Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, his full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was an Indian lawyer,anti-nationalist, and political ethicist. Mahatma Gandhi was responsible for employing nonviolent resistance and led a successful campaign for India’s Independence from the British government rule which to date is considered to be the most inspiring movement for civil rights and freedom all across the world.
Mahatma Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu family in Gujarat, India. His father’s name was Karamchand Gandhi and his mother’s name was Putili bai. From an early age, his mother made sure to teach him the importance of honesty and nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi trained in law at the inner temple, London, and was called to practice at the age of 22 but due to some circumstances, he was unable to practice law in India which led to him moving to South Africa in n1893, to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. Mahatma Gandhi went on and lived twenty-one years in South Africa where he raised a family. During his stay in South Africa, he had to face a lot of discrimination due to the fact that he was an Indian. There was an incident where he was thrown out of a train only because he refused to give up his seat for a white man.
In the year 1915, at the age of 45, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India and organized nonviolent farmers and urban labourers to protest against the excessive land tax and the discrimination they were facing against British rule. After being appointed to be the leader of the national congress in the year 1921, Mahatma Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity, and erasing or easing poverty, ending untouchability, and above all achieving swaraj or self-rule.
Mahatma Gandhi was able to achieve the mission of independent India where the Indians are respected for who they are on August 15, 1947. He was able to enlighten people and also gave people an opportunity to make a difference in society. Throughout his career as a political leader, Gandhi has given a few speeches that led to different independence movements. Gandhi was a leader, a leader who the people of the country trusted with all of their hearts, a leader who inspired everyone to take part in a better future through his speeches. There have been many speeches of Mahatma Gandhi that led to Indian Independence.
In this article, we are going to discuss in detail all the famous Mahatma Gandhi speeches and the impact they had on the people, and also the role they played in getting India its independence. Along with the discussion of the Gandhi speeches, we are also gonna answer the frequently asked questions on Mahatma Gandhi famous speech
Mahatma Gandhi Famous Speech
Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, political leader, freedom fighter, and anti-nationalist. He was one of the greatest leaders of our country. He along with other freedom fighters is majorly responsible for the Indian Independence from British rule. He has been known all around the world for his nonviolent approach to fighting against inequality and other issues which directly violate human rights. Mahatma Gandhi was a very good leader and one quality of a leader that is common all around the world is that they are able to guide the people for a better future and also help everyone to fight against discrimination. Because of his leadership quality, he was imprisoned by the British government many times. The determination of Mahatma Gandhi for Indian Independence led to a movement where every person throughout the country was united to non violently fight against the British government and this determination of Mahatma Gandhi shook the foundation of the entire British Rule.
Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday is on October 2nd and every year it is celebrated in India as Gandhi Jayanthi, a national holiday, and worldwide his birthday is celebrated as the International Day of nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the father of the nation all across India and is also called Bapu. He is remembered for his words of wisdom in his great deeds and struggles for the country. On the occasion of the 151st birthday of Mahatma Gandhi let us all look into a few of the greatest speeches of Mahatma Gandhi that led to the freedom of our country. These speeches are considered
to be the ashes that ignited the fire inside every Indian all across the country to fight for Indian independence.
Best Gandhi Speeches
Banaras Hindu University Speech (February 04, 1916)
Dandi March Speech (11th of March 1930)
Round Table Conference Speech (30th of November 1931)
The Quit India Movement Speech (8th of August 1942)
Speech on Kashmir Issue, At a Prayer Meeting (4th of January 1948)
Speech on the Day Before His Last Fast (12th of January 1948)
Banaras Hindu University Speech (February 04, 1916)
On February 04, 1916, Mahatma Gandhi was invited by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to speak on the occasion of the opening of the Banaras Hindu University. Among Mahatma Gandhi, the other invited guests were The royal kings and princes, Annie Besant. Everyone was in shock at the speech which Gandhi gave that day. Mahatma Gandhi mainly focused on the importance of the Indian language while he was giving the speech.
Mahatma Gandhi was sharply criticizing the overuse of the English language and also demanded self-government or Independent India had jolted the audience for the first time. During this speech, he also showed signs of taking on the leadership of the country’s freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi also made sure to discuss the importance of cleanliness especially in public areas and in trains. He also said that if we as Indians are not able to clean the places where we worship or travel, how can we ever be able to manage the government.
Mahatma Gandhi during his speech also challenged the British government and demanded an Independent India and also made sure to give the British government a message that if India is not given independence then we will forcefully take it by ourselves via the nonviolent way. This was the very first speech that went on and grew into a wildfire culminating in India’s freedom from the British government.
Dandi March Speech (11th of March 1930)
On 11th March 1930, there was a mass gathering of more than ten thousand people and there was an evening prayer held on the Sabarmati sands at Ahmedabad. It was on that evening that Mahatma Gandhi delivered the famous Dandi March speech. The speech which he gave during that evening mainly was a roadmap of the famous civil disobedience movement. He made sure to let the people know that no matter what happens after the march and if he lives or dies, the mode of operation should be nonviolence and peace. Every section of the society was invited to come forward and participate in the civil disobedience movement. The march started with the manufacturing of salt from the seawater along with the followers and also called upon every fellow Indians to defy the taxes which were imposed by the British government. He asked all the Indians to give up foreign clothes and liquor, resist taxes imposed by the government and the British courts and offices. This speech had such an impact that not only did this speech ask every Indian to join the freedom struggle and also challenged colonial rule but also decades later influenced the Civil rights movement in the United States of America. Mahatma Gandhi also requested all the women to participate in the march and said that they should come forward and stand shoulder to shoulder with the men in the struggle. The Dandi March speech is considered to be a very important event as it introduced the term ‘satyagraha’ in every Indian psyche.
Round Table Conference Speech (30th of November 1931)
The round table conference speech was given by Mahatma Gandhi at the round table conference which was held in London on 30th November 1931. During this conference, the British tried to convince all the Indian leaders to accept the British government and all the rules and laws citing communal disharmony. The bold and courageous Mahatma Gandhi called the British bluff and showed the unity of Indians and the spirit. He said that the people of India are united and there is no disharmony between them due to religion. There were actually no conflicts between the people with different religions but as soon as the Britishers arrived and along with them the policies, there was a division among the people of India.
Mahatma Gandhi was bold enough to demand the British to offer self-government activity to India through his speech.
The Quit India Movement Speech (8th of August 1942)
On the day of the Quit India movement, Mahatma Gandhi gave a speech to the people at the Kranti ground in Bombay. The speech of Mahatma Gandhi included many important points but mostly in his speech he focused on the idea and the importance of non-violence. He said that to get independence everyone should follow a nonviolent approach and the draft resolution of the working committee of the congress is written on the foundation of ahimsa and anyone who does not trust the nonviolence approach to attain independence can separate themselves from the operation.
During this speech, he gave many examples and the situations of the resolutions from history which were fought with the weapons and eventually lost. He said that a person who fights for freedom with only the violent approach will have the blood of his comrades on his hands. He made sure to let the people know that we as Indians are fighting against the non-democratic British rule and its government and not the British people. He said to not hate or have a sour feeling for other English people but to treat everyone with respect. Mahatma Gandhi finally concluded the speech by saying the very famous slogan ‘’Do or die’’. The slogan was a message to every Indian across the country that made sure to say that the fight for the independence of India is the endgame and no one will stop until and unless we get what we want. The Quit India movement speech became an open challenge to the British government from Mahatma Gandhi who was speaking for the millions of Indians across the country to give our country independence.
Speech on Kashmir Issue, At a Prayer Meeting (4th of January 1948)
On the 4th of January 1948, after the evening of the prayer meeting, Mahatma Gandhi had to discuss the tension which arose between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. From the beginning, Mahatma Gandhi did not want any kind of conflicts between India and Pakistan as he was a follower of peace and nonviolence from the beginning. He was a firm believer that anything could be solved by discussing and therefore he wanted that India and Pakistan should initiate a dialogue system to find a solution to the problem. From the beginning, he did not support the idea of partitioning as he believed that if India went through partition there would be conflicts in the future based on religion. He always believed that we Indians are the strongest when we are united together irrespective of whatever religion we belong to. After the partition was done and when the conflict arose between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, Mahatma Gandhi highlighted the importance of the United Nations in initiating a settlement between the two countries.
Speech on the Day Before His Last Fast (12th of January 1948)
India had achieved independence but it was achievable through the hard work of many people and it came with a terrible price which the people of India are still paying. Mahatma Gandhi was a firm believer of nonviolence and peace among everyone but when he saw the communal riots happening in front of him, that broke him completely. The one thing which he believed and fought for was peace and a country where everyone is free but he was seeing a sight where people were fighting based on religion, he was devastated by it. Mahatma Gandhi was surrounded by sorrows and he started to fast to spread communal love, harmony, nonviolence, and respect to each other. In this speech, Mahatma Gandhi highlighted the importance of fast as a penalty and he also requested communal harmony between all the communities in India. He was very disappointed by the enmity shown by people belonging to different religions. The speech on the day before his fast was the last recorded speech of Mahatma Gandhi before he was assassinated.
Conclusion on Mahatma Gandhi Famous Speeches
It has been more than 70 years since Indian Independence from the British government and still, the Gandhi speeches are relevant in modern times. Mahatma Gandhi’s speeches are the best example of how words could change and inspire people to do the work. When Indians were tortured and discriminated against and were not given basic human rights, Mahatma Gandhi rose to the occasion and fought for those people. He taught us the concept of nonviolence and how it could win a war without even raising a sword. Mahatma Gandhi's famous speeches have inspired people all across the world to fight for their rights in a nonviolent way. Even to this day where everything is developing within a matter of days, there has been violence and crimes all across the world. Crime based on the name of religions, discrimination of people based on their colour. Gandhi showed us the way to fight all these discriminations and it was the way of ‘Ahimsa’ or nonviolence. The path that was shown by Mahatma Gandhi is very essential to make the world the best and peaceful.
FAQs on Famous Speeches of Mahatma Gandhi: Lessons from History
1. List Out all the Important Mahatma Gandhi Famous Speeches?
Throughout his fight for independent India, Mahatma Gandhi has given six speeches that are considered to be the most important and they are
Benaras Hindu University Speech (February 04, 1916)
Dandi March Speech (11th of March 1930)
Round Table Conference Speech (30th of November 1931)
The Quit India Movement Speech (8th of August 1942)
Speech on Kashmir Issue, At a Prayer Meeting (4th of January 1948)
Speech on the Day Before His Last Fast (12th of January 1948)
2. Which was the Last Gandhi Speech?
On the 12th of January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi gave his last speech which is called the “Speech on the day before his last fast”. He was fasting to send a message to the people of India to stop killing each other in the name of religion. Gandhi was a firm believer in nonviolence and when he saw that his people were fighting and disturbing the peace and harmony of the country just because of religion, he decided to fast which he considered was a penalty for all the violence happening in the country, In his speech, he said that he did not fight for the country just to see its people fighting each other based and religion. This is considered to be his last speech before his assassination.
3. I would like to find more about Mahatma Gandhi, where can I find it?
In the year 1869, on the second of October Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in a small city situated in the Kathiawar peninsula, called Porbandar. Mahatma Gandhi studied law at the inner temple, London, but at the age of 22 when he returned back to India for the practice, he could not find much employment. And hence went to South Africa in 1983, in order to represent the Indian merchant in a lawsuit. And after returning from there he joined the Indian freedom struggle.
4. Where can I find the best speeches of Mahatma Gandhi?
If you are looking for the famous and the best speeches on Mahatma Gandhi, then you do not have to go anywhere else, because you have already arrived at the right place, that is to say, you can find the best speeches of Mahatma Gandhi at Vedantu. Though all the speeches that Mahatma Gandhi has given are the best and great, Vedantu has selected six speeches out of many, and Vedantu provides the same to the students, and that too in English.
5. Why choose Vedantu for the best speeches of Mahatma Gandhi?
Throughout his entire life Mahatma Gandhi had given so many speeches and in each speech of Mahatma Gandhi teaches us something, but Vedantu has selected the six speeches given on the six most important time periods of Indian history and provides these speeches to the students to read and learn life lessons. Also, Vedantu provides all the speeches in English and hence for the students of English medium, it becomes really easy to understand and comprehend the same. And hence you must choose Vedantu for the best speeches of Mahatma Gandhi.
