Speech on The Influence of Mahatma Gandhi
Today is yet another remarkable time given to us and it is a great privilege for me to partake in this blessing with all of you. Over the years, the gift of life has bombarded us with a fair share of joy, contentment, mercy, pain, anger and whatever emotion you can think of. But beyond all these façade lies a great deal of lessons that shape our characters and ideals as individuals. In my case, one life lesson I’ve come to learn is that people come and go in each of our lives. There are those who mean to stay while there are some who prefer a path different from ours. Whichever the case, one certain thing is that they all have a purpose and influence in our lives, one way or another. There are a few, however, whose eyes we’ve never met nor hands we’ve ever held but their lives and principles continue to guide ours. These are the people who extend their influence not only to their immediate acquaintances nor to a nation as big as ours, but as well as to the whole world. One such person is the most celebrated personage in India whose lifeworks and dedication influence our development even today.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat, India, was a son of Chief Minister Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai Gandhi (Lacombe 16). According to Jolly in his article entitled: Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (Gandhi Jayanti) – 2 October 2014 – Father Of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was married to Kasturbai Mohandas Gandhi at the age of 13 and 14, respectively. Child marriages were a common practice in their region back in the days and so their parents arranged for their marriage. Two years after his father died, Mahatma Gandhi was sent to London to study law because his family believed that it could land him a good job in the state. Though he was initially unhappy, studying in London proved to be a beneficial one for him for it housed the first time he read the “Bhagavad Gita” and the Bible as well as rediscover religion (Lacombe 16). He went back to India after passing his English law exam but due to his reserved nature, finding a job was not as easy as his family thought it to be. Then again, an offer to work as a legal adviser of an Indian businessman in South Africa found its way to Gandhi and naturally, the dignitary accepted it. His stay in South Africa was supposed to last for a year but extended for 20 years more because it was in this country where he developed his desire to fight racial discrimination and oppression (Lacombe 19).
He has led and founded a number of organizations whose purpose was to resist such practices. But unlike his predecessors, Mahatma Gandhi’s method of resistance was anything but physical killing and use of firearms. His weapon, as one may call it, was his conviction of truth and righteousness. In fact, as Nanda described it, Gandhi’s nonviolent method was not only a weapon to reward India its rightful freedom but rather an instrument that can resolve conflicts between warring groups, races, and nations as well as overturn the wrong things done or have happened. Nonviolence for Gandhi is not just an ideology to encourage people to do something about the situation. Rather, it is a necessity whose results may not be an overnight success but its legacy is far greater than what violence can ever achieve. Wars and bombings only lead to death but convictions and peace bring unity and great joy. As Gandhi used to say, men are not entirely evil. So it is never impossible to achieve world peace with nonviolence.
Works Cited
Jolly, Rajan Singh. “Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (Gandhi Jayanti) – 2 October 2014 – Father Of the Nation.” 14 August 2014. HubPages. 5 January 2015 < rajanjolly.hubpages.com>
Lacombe, Olivier. “Landmarks in an Extraordinary Life.” UNESCO Memorial Lecture: Gandhi in the Global Village (1995): 16-32.
Nanda, B.R. “Gandhi and Nonviolence.” 5 January 2015 < http://www.mkgandhi.org/ >