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Gandhi's Teachers : Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta
Upon reaching Bombay Gandhi was received and welcomed by Gokhale. He urged Gandhi to participate in the Indian freedom struggle and promised his support and guidance. He advised Gandhi to first become familiar with the conditions of Indian people by traveling widely in India. Gandhi accepted his advice and for months traveled in different parts of India. The British rulers became apprehensive of Gandhi's travels and feared negative consequences. Gandhi, however, made it clear to them that he will hide nothing and all his activities will remain in the open as was the case in South Africa. After finishing his travels, Gandhi joined the Indian Congress Party and participated in the Indian freedom struggle. Much of what happened afterwards is detailed in Gandhi's Autobiography: My Experiments With Truth. Here, a few examples of his role in the Indian freedom struggle have been presented.
Champaran Struggle
The Champaran struggle is an example of Gandhi's role in the Indian freedom struggle. Tinkathia system in Bihar required the tenants to plant indigo in three out of every twenty parts of the land. This compulsory planting posed financial hardships for the tenants and they requested Gandhi to come and alleviate their difficulties. Gandhi accepted the invitation and proceeded with his inquiry in spite of an eviction order against him by the British rulers. He heard complaints of the tenants in the presence of C.I.D. officials and also listened to the viewpoints of the landlords. Gandhi's effort eventually resulted in an official inquiry and the century-old Tinkathia system was abolished. Through the Champaran struggle Gandhi demonstrated to the public some principles of the Satyagraha struggle. The public learned for the first time how to present nonviolent resistance to unfair laws and respect the fair laws, how to direct the struggle against tyranny and not against the tyrant, how to win government functionaries as sympathizers by not making them
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