Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a name that has made the impossible possible by leading India towards the dawn of freedom. He did so by fighting the ruthless British system with his two simple ideals, truth and non-violence. Gandhi ji’s freedom struggle can be well-summarised in the movements he introduced like that of disobedience, swadeshi and satyagraha that the entire world follows today to combat injustice.

Gandhi ji’s ideals and movements made such an impact that people even before the independence came to India from all over the world to be his disciples. Today, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, which is celebrated on October 2, let’s revisit his freedom movements that made India’s struggle against British power stronger.

Satyagraha Movement

Mahatma Gandhi introduced the concept of Satyagraha i.e, in South Africa first when he fought against the compulsory registration and passes for Indians. He believed that by peacefully protesting against the actions of the enemy, we not only strengthen our patience and morality but also break the enemy’s spirit and confidence.

It was during his Satyagraha movement in India when he coined the term ‘Harijan’ to fight for the rights of so-called ‘untouchables’ and called them ‘the people of God’ to make society more inclusive towards them.

Non-cooperation movement

Gandhi ji launched his famous non-cooperation movement against the British soon after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. After the bloodbath there, Mahatma Gandhi started propagating the idea of non-cooperation towards the British Raj and focused on forming self-government.

Boycott and Swadeshi movement

Gandhi ji called ‘Swadeshi’ the soul of India’s freedom fight. Under this movement, the leader encouraged people to boycott all the goods that were being produced by the British and adopt swadeshi alternatives. Khadi and Charkha were the symbols of this movement as Gandhi ji urged people to make their own clothes using Khadi to revive the industry.

His ideas can be seen in present days policies as well. PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ movement and ‘Khadi revival’ is largely based on Gandhi ji’s ideals.

Quit India movement

The Quit India movement was Gandhi Ji’s final blow to the British government followed by the disobedience movement. In this, Indias have started to completely defy the British rules and reached a do or die situation.

It is during this movement that Gandhi Ji gave the slogan ‘Do or Die.’