Person of the Month - October 2009

Mohandas Gandhi

"Christ gave us the goals, Gandhi the tactics."

Martin Luther King, 1955

Today is the 140th anniversary of Gandhi's Birthday and October 2nd is also known as The International Day of Non-Violence as way to honor one of the greatest examples of humanitarianism that ever lived.

For those of you who know the name and the image but not the entire back story, here's a synopsis:

Gandhi was married off in traditional Indian fashion by the age of 13. His wife was all of 14 (cougar!). He went to London where he earned a law degree at age 19 in 1891. From there, Gandhi traveled to South Africa where he raised hell for years, fighting the racial discrimination that plagued the Indians living there. He staged protests, got beaten, arrested, tortured, starved and so did his wife!

All this did was set the stage for his return home to India where he led his country in a fight against the British Colonial rule for independence.

Gandhi staged 2 very successful Fuck You's to the British Empire on top of a war movement so radical and new it confused everybody. Non-violence. First he encouraged all the Indian people to start weaving their own cloth and clothing. This infuriated the British who were losing money hand over fist. They attacked Gandhi and his followers in a massacre, that totally backfired on the British and made them lose face, so to speak, with the rest of the world. Killing unarmed peaceful protesters was bad.

Next came the Coup De Grace. The Great Salt March in 1930. He organized thousands of people and marched for months over hundreds of miles to the sea to make salt for themselves. The Brits arrested over 60,000 people in one shot. But it worked. Support back home failed and the British capitulated shortly after WWII and gave India back to itself.

Gandhi never held public office or title. He negotiated peace with the Muslims and Hindus until the day he was shot and killed on 1/30/1948.

He is THE iconic figure for world peace, humanitarianism, non-violence, vegetarianism, service and faith. His quotes and philosophies are life-changers if you allow them to be.

The intro to the movie "Gandhi" says it all:
(we think it is based on an actual broadcast at his funeral)

"The object of the massive tribute died as he had always lived, a private man without wealth, without property, without official title or office. Mahatma Gandhi was not the commander of armies, nor the ruler of lands. He could not boast any scientific achievement nor artistic gift, yet men, governments, dignitaries from all over the world have joined hands to pay homage to this little brown man in a loin cloth who led his country to freedom. In the words of General Marshall, The American Secretary of State, "Mahatma Gandhi has become the spokesman for the consciousness for all mankind. He was a man who made simple truth and humility more powerful than empires." And Albert Einstein added, "Generations to come will scarce believe that one such as this ever in flesh and blood walked this Earth."

Mahatma, as he is often called is Sanskrit for "Great Soul". Here are but a fraction of our favorite quotes.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always."

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”


Thank you, Bapu (Father). May your immortal words for peace and wisdom continue to influence future generations.







"They will have my dead body..not my obedience"
From the Academy Award Winning "Gandhi"