________________
An Appraisal of of Gandhi and his ideas/226
tree, bringing the peace there. Through love, truth and non-violence he could ultimately undo Pakistan had he survived. God willed otherwise to test further these people.
South Africa was used as laboratory for testing his ideas in context of perfecting his weapons of non - violent movements to fight for rights of Indians there. He already suffered brick-bats, blows, kicks, humiliations, and even imprisonment for 249 days during his struggle for 21 years there. First such encounter to bolden him was the brutal treatment at Maritzburg Railway Station to be thrown out of the First Class Compartment, during a very cold night. He mused and prayed the God of Geeta. With dawn, came courage and fortitude to carry on the struggle for decades there and ultimately on going through Unto the Last (by Ruskin) became capable to renounce his lucrative practice of earning of $5000 annually and possessions. He had befriended Gopal Krishan Gokhale then itself and till then worked under his guidance since arrived in 1914 in India.
He travelled far and wide in India with his mouth shut and ears open for 2-4 years on Gokhale's advice and felt for India himself. He dwarfed all other leaders by his organizational skills, staunch faith in his novel means of non-violent-civil-disobedience-movement, selflessly and sacrifices earning title of "Mahatma" from the world renowned poet-Ravindra Nath Tagore.
His was astoundingly successful movement in Champaran in Bihar for ameliorating the worst conditions of Indigo-Workers of foreign-planters. Then raising his
