Early life of Gandhiji

Early Life of Gandhiji ...
 

Year	Month	Date	Event
1869	October	2	Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi born of a Bania (Vaishya or trading caste) family at Porbunder, Kathiawar, the youngest of the three sons of Karamchand alias Kaba Gandhi, Prime Minister successively in Porbunder, Rajkot and Vankaner States, and his fourth wife Putlibai
1876			Goes to Rajkot with parents; attends primary school there till twelfth year; is betrothed to Kasturbai, daughter of Gokuldas Makanji, merchant.
1881			Enters High School at Rajkot
1883			Marries Kasturbai
1884-85			Takes to meat-eating in secret, but abandons habit after about a year to avoid deceiving his parents. Father dies, aged 63.
1887			Passes Matriculation examination; joins Samaldas College at Bhavnagar (Kathiawar), but gives up studies at close of first term.
1888	September	4	Sails for England.
	October	28	Reaches London. Lives on vegetarian diet. Takes lessons in dancing and music for a short time, thinking they are necessary parts of a gentleman’s equipment.
1889			Reads books on simple living and decides to reduce expenses by half; studies religious literature; reads Gita for first time and is deeply impressed
1890			Cultivates contacts with vegetarian movement; for short while conducts vegetarian club.
	June		Passes London Matric.
	September		Joins Vegetarian Society.
1891	June	10	Called to the Bar.
		12	Sails for India.
	July		Reaches Bombay.
	November		Applies for admission to Bombay High Court.
1892			Struggles with legal practice at Rajkot and Bombay; later settles down at former place as legal draftman.
1893	April		Leaves for South Africa, being engaged by a Muslim firm for legal work.
	May-June		Experiences colour bar in various forms; decides to remain and fight race prejudice.
1894	August	22	Founds Natal Indian Congress.
	September		Enrolled as Advocate of Supreme Court of Natal, being first Indian to be so enrolled. Studies religious literature including the Bible, he Koran and Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You.
1895			Gets more committed to South African Indian cause. Issues The Indian Franchise: An Appeal to Every Briton in South Africa.
1896	July		Returns to India and starts agitation on behalf of South African Indians.
	August	14	Publishes The Green Pamphlet at Rajkot. Tours Bombay, Madras, Poona and Calcutta educating Indians in regard to grievances of South African Indians.
	November	30	Sails for South Africa with wife and children.
1897	January	13	Mobbed on landing at Durban by crowd excited by reports of his speeches in India on conditions of indentured Indian labour in South Africa.
		20	Declines to prosecute assailants.
	April	6	Submits long memorial to Chamberlain, Secretary of State for Colonies, regarding landing incidents, background. Carries on programme of petitioning local and Imperial authorities, as well as of communicating with British and Indian public men regarding discriminatory laws.
1898-99			Represents to Indian National Congress, Colonial and Imperial authorities, against Locations and restrictions on Indians’ trading rights.
1899			Raises Indian Ambulance Corps in Boer War, which goes into action and is mentioned in dispatches; awarded war medal.
1900			Sends Dadabhai Naoroji draft resolution on South African Indian problem for Congress session.
1901	October	18	Sails for India.
	December	14	Reaches Rajkot via Porbunder.
		27	Moves resolution on South Africa at Congress.
1902	Jan28-Feb	1	Visits Rangoon. Stays for a month with Gokhale at Calcutta. Returns to Rajkot, settees down to practise.
	July		Shifts to and sets up practice at Bombay.
	November		Is called to South Africa to champion Indians’ cause against anti-Asiatic legislation in Transvaal.
	December		Arrives in Durban: leads delegation to Chamberlain.
1903			Enrolled as Attorney of Supreme Court of Transvaal; founds Transvaal British Indian Association. Sends weekly statements regarding situation to Dadabhai Naoroji.
	June		Indian Opinion commences publication.
1904			Reads Ruskin’s Unto This Last : founds Phoenix Settlement near Durban (Natal); organizes hospital during outbreak of plague in Johannesburg; writes series of articles in Gujarati on dietetics which are later translated into English and published under the title Guide to Health.
1905			Opposes Bengal Partition, supports boycott of British goods. During Gokhale- Lajpat Rai deputation to Britain, appeals to Colonial statesmen to treat India, ‘an integral part of the Empire’, with consideration.
1906	May	12	Support ‘home rule’ for India ‘I the name of justice and for good of humanity’.
		27	Writes to brother, Lakshimidas, declaring disinterestedness in worldly possessions.
	June-July		Raises Indian Stretcher-bearer Corps in Zulu Rebellion; takes vow of brahmacharya for life.
	Sept	11	Addresses mass meeting of Indians at Johannesburg, which takes oath of passive resistance against newly promulgated Transvaal Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance.
	Oct 21-Nov	30	In England on deputation to present Indians’ case to Colonial Secretary.
	December	18	Returns to South Africa
1907	Jan-Feb		Writes series of 8 articles in Gujarati on "Ethical Religion", published weekly in Indian Opinion and later, as a book.
	March		Asiatic Registration Act passed in Transvaal Parliament. Indians hold protest meetings.
	April		Sees Smuts at Pretoria, acquaints him with resolutions adopted at mass meetings. Pledges, in Indian Opinion, opposition to ‘Black Act’.
	August		Writes to Smuts criticizing Registration Act, suggesting amendments. Passive resistance, picketing of Permit Offices; defends passive resisters in court.
	December		Smuts decides to prosecute Gandhiji.
1908	January	8	Asks Government for suspension of Registration Act, offers voluntary registration.
		10	Adopts word : ‘Satyagraha’ in place of ‘Passive Resistance’. Sentenced to 2 months’ imprisonment for failure to leave Transvaal.
		21	Agrees to settlement on basis of voluntary registration, if Registration Act is repealed.
		30	Summoned to see General Smuts at Pretoria and released, on reaching a compromise.
	February	10	Nearly killed by Pathans who regard the compromise, under which Indians are expected to give their finger-prints voluntarily, as a betrayal of Indian interest; refuses to prosecute his assailants.
	March-June		Negotiates with Smuts for fulfillment of promise of repeal of Act which Smuts denies.
	July		Correspondence with Smuts released; Indians in mass meeting decide to refuse thumb impressions and burn registration certificates.
	August		Declares use of violence ‘harmful, even useless to uproot British rule’ in India. Appeals to Smuts to repeal ‘Black Act’. Registration certificates burnt at meetings; passive resistance resumed.
	September		Royal assent is given to amended Registration Act. Smuts refuses Indian terms for settlement.
	October	15	Arrested and sentenced to 2 months’ rigorous imprisonment.
	December	12	Released from Volksrust Gaol Indian National Congress adopts resolution on South Africa, criticizing the harsh, humiliating and cruel treatment of British Indians in South Africa as injurious to British Empire.
1909	January	16	Arrested at Volksrust for failing to produce registration certificate; on deportation, returned and is re-arrested, but released on bail.
		20	Writes to Press calling on Indians to prepare for final phase of struggle.
	February	25	Arrested at Volksrust; sentenced to 3 months.
	May	2	Transferred to Pretoria Central Gaol.
		24	Released.
	June	21	Leaves with Haji Habib, on deputation to England to represent Indian case.
	July	10	Arrives in London. With the assistance of Lord Ampthill, works ceaselessly to educate influential British leaders, the public, and to move Imperial authorities.
	October	1	Writes to Tolstoy regarding Passive Resistance movement.
	November	9	The Times reports failure of Gandhi Government negotiations on Transvaal laws.
		10	Replies to Tolstoy, sends his biography by Doke.
		13	Leaves England for South Africa. Writes Hind Swaraj on board "s. s. Kildonan Castle".
		30	Reaches South Africa.
	December	29	Congress at Lahore adopts resolution praising Indians’ struggle in South Africa, urging ban on indenture.
1910	April	4	Sends Tolstoy copy of Indian Home Rule, seeks comment.
	May	8	Tolstoy replies: question of Passive Resistance of greatest importance not only for India but for humanity.
		30	Founds Tolstoy Farm.
	December	4	Pays memorial tribute to Tolstoy.
1911	January		Communicates with Smuts regarding amendments to Immigrants’ Restriction Bill; latter assures; no colour bar taint in laws.
	March	27	Interviews Smuts at Cape town.
	April	22	Smuts agrees to assurances demanded by Indians in reciprocation of suspension of Passive Resistance movement.
	May	3	Meets Smuts: ‘Provisional Settlement’ arrived on Smuts’ promise of repeal of Asiatic Registration and Immigrants’ Restriction Acts.
	June	24	Pledges loyalty to King-Emperor on coronation.
	December	8	Invites Gokhale to South Africa