When did Gandhi ji came from Africa?
VerifiedAnswer: 1915
Explanation:
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915. This marked a significant turning point in both Gandhi's life and India's struggle for independence. After spending 21 years in South Africa fighting against racial discrimination and developing his philosophy of non-violent resistance, Gandhi was ready to apply these principles to India's freedom movement.
Gandhi's journey to South Africa began in 1893 when he was just 24 years old. He went there as a young lawyer to represent an Indian trading company in a legal case. During his time in South Africa, he experienced firsthand the harsh realities of racial discrimination and apartheid policies that affected the Indian community living there.
The most transformative moment came when Gandhi was thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg station despite holding a first-class ticket, simply because he was Indian. This incident sparked his determination to fight against injustice and inequality. It was in South Africa that Gandhi developed and refined his concept of Satyagraha (truth-force or non-violent resistance), which would later become the cornerstone of India's independence movement.
When Gandhi returned to India in 1915, he was already an experienced leader and activist. However, following the advice of his political mentor Gopal Krishna Gokhale, he spent his first year in India traveling across the country to understand the ground realities and the problems faced by ordinary Indians. This period helped him connect with the masses and understand India's diverse social and economic challenges.
Gandhi's return in 1915 marked the beginning of a new era in India's freedom struggle. Within a few years of his return, he would lead major movements like the Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Kheda Satyagraha (1918), and the historic Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922). The methods and principles he had developed and tested in South Africa would prove instrumental in mobilizing millions of Indians in the fight for independence from British colonial rule.
