Indian History

Wagon Tragedy

The Wagon tragedy was the death of a large number of prisoners on 10 November 1921 in the Malabar region of Kerala state of India. The prisoners had been taken into custody following unrest in Malabar, and their deaths through apparent negligence discredited the British Raj and generated sympathy for the Indian independence movement.



Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and the national leaders of India, there was a wide-spread and peaceful uprising against the British colonial rule of India. After a series of events that culminated in violent clashes between police and protesters, Martial law was introduced and the rebellion mostly crushed. The British packed 70 prisoners into a railway goods wagon at Tirur railway station to be sent to the Coimbatore jails. By the time they reached their destination 61 of the prisoners had died from suffocation. A monument to of this notorious tragedy can be now seen at Tirur

 

posted by iobov @ 10:22 PM 2 comments

Mahatma Gandhi

independence movement. He was the pioneer[1] of Satyagraha — resistance through mass civil disobedience strongly founded upon ahimsa (non-violence) becoming one of the strongest philosophies of freedom struggles worldwide. Gandhi is commonly known and spoken of worldwide as Mahatma Gandhi (Hindi: महात्मा, məhatma ; from Sanskrit, Mahatma: Great Soul) and is fondly called Bapu (in Gujarati, Father).



Gandhi first employed his ideas of civil disobedience in the Indian struggle for civil rights in South Africa. Upon his return to India, Gandhi helped lead poor farmers and labourers to protest oppressive taxation and widespread discrimination.



Leading the Indian National Congress, Gandhi worked for the alleviation of poverty, the liberation of women, brotherhood, end to untouchability and caste discrimination and for the economic self-sufficiency of the nation. However, Gandhi's work focused upon the goal of Swaraj — self-rule for India. Gandhi famously led Indians in the disobedience of the salt tax through the 400 kilometre (248 miles) Dandi March, and in an open call for the British to Quit India in 1942. However his goal, freedom, came at a heavy cost: tens of thousands died in all of his movements as they clashed with the British.



Gandhi remained committed to non-violence and truth even in the most extreme situations. Gandhi was a student of Hindu philosophy and lived simply, organizing an ashram that was self-sufficient in its needs. He made his own clothes and lived on a simple vegetarian diet. He used rigorous fasts for self-purification as well as a means of protest. All this was mainly done to raise the status of India's depressed classes and draw them into the freedom struggle.



Gandhi's teachings have inspired civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. Gandhi is honoured as the Father of the Nation in India. His birthday on October 2nd is annually commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday.


 

posted by iobov @ 10:14 PM 0 comments