GANDHI’S IDEA OF BASIC EDUCATION & SATYAGRAHA.

Abstract

Mohandas Karamchand, popularly knew as Mahatma Gandhi or Bapu. He was born at Porbandar on 2 Oct, 1869. Gandhi was the youngest of four children in his family. Gandhi was the member of Hindu religion which meant he was not allowed to eat meat or drink wine. After completed his early education in India Gandhi went to England for higher education. In 1891, he returned to India after obtaining Degree in Law. He set up his practice as a lawyer first at Bombay and then at Kathiawar. He was unable to have good practice because he took up a job with a firm having business in South Africa. In South Africa he saw the racial discrimination being practiced against the non-whites and organized the Indians living there to fight for their rights and freedoms. Satyagraha is one of the important ideas of Gandhi’s thought. It was originated in South Africa in 1906. “Satyagraha” is the Sanskrit words satya meaning “truth” and Agraha “polite insistence” or “holding family to”, In the context of satyagraha, truth therefore includes, (a) Truth in speech, as opposed to falsehood, (b) what is real, as opposed to non-existent and (c) good as opposed to evil, or bad. It is one of the weapons to fight against injustice. It is intimately related to his concept of non-violence. Satyagraha means “holding fast of truth”. The objective of Satyagraha was to eradicate the evil or to reform the opponent. The techniques of satyagraha are, non-co-operation, civil-disobedience, fasting, hijarat etc.In this paper an attempt has been made to study Gandhi’s views and techniques of Satyagraha and essential features of basic education.