Gandhi as Mahatma
Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement"
Meaning
"Gandhi as Mahatma" is a well-known essay by the historian Shahid Amin. He belonged to the Subaltern Studies group, who study history from the side of ordinary people. The essay shows how peasants in eastern Uttar Pradesh saw Gandhi in 1921: as a saviour with magical powers who would free them from taxes and officials. Amin used rumours printed in the local press to show what ordinary people believed.
Example
In the Gorakhpur region in 1921, rumours said that people who doubted Gandhi were punished. A karah (cooking pan) split apart, wheat turned into sesamum, and the houses of critics caught fire. People called him "Gandhi baba" or "Gandhi Maharaj".
Don't confuse with
- Gandhi's own idea of satyagraha: Gandhi taught non-violence based on reason and conscience. The "Mahatma" of the rumours came from what peasants hoped and imagined, not from what Gandhi himself said.
Related concepts
- Shahid Amin
- Gandhi's dhoti and loincloth
- Charkha
- Khadi
- Linguistic Pradesh Congress Committees
- Praja Mandal
- All India States Peoples Conference
- Bijolia movement
- Abul Kalam Azad
- C. Rajagopalachari