger towards the Western powers built in the citizens of the imperialist states. Conversely, some people and governments saw opportunity in a relationship with England and attempted to take advantage of what England could offer their homelands.

to make its' own salt and its' own cotton and they did not pay any

Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi was born during the British rule in India on October 2, 1869. Gandhi in the year of 1888 was sent to England to pursue law, where he developed interest in the philosophy of nonviolence as expressed in the holy Bhagawad Gita, a scared text of Hindu scriptures. However after passing the bar, he found little accomplishment in his attempt to practice law in India, which is when he accepted a position in South Africa, where he assisted on a lawsuit. (Mohandas Gandhi, 2015)

The Partition of India in August, 1947 was a significant event in history that accounted for the separation of one of the world’s oldest civilization into two, independent nations – Pakistan and India. Like many other wars in history, The Partition of India was instigated by religious, political and social conflict. This resulted in violence, discrimination and the largest human displacement in contemporary history. While the Partition was well-studied, much of our understanding was focused on the political side of history, not the human side of it. This was why oral history played an important role in manifesting the complexity of a historical event. Our focus here is Maya Rani’s testimony from Butalia’s book, The Other Side of Silence:

Before the Partition of India, in 1947, India was considered a country with a reasonably peaceful history. However, during and after the Partition, sexual violence, both towards men and women, escalated, resulting in the rape and abduction of over 80,000 women. Cracking India, by Bapsi Sidhwa, tells a story that highlights these violent acts by both Muslims and Hindus, through the eyes of a disabled young Parsi girl named Lenny, who witnesses first hand the violence of Partition when she mistakenly participates in the abduction of her ayah, Shanta. Throughout Cracking India, Lenny observes as the religions involved in Partition become increasingly violent towards both men and women, within their own religions and against others.