Martin Luther King's views about Gandhi, n.d., Biography.com.
CONCLUSION
Simplicity, standing with the truth, showing empathy for others, and most importantly employing the non-violent approach of Satyagraha are the foundations on which Mahatma Gandhi built a new frontier for humanity. Before Gandhi’s success, citizens have looked up to their respective religious, spiritual, and political leaders as the changemakers of freedom and equality. However, the transformational leadership that Gandhi established in the fight towards India’s independence from British Rule, earned him the title of Modern-day Buddha. The largest takeaway from Gandhi’s strategies was the concept of Satyagraha, a powerful but nonviolent resistance to discrimination. Gandhi used Satyagraha to bring about his most impactful social and political reforms, which inspired future human rights movements and struggles for freedom and democracy around the world, including the South African and American civil rights movements. He proved to the world that it is possible to triumph through non-violent protest and changed India forever. His legacy of forgiveness, non-violence in the face of odds, and his teachings continue to have a massive global influence even seven decades after his death. His words “Conquer the heart of the enemy with truth and love, not by violence” summarize the essence of his gift to the world.
The whole concept of "Satyagraha" (Satya is truth which equals love, and agraha is force; "Satyagraha", therefore, means truth-force or love force) was profoundly significant to me. As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi my scepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.
~ Martin Luther King
Excerpt from Srimati Karuna interview, sharing her thoughts how Gandhi's principles still hold value today.
“The Mahatma is an integral part of our history because it is here that he first experimented with truth; here that he demonstrated his characteristic firmness in pursuit of justice; here that he developed Satyagraha as a philosophy and a method of struggle.”
~Nelson Mandela
LEGACY
International Non-Violence Day is observed on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi,n.d.,MKGandhi.
Time magazine named Gandhi the Man of the Year,1930, Time.com.
Gandhi temple in Kanyakumari, India made in honour of Gandhi,n.d., National Gandhi Musuem.
Mahatma Gandhi Ashram, Sevagram,n.d., National Gandhi Museum.
Sabarmati Ashram, one of Gandhi's residence,n.d., National Gandhi Museum.
11 people from all religions depicting famous dandi march led by Mahatma Gandhi,n.d.,National Gandhi Museum.
“Great forces are directing you to conform to the patterns of your society. You have DNA that has been handed down from generation to generation, coding repeated behavior patterns into your being. You have archetypal energies setting the standards for how you behave as a man or a woman, as husband or wife, as father or mother……You are immersed in consensual reality, whereby the world around you reflects societal understanding of how life has been and is to be. At the same time, you have an even greater force within you inspiring you to wake up and recognize the reality of who you are. This force, the creative power underlying the entire universe, is urging you to create brand new standards of reality. The status quo is blind to our creative power. Create a brand new world for yourself, one that meets your deepest needs, and you will help raise the quality of consciousness of the entire world. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
RESOURCES
INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCE