lord krishna

Top 10 Greatest things done by Mahatma

Top 10 Greatest things done by Mahatma Gandhi

There is absolutely no second thought when anyone says that Mahatma Gandhi was the among best person who ever existed. With the amount of good work that he did for the people and the society earned him the title of Bapu. Still when he is not around, there are lots and lots of respect provided to him by the people situated in every corner of the world. Among the numerous number of work which he had done for the betterment of the society we have here listed the top ten such greatest things which makes him even more great. Here follows the list next.

10. Started Salt March

In the year 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started the Salt March from the place called as Ahmedabad. His march continued for 388 kilometers to the place called as Dandi which is in Gujarat. He started this salt march against the Britishers who were imposing the salt law on the people who were involved in the salt business in Gujarat. This not only destroyed their business but was also an extra unnecessary burden on them. On 12 March he started this march to show the Britishers that they will not act according to their will. This march continued till 6 April and many people from around the country joined this march.

9. Wrote His Autobiography

All through his life Gandhiji led his life with example and then later on he wrote his own autobiography which was named as “The Story of My Experiments with Truth”. This autobiography covered every little aspect of Gandhi’s life, his struggles in South Africa and then in India. It also covered his childhood struggle which made him such a noble person. This autobiography is like an inspiration for the millions of people who have read it. They learnt the fact that there might be hundreds of problem in your life but we should not get frightened from them and should make them our source of motivation.

8. Set Example for People to Follow his Footsteps

There is no second thought the today there are millions of people around the globe as well as many organisation which are working on the teachings of this noble man. He gave society the new idea so as to how things can be done without any kind of unnecessary violence and all through his life he did so many good things that it gives inspiration to the people so as to how they should live their life too. He taught that we should think our self as superior to any other people and should live with humanity and love for everyone. Many international leaders such as Martin Luther King and other followed his footsteps so as to work for the betterment of the society.

7. Fought for the People Who Were Considered as Untouchables

One of the major thing for which Mahatma Gandhi fought all through his life was the fact that he considered every single person as the same and according to him there is absolutely no reason why anyone should be discriminated on the basis of this. And so while he was in South Africa or in India he fought against it. He treated every single person with same attitude and that is something which is incredible. His teaching on this which says not to discriminate people on the basis of race, religion, and sex is something which should be followed for the betterment of the society.

6. Started Non Cooperation Movement

Right in the year 1920, when Mahatma Gandhi left the Indian National Congress and was fighting for India’s freedom struggle with some of his trusted people and his newly launched Swaraj Party, he started the Non Cooperation movement in which the people were involved in a large scale. They just started not to cooperate in every little thing which was done under the guidance of the British authorities and forced them to think about their future stay in the country. He called off his non-cooperation movement when Chauri Chaura incident took place as it was against its principles.

5. Started Civil Disobedience Movement

In the year 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started a new movement with the aim to throw the Britishers out of the country and save the people from the clutches of the ruthless Britishers. This movement is said to be the one of the milestone which ever happened in India’s freedom struggle. This civil disobedience movement was started to slap the Britishers face by not following the laws which were made according to their constitutions and according to Mahatma Gandhi this was also done by following the foot step of non-violence. This is one such incident which shook the Britishers from its core.

4. Gave INC New Agenda and Principles

Just after Gandhiji returned from South Africa where he was fighting for civil rights, he joined the Indian National Congress along with the support of different leaders which were there in Indian National Congress. It was in the year 1915 that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi took over the reign as the party president of the INC and then in his tenure while being the Congress president, he gave the party and its follower’s new principles and ideas to work upon. Although his ideas were rejected by many fellow leaders and that became the reason why he left INC and formed a new party named as Swaraj Party.

3. Follower of Non Violence

Mahatma Gandhi was the true follower of the non-violence and he believed that there was absolutely no need of violence in getting the things done as per the need. He believed that the same things can be done even you follow the non-violence approach. Although the path of the non-violence is something in which there will be more struggle and efforts but then it is far more beneficial as it does not involve any loss of human life, which is the most important thing. He believed there is no such thing which can’t be obtained while following the foot step on the roads of non-violence.

2. Started Civil Rights Movement in South Africa

When Mahatma Gandhi went to the South Africa to practice law, he was very much disappointed by the attitude that people had for the people belonging to certain section of the society. He felt that the discrimination that was made was absolutely not right and this should be avoided so that South Africa can progress in every field. There were large sections of people in the South Africa who not only supported him in his noble cause but also came forward to work for it. Finally it was his effort and hard work in this field which made thing good in South Africa.

1. Led India’s Freedom Struggle

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the prime people who led the India’s freedom struggle. We can say that it was his idea to lead the freedom struggle of the country with the aim of non-violence. With his determined approach, this made the Britishers think about their stay in India. Whenever we will talk about the freedom struggle which took place in India and how India managed to get back from the clutches of the Britishers, Mahatma Gandhi is the first person who will be remembered then. His efforts in this field proved to be one such thing which motivated millions of people across the country to fight for their freedom.

Top 10 Facts about Shaheed Bhagat Singh

Top 10 Facts about Shaheed Bhagat Singh

Who is a leader? He is that fool who dares to go beyond the obvious, he is that person who turns left when everyone is going right, he is that person who raise the voice when all the others are deeply lost in slumber, he is that person who does not stand behind the line but stands somewhere where no one has ever stood before. That fool becomes the leader when other people join him. A person alone cannot do anything, a person alone is powerless, individually he is helpless unless others join him and he is the most powerful when he has numbers.

Shaheed bhaghat Singh is one of those people who had the courage of going beyond the obvious, who did something no one ever did before, that young man at the age of 23 choose death. The sky still remembers the smile, the joy and the composure on the faces of those three friends, few moments before being hanged to death they were frolicking & frisking as were they were going for an adventure. When death was few moments away, they were not scared; they were content as if they were lined up for the distribution of the gold medal they have earned. Few seconds before begin hanged to death, they were not thinking about saving their lives or dying but they were arguing with each other about who shall be hanged first.

Bhagat Singh was born on 28 September 1907 in Faisalabad, India to a Sikh family, to a family who was already involved in the fight for independence. He along with his two friends; sukhdevand raj guru was handed to death on 23 march 1931. They were imprisoned for the charge of the killing of a police man, when they went to jail and saw the situations of the prisoners and just couldn’t endure it. He knew he is going to die, but he was not sad, he was happy; he wanted to die because he knew that his death would bring the change he couldn’t bring in his life and his death did bring a very massive refinement. His death created a very big chaos not only in India but globally. Shaheed bhagat Singh’s life was a very short lived one but during this brief period he did such big things that today after so many years he is recognized as the symbol of martyrdom, but bhagat Singh was a human, he was a son, a boy, a human, a friend, he had life like all of us, he also had likes and dislikes which we do not know about, so the top ten thing you do not know about bhagat Singh are:

10. He studied at the national college Lahore:

Like all the children he was born into a loving and caring family, he did become a leader later but in the beginning he was a normal child who received normal education.  Bhaghat Singh’s family enrolled him at the Dayanand Anglo Vedic High school and after completing his schooling he got admitted at the national college Lahore.

9. He was fluent in 5 languages:

Bhagat was a highly intelligent person; he had a very sharp brain. At an early age he learned multiple languages and became fluent in them. He learns English, Arabic, Polish, French and Swedish.

8. His childhood dream was the independence of India:

Bhagat Singh like all the other children of his age did not dream about getting a good life for him, he dreamed of something else, he wanted to bring peace and independence in India; he wanted to create a better life not for himself but for other people. And in the end he did that, he gave up his life for the sake of his country.

7. He ran from his house:

Bhagat Singh at an early age made his mind about what he wanted from life, at a quite early age he entered the spiritual world, now for him this material world was nothing, the lust couldn’t lure him. His parents wanted to get him married and he didn’t want to get married. He didn’t want a bride, he wanted martyrdom therefore he ran from his house leaving behind a letter which explained his family his motives.

6. He coined inquilab zindabad:

Yes the most famous slogan at the time of independence, the slogan which was the foundation of the Indian independent movement, the slogan which till today is widely used was coined by bhagat Singh. He after throwing the bomb in the central assembly ran from there, and he was chanting he slogan of inquilab zindabad.

5. He was a writer:

Bhagat Singh was a great write, he wrote for several news papers after he got released from the jail. But when he was imprisoned for the second time, he went on a protest, he knew he was going to die, he was to be hanged. So he started writing a dairy, in that dairy he poured out his heart. He also wrote an article named as “why am I atheist?” which gave a comprehension of why he lost believe in God.  His work was later published after his execution.

4. He was an actor:

Most of the people do not know that bhagat Singh is an ancestor of the bollywood star aamir khan, aamir khan’s family has been in acting for a long time but have you ever though from where did his acting talent came. It came from bhagat Singh, bhagat was a brilliant actor and he appeared in various plays in his college as Rana Pratap, Samrat Chandragupta, and Bharata durdesha.

3. He didn’t agree with Gandhi:

Although Mahatma Gandhi and bhagat Singh both wanted the independence of India but their ways where different and their ideologies were poles apart. Gandhi strongly opposed bhagat’s act of violence and bhagat on the other hand did not agree with Gandhi’s peaceful way. Bhagat said that a man like Gandhi who himself has never indulges in the middles class people can never understand the pain of poor people.

2. He was an atheist:Bhagat Singh was born to a Sikh family and was raised as a Sikh, since his childhood he was taught to pray regularly and he knew all the versus by heart which he used to recite the entire day. It was after reading the work of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky that his religious belief started to limp; his belief in God vanished after he understood the reality of this world.  When in jail, he left praying and started to address himself as an atheist.

1. He was non-violent:

Bhagat singh was not a violent man, it was the circumstances which had compelled him to act in such a way, the last thing he wanted was violence but he had no choice. He never meant harm to any human, the bombs which he along with his friends threw at the central Assembly were not severe, and they material they used were a very low grade explosive.  The murder of Saunderwas too a case of mistaken identity.

Gandhi’s life and his work in brief

Gandhi’s life and his work in brief

Birth and Parents Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar. Mohandas or Mohan was youngest of the three sons of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi. The latter had been Prime Minister successively in three Kathiawar States. He was straight and true as steel, known for his steadfastness and loyalty. The little house were Gandhi was born is today the "Kirti Mandir". Early Influences Putlibai was a traditional Indian woman, devoted to her home and family, deeply religious and austere. These qualities left a deep impression on young Gandhi. Another powerful influence of Gandhi’s early life was seeing King Harishchandra, in the play, suffer for, but finally triumph in, his adherence to Truth. The boy Gandhi aspired to do no less. Schooling At school, first the primary at Porbandar, and later the Albert High School, Rajkot, Gandhi showed no particular brilliance, played no games, avoided company. He read little beyond text books, but respected his teacher, though, even at his biding, he would not copy from his neighbour’s answers. Kasturba and Laxmidas Marriage with Kasturba, at the age of thirteen, was almost play. But Gandhi began as a jealous and possessive husband; he wanted to make his illiterate wife an ideal one. The other person he was much attached to was his eldest brother Laxmidas. When their father was no more, it was Laxmidas who helped to educate him and sent him to England for legal studies. In London Putlibai let Gandhi go abroad only after he vowed to lead a chaste and simple life. For a while Gandhi was tempted to ape English dress and manners. But soon he returned to simplicity. A vegetarian by tradition he soon became one by conviction, joining and working actively for the London Vegetarian Society. He was called to the Bar in June 1891. The challenge in South Africa In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to handle a case. But though his legal work was soon over, he remained there for 21 years, fighting for Indian rights and defending indentured labour in low courts against discrimination. In this he was assisted by European staff and associates like Polak and Kallenbach. Ashram Settlement In founding and running his Ashram settlement at Phoenix and Tolstoy farm, Gandhi was much influenced by Tolstoy and Ruskin towards leading a simple community life. The third of "the moderns" who impressed Gandhi was Raj Chandra, the Jain philosopher and intellectual. Service in hour of need Gandhi combined his opposition to wrong with the compassion for the wrong-doer. During the Boer war and the Zulu rebellion he helped the Government at the hour of its need, by raising Indian Ambulance and Stretcher-bearer Corps which served close to the line of fire. Gandhi was awarded medals for this service. The Indian struggle The Natal India congress founded by Gandhi in 1894, on lines similar to the Indian National Congress, and later the British Indian committee in the Transvaal fought against restriction on Indian trade, movement and residence. During the campaign against the ‘Black’ Registration Act, Gandhi lit a grand bonfire of thousands of the registration certificates. The Tolstoy Farm The Passive Resistance Struggle was to be long-drawn-out. Thousands of satyagrahis suffered imprisonment, loss of property, trade. Tolstoy farm was built by Gandhi on land donated by Kallenbach, as a colony for housing satyagrahis families. They did farming, grew fruit, followed simple crafts and conducted school — all noble experiments in community living. Gokhale The Great March: - Gokhale visited south Africa in 1892, and studied the Indian problems first-hand. He met government leaders and securing promise of relief counselled Indian moderation. But government failure to abolish the 5 poll-tax drove them to despair. In November 1913, Gandhi led the ‘Great March’ from Natal into the Transvaal, defying law. The Martyrs After Gandhi, Polak and Kallenbach were arrested and jailed. Woman too courted imprisonment. Later the government released them and set up the Solomon commission of inquiry. C. F. Andrews and Person visited South Africa and interceded with the Government. Gandhi attend the unveiling of a memorial for Martyrs like Nagappan and Vilvilliamma. The Mahatma Leaves The Indian relief passed, Gandhi decided to return to India. After receiving farewell tributes, the Mahatma left South Africa in July 1914. When in England, enroute home, the great war broke out. Gandhi helped to raise an Indian Volunteer Corps. In December, Gandhi and Kasturba sailed for India. Voyage home On the voyage home, Gandhi wondered what was in store for him, he prayed "Lead Kindly Light". Back in India with Kasturba, clad in simple Kathiawadi clothes, Gandhi turned to Gokhale, his "Political Guru", for guidance. He was advised to closed study of scene, while refraining for making political speeches. Hero’s welcome The man in South Africa, who had striven valiantly, through satyagraha, for his peoples' honour and human dignity, received a Hero’s welcome everywhere. He traveled widely north and south, mostly by third class of the railways. Visiting Shantiniketan to meet Gurudev—Rabindranath – Tagore – was like going on a pilgrimage. Honoured by all In Madras Natesan described Gandhi as the embodiment of godliness and the wisdom of the saint and Kasturba as the incarnation of wifely virtue. In may 1915, Gandhi settled down at Kochrab, near Ahmedabad, where he founded the Satyagraha ashram. Honours came to him-the Kaiser-I-Hind and other medals for his ambulance services in war. Champaran Satyagraha Outward trappings meant little to Gandhi. At Banaras he blamed the Princes for their love of finery. At Allahabad he declared material progress of little worth without morality. Gandhi's first satyagraha test in India came in Champaran, Bihar, in 1917 and it led to inquiry into the evil Indigo system and help to end it. Sabarmati Ashram When in 1917 plague broke out at Kochrab, Gandhi moved his Ashram to Sabarmati. Hriday Kunj became his abode ; Kasturba lived in a separate Kuti, bound by her husband’s vow of brahmacharya. Close at hand were the grounds where Gandhi gathered Ashram inmates, morning and evening, for prayer. Satyagraha again Lokmanya Tilak dominated Indian politics at this time. But, in 1918, Gandhi emerged into National Leadership through satyagraha – for remission of land revenue in famine-stricken Kheda district; also the Ahmedabad Mills-hands’ strike, during which he fasted, lest strikers weaken. At prayer meetings under a tree, he called for discipline and concern for duties, not merely rights. Bitter Fruit The end of the great war brought India no freedom, only more repression. Gandhi called for country-wide hartal to protest against the Rowlatt Act Of 1919. In mosques and on beaches he preached Satyagraha; pacified rioters at Bombay and Ahmedabad; but Jallianwala in Punjab was to witness an unprecedented and cold blooded massacre. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre People massed in thousands, to protest against Govt. repressive policy, at Jallianwala Bagh. Determined to "Make an example of them", the Government ordered troops to fire on the unarmed crowd. Hundreds died. Martial law and a reign of terror followed. Deeply shocked Gandhi returned his war decorations, decided to non-cooperate with a government that was evil. Non-cooperation is Born The Indian National Congress at Calcutta approved of non-cooperation: boycott of law-courts, government educational institutions and foreign goods. Gandhi saw it as the only alternative to violence for redress of the Khilafats and the Punjab wrongs. The founding of Gujarat Vidyapith in November 1920 was a symbol of the national re-awakening. Swaraj fund-Swadeshi "Swaraj in one year" was Gandhi’s slogan. Leaders of many shades came together, as at Madras, but few trusted Swaraj could came so quickly. The people rising to Gandhi’s call, raised a 10 million rupee memorial fund for Tilak who died on August 1, 1920. A year later a spectacular bonfire of foreign cloth ushered in the era of Swadeshi. From Yerawada to Belgaum 1922 saw an eclipse: following violence at Chauri Chaura, Gandhi suspended non-cooperation. Arrested for seditious writings for Young India and tried March 18, he was sentenced to six years, but an operation of appendicitis brought early release from Yerawada Prison. 1924 was to see him once again at the helm at a Belgaum congress. ‘Unity’ Fast In September 1924, Gandhi imposed on himself a 21 days fast to end Hindu-Muslim tension, an act of religion which taught him to love all equally. It restored peace in the riot-ridden country, brought all leaders together, led to some cleansing of hearts. It resulted in a communal truce. Deshbandhu’s Death 1925 was a year of calamity: Deshbandhu C. R. Das, Swarajist leader, died in June at Darjeeling where Gandhi had just spent some days with him. It had brought nearer, the Mahatma who preached non-cooperation, and Deshbandhu who gave fight to the Government to the councils. Disconsolate at his death, Gandhi wrote a touching obituary in the glow of the funeral pyre. On many fronts 1925-28 provided two landmarks of Gandhi’s leadership; Vaikom Satyagraha for giving untouchables use of temple roads, and the founding of All-India Spinner’s Association. For the rest the stage was occupied by Lajpat Rai, martyred during the Simon Commission boycott, hero of the Bardoli Satyagraha, Motilal Nehru, author of the Constitution Report, and Jawaharlal, champion of the "Complete Independence" resolution at the Calcutta congress. Wheel of Time And so the Wheel of time turned on. Gandhi’s use of the bicycle- a rare performance in order to be punctual at a meeting – indicated the lengths he was ready to go. And his constant companion, the spinning wheel, remained with him wherever he went, an instrument which spun the destiny of the country and symbolised his identification with the poor. Salt Satyagraha 1929-30: "The Year of Grace". Gandhi was gathering his forces for onslaught on the citadel of authority. The "Salt Satyagraha" was not merely a protest against taxing the poor man’s diet, or a disobedience of the salt laws. In Gandhi’s eyes it was a "battle of right against might". While the world wondered, the "Dandi March" became the "first shot" in this unique fight. Dandi March Small though the chosen band, its 200 mile march to the sea recalled the other "Great March" of 1913 Gandhi had led in South Africa. He had sent viceroy Irwin an "Ultimatum" before embarking on civil disobedience. On "bended knees" he had asked "for bread and received a stone instead". On the night of may 5, 1930, they stole up to him like thieves in the night and arrested him. Truce and Release India was afire. Satyagraha, strikes, picketing, boycott of foreign goods and no-tax campaigns were the order of the day. Lakhs were jailed. Thousands suffered loss of limb, hundreds died on lathi charges, firing. Sapru, Jaykar helped to bring about a truce. Gandhi was released on June 25, 1931. While resting in Bombay, he took counsels with his associates, he wanted peace but with honour. The Nehrus Drawn into the political struggle, largely under Gandhi's influence, Motilal and Jawaharlal occupied the centre of the stage. At Allahabad they had presided over and addressed meetings attended by leaders like Kripalani, Tandon, Malaviya. When in February 1931, Motilal died, Gandhi felt "Widowed", and said, "What I have lost is loss for ever". Jawaharlal was a rich legacy. Karachi Mandate The congress met at Karachi in March, adopted a resolution moved by Jawaharlal and seconded by Badshan Khan endorsing the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. It reaffirmed the goal of "Poorna Swaraj", authorised Gandhi to represent it at the Second Round Table Conference in London. Congress also extolled the bravery of Bhagat Singh and his associates who were martyrs in the country’s struggle for freedom. Way Clear for R. T. C. Official implementation of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was partial. There was repression in the frontier province, tension in U. P. Gandhi stood by the pledge to honour the truce and acquainted Viceroy Willingdon at Simla with official branches. After a second settlement, in August, Gandhi saw the way clear for the R. T. C.; at Bombay the nation bade him speed on August 29. In Quest of Freedom Malaviya, Sarojini Naidu, Madhav and Pyarelal- his secretary, Miraben and son Devdas accompanied Gandhi. On board S.S. Rajputana he was in high spirits, chatted with other passengers, made friends and played with children, held prayer meetings, spoke, examined the ship’s instruments, dozed on the sunlit deck, and most of the time plied the spinning wheel. Friends Every Where At Suez, port side, Gandhi received Egypt’s greetings, met Indian deputations, talked to journalists. At Marseilles he met European friends, like Deenbandhu C. F. Andrews. Arriving in London on September 12, Gandhi and party proceeded to the East End, the quarter of the poor coal miners and factory hands, lived in their midst at Kingsley Hall, managed by Muriel Lester, his English hostess. Meeting the people Scotland Yard had provided two top detectives to guard him, but he needed none. Wherever Mahatma went, children and women, simple folk and sophisticated gentry flocked round him, as when Charles Chaplin, the famous comedian, called. And it is on record that it was Gandhi who made him laugh. Talking to Leaders Gandhi met many groups of intellectuals, social workers and students. Addressed many meetings. He visited coal miners cottages, east end children celebrated his birthday with candles and cakes, leaders of all shades of thought-social, political, religious- discussed India with him; for instance, the "Red Dean" of Canterbury, Dr. Hewlett Johnson. Welcome in Lancashire Gandhi visited the cotton mills District in Lancashire, hard hit by foreign cloth boycott. Looms were idle, chimneys unsmoking, men unemployed, women miserable. But when he talked to them, explained the plight of India’s peasants, they understood him and even cheered him. And he took time off to attend the Dairy Animal show at Islington and to pat the prize-winning goats. Futile Quest And in the midst of all his social calls, Gandhi attended to his main business, the Round Table Conference. He pleaded fervently with the British leaders to give his country freedom, to avoid parting of ways. But they did not listen to him and he left Britain’s shores empty-handed. On the way home at Villeneuve in Switzerland Gandhi met Romain Rolland, the French savant. Fresh Ordeal 1932: Returning to India, Gandhiji saw Willingdon’s Ordinance raj everywhere: close associates and colleagues were arrested. Soon he himself was taken to Yeravda Prison. In September he fasted against the Communal violence lying under the mango tree. He stirred the Hindu conscience, that led to the Yeravda Pact. On a second fast, in May 1933, for Harijan work, he was released. From Sabarmati to Segaon In July 1933, after the solemn last prayer, Gandhi disbanded the Sabarmati Ashram. In September he moved to Satyagraha Ashram at Wardha. Henceforth, the morning walks were on Wardha’s plains. In November, he commenced his country-wide Harijan tour, starting from Nagpur, for rousing the masses to a sense of their duty in regard to the abolition of untouchability. Tireless pilgrimage The story of Gandhiji is the story of his tireless pilgrimage throughout the length and breadth of the country for the emancipation of the dumb, downtrodden masses. The tour of 1934 had, for its aim, the upliftment of the "untouchable" whom he called the "Hari Jans" or the children of god. The Blot of Untouchability Gandhiji addressed meetings, spoke to people everywhere of the blot of untouchability and the Hindu duty to remove it. When Bihar was devastated by the earthquake in January in 1934, he rushed there to organize relief, but he considered disaster God’s punishment for the sin of the Hindus. Retirement from Congress In October 1934, at the Bombay congress he parted company. He differed from congress in the interpretation of the goal: Poorna Swaraj. For his was much more than independence. Means mattered as much as ends. The Congress session paved the way for the setting up the All-India Village Industrious Association. Constructive work Village work, Swadeshi claimed most of Gandhiji’s time and attention. Jamnalal Bajaj, J. C. Kumarappa were among those who teamed up with him. He addressed constructive workers from different parts of the country, showed keen interest in such basic things as compost-making, vital for rebuilding the village economy. Work and Prayer Harijan upliftment dominated Gandhiji’s mind; he held counsel with trusted social workers such as Thakkar Bapa. At the same time, he combined with thought and deed the act of prayer, leading the tallest of his associates to mass prayers in the Bhangi or Harijan colony. Meanwhile, the Government of India Act of 1935 was on the anvil. Plague Relief Relief to the plague-stricken had always a special appeal for Gandhiji whether in South Africa or in India. In 1935, Borsad and other Gujarat Villages suffered an epidemic. With Morarji Desai, Sardar Patel and other trusted lieutenants, Gandhiji toured them, stressed on sanitation, and educated the people in the riddance of rats. Body of Mind In his dynamic programme for the reconstruction of rural India, Gandhiji had the support of intellectuals like Nehru and Azad. While, in 1936, he presided over the Literary Conference at Nagpur and extolled the virtues of literature, he lost no opportunity to stress the dignity of labour, setting an example himself.