...takes a very straight forward, no-nonsense approach to telling the story of Gandhi.
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I´m sure there aren´t that many people on this planet that haven´t heard of Mahatma Gandhi. I´m also quite sure that some of those same people probably aren´t fully aware of the man´s accomplishments and the impact he has had on the world. This documentary from Kultur takes a very straight forward, no-nonsense approach to telling the story of Gandhi, his beliefs, and the long, struggle for Indian independence. The DVD begins with a brief overview in regards to the history of India and its varied populace which was stratified by religious and social divisions.
Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the future Mahatma (meaning "Great Soul") came from a modest background. He married when he was thirteen, and then studied law abroad in England when he turned eighteen. It was in England that Gandhi wholeheartedly embraced the tenants of vegetarianism and religion. And not just of Hinduism as Gandhi read religious texts of other faiths such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. Gandhi set up his first practice in South Africa where he was exposed to the brutal discrimination of the country´s natives and Indian immigrants. It was then that Gandhi devoted his life to a crusade of social justice and equality. One of his first campaigns was convincing the South African government to allow Indians to serve in the army during the Boer War as stretcher bearers.
Gandhi returned in India in 1915 and became a spiritual and intellectual leader, teaching non-violent resistance in the face of the British colonialists. Gandhi´s beliefs called for his followers to disobey unjust laws and accept whatever punishment is meted out. He prohibited striking back against their attackers, even if it meant lying back and taking a beating. In Gandhi´s words, "The pursuit of truth does not permit violence to one´s enemy." His first organized protests against unfair taxation were sadly far from non-violent as both British forces and Indian citizens attacked each other. Approximately 20,000 were arrested while 400 were killed in the chaos. Later, angry Hindus burnt twenty-two British soldiers alive causing the police to arrest Gandhi for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of his followers protested outside his jail forcing the British to reluctantly release the man.
In March of 1930, Gandhi launched his most ambitious campaign, the famous Salt March. The British forbade anyone from making their own salt, giving them no choice but to purchase from them at exorbitant prices. Gandhi walked over two hundred miles to the Indian Sea, gathering thousands of devotees along the way. Together, they gathered salt crystals from the sea. Once again, the British forces stepped in leading to the widespread arrests of over 60,000 and barbed wire fencing erected around the salt enriched badlands. Gandhi would agree to a suspension of civil disobedience in exchange for the freedom of political prisoners.
In 1931, Gandhi visited England for a Round Table Conference to discuss pleas for independence from the British Empire. Travelling light, Gandhi only brought with him a goat (for a daily ration of milk), the modest clothes on his back, and his trademark spinning wheel. This hand loom became a powerful symbol in the movement for independence. It marked Gandhi´s commitment to living a life unencumbered by material possessions and symbolized the need for Indians to become self-sufficient, boycotting British goods. Gandhi´s time in London saw him meet Charlie Chaplin, before embarking on a whirlwind tour of Europe that took him to France, Switzerland and Rome where he met, of all people, Benito Mussolini.
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