Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement
A people's leader
Analyse the rumours about Gandhi and his organisation.
By the early 1920s, the national movement had become a movement of the people: peasants, workers and artisans joined in large numbers. Many called Gandhi 'Mahatma' (great soul).
He identified with ordinary Indians in the way he lived and dressed. He wore a simple dhoti, and spent part of each day working on the charkha (spinning wheel). Spinning stood for self-reliance, and helped break the barrier between mental and manual labour.
Ordinary people built rumours around him. The historian Shahid Amin found that in eastern Uttar Pradesh, stories spread that Gandhi had miraculous powers: that those who opposed him met misfortune, and those who followed him were blessed.
His appeal was backed by organisation. New Congress branches were set up across India; Praja Mandals were formed in the princely states to promote nationalism; and Gandhi encouraged communicating in the mother tongue, reorganising provincial Congress committees on a linguistic basis.
His followers came from many regions and faiths, and included rich businessmen like G. D. Birla. After his release in 1924, he turned to social reform: promoting home-spun cloth (khadi), and working to abolish untouchability and improve Hindu-Muslim relations. Appeal plus organisation.
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