Gandhi's Satyagraha

Today, I got interested in the Gandhi's two types of theories; Satyagraha and Swaraj. So, I would be happy if I can convey you what I found about him. I will focus on Satyagraha in this blog.

The term, Satyagraha, is tha word which represents Gandhi's thought or belief during the fhight for discrimination in South Africa. The biggest incident he faced was "Black Act" in 1906. The Government in South Africa issued an order that all Indians — men, women and children should register themselves with Government by giving their full finger-prints and get their permits. He who fails to do so, will be fined, imprisoned or deported from the country. So, Gandhi declared: "This is an insult to the Indian community. We must fight this 'Black Act' in a non-violent way. The Government might use force, arrest us, send us to jail, and prosecute us, but we must face all this without resistance." He called this "Satyagraha". Actually, this means "force of truth and love". To be specific, Satyagraha avoids not only external physical violence but also violence of spirit. In addition, Gandhi stated Satyagraha includes the attitude to respect for the opponent. Related to this, Martin Luther King Jr. interpreted his idea as a spirit of cutting off the chain of hate. His concept of Satyagraha are nowappriciated in all over the globe.

See you,

Misaki