Gandhi Readings & Questions
The Roots of Non-Violence
1. The basic tenets of ahimsa are non-violence under all circumstances, deepest love for all humans, and self-
suffering, not the suffering of the tyrant.
2. Gandhi was influenced by Hinduism and Christianity through the teaching of Jesus, in particular the emphasis
on love for everyone, even one’s enemies, and the need to strive for justice. He took from Hinduism the
importance of action in one’s life, without concern for success.
3. Gandhi’s main tactic against the British was Satyagraha, which meant standing firmly behind one’s ideals, but
without hatred. It took the form of civil disobedience—breaking a specific law if it was believed to be unjust,
and then facing the consequences—and non-cooperation with evil.
4. Gandhi’s use of non-violence inspired the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Power of Clothing to Express Ideas
1. Gandhi’s family background was that of a middle-class Indian. He was born in Gujarat, in Western India, in
1869.
2. Gandhi’s dress changed over time by first becoming modern, English clothing, and slowly transforming into a
more primitive, less pristine dress.
3. Gandhi used clothing to achieve his goals by conveying his messages in the symbolic importance of clothing.
4. Gandhi was against mechanized industry because machines were labor-saving devices that put thousands of
laborers out of work, unthinkable in India where the masses were underemployed.
5. Gandhi’s choice of clothing was necessary because he felt that wearing khadi was a moral duty, a sign that a
person had transformed his or her life, like a change of religion.
Source 1: Ahimsa and Satyagraha
1. Gandhi turned personal values such as ahimsa into social and political forces by organizing satyagraha
campaigns on behalf of working people, indigo workers, and other exploited groups.
2. Civil disobedience involves breaking a specific law if it is believed to be unjust, then facing the consequences.
Non-cooperation consists of pulling out all support for an unjust system, such as the British rule of India. This
tactic doesn’t require the breaking of any laws, but might include boycotting and refusing to work.
Source 2: Implementing Satyagraha
1. The instructions of ‘protect the opponents form insult or attack, even at the risk of life’, ‘if taken prisoner,
behave in an exemplary manner’, and ‘harbor no anger but suffer the anger of the opponent’ are most
interesting. They command you to protect your enemy even if they cause harm to you or your loved ones.
2. One way the movie exhibits satyagraha is through civil disobedience, when Gandhi burns the passes that are
required by South Africans to hold and the Salt March of 1930. Another way is through non-cooperation, when
boycotted British cotton. He used non-cooperation to refuse paying for British taxes and services.
Source 3: Nationalistic Poster
1. Gandhi created national unity to achieve his political ends by helping the masses forget about their distinct
religions and ethnicities and work together as a single movement.
2. Hinduism advocates non-violence and the unity of all.
