Mahatma Gandhi and his Work Trivia Quiz

Answer: Train station

At the Pietermaritzburg train station, railway employees ordered him out of the carriage despite him possessing a first-class ticket. This experience led him to begin the Natal Indian Congress to fight for Indian rights. He instilled a spirit of solidarity in the Indian communities there.

Answer: Satyagraha

Satyagraha means clinging to the truth, holding fast to truth, insistence on truth, come what may. Gandhi described Satyagraha as "firmness in a good cause" in Indian opinion. In Young India, he pointed out that Satyagraha was just a new name for "the law of self-suffering".

Under his leadership, he encouraged the Indian community to take a pledge and defy the law and to take all the sufferings resulting from its defiance. Thousands of Indians were imprisoned, flogged or shot during this campaign. Although the law was abolished, racial discrimination in the country still continued.

Answer: Not presenting the required registration certificate

On February 25, 1909, he was sentenced to three months of imprisonment at Transvaal for not producing the required registration certificate. In 1913, he was arrested three times for a variety of charges.

Answer: C.F. Andrews

C.F. Andrews (1871-1940) was the person who encouraged Gandhi to return to India. He was a Christian missionary, educator, social reformer and activist for Indian Independence. After 21 years in South Africa, he returned to India at the request of Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915). Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and the founder of the Servants of India Society.

Answer: Amritsar

A few days before the incident, the "Rowlatt Act" was passed by the committee headed by Sir Sydney Rowlatt. It authorized the arrest, for 2 years without trial, of any person suspected of terrorism living in British India. The act was met with widespread anger by the Indians especially in Punjab. Gandhi called for a one-day strike throughout the country.

A crowd of at least 10,000 men, women and children were gathering peacefully in the location at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab. The location was enclosed by walls with only one exit. They were attending the annual Baishakhi fair to protest against the "Rowlatt Act" and the arrest of prominent Indian leaders.

British General Reginald Dyer was tasked to maintain order as public gatherings were banned. Without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd, reportedly shooting hundreds of rounds until they ran out of ammunition. About 379 people were killed and more than 1,200 were wounded.

Answer: Self-rule

In 1919, he became a leader in the Indian National Congress Party and started the campaigns for "swaraj" which means self-rule. He worked hard to unite the Hindus and Muslims. In 1920, he started to launch non-cooperation campaign against the British, encouraging the Indians to boycott British goods, courts and government.

He was charged and sentenced to imprisonment by the British from 1922 to 1924.

Answer: Salt March

From March to April 1930, Gandhi led tens of thousands of Indians on a 24-day march. They travelled 385 km to the sea to collect their own salt to protest against a British tax on salt, resulting in 60,000 people arrested. On May 5, 1930, Gandhi was arrested at Karadi near Dandi for violating the Salt Law. He was imprisoned without trial and was released on January 26, 1931, unconditionally.

Answer: Lord Irwin

Lord Irwin served as the British Indian viceroy from 1926 to 1931. The contents of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact were:
Release of political prisoners and people arrested during the Salt March
Removal of salt tax and to allow Indians to produce their own salt
Withdrawal of all the curbs on the activities of Indian Congress Party
Participation of Indian Congress Party in the Second Round Table Conference

A pact was signed between both men on March 5, 1931. Under the pact, Gandhi managed to obtain the release of 90,000 political prisoners. In the same year, the Second Round Table Conference was held in London from September to December. After the Conference, Gandhi agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement in India.

Answer: Allotting the untouchables separate electorates in the new constitution

Lord Willingdon (1931-1936) was the viceroy who gave the warrant to arrest Gandhi. On January 4, 1932, he was arrested at Mumbai for resuming civil disobedience movement in the wake of emergency measures imposed by the British government.

On May 8, 1933, he started fast at Yervada Jail to protest the British decision to segregate the untouchables (the lowest level of the Indian caste system) by allotting them separate electorates in the new constitution. The fast caused an emotional upheaval in the country, and the British agreed to change the policy.

Answer: Quit India

On August 8, 1942, "Quit India" movement was launched at the committee session in Mumbai. On the following day, Gandhi, Nehru and many other leaders of the Indian National Congress were arrested by the British government.

The most important effect of the movement made the British realized that WWII had put a huge constraint on their resources and the difficult task to continue to rule a large country like India.