1. The Face of Satyagraha

Introduction:

Every living being in this world is entitled to the right to function in society. When the right of a person is in danger, society is in danger. This chapter briefly speaks about the rights of a Human and the history of its emergence and the proponents who took the value of Human rights to greater heights.

The First taste of Racial slur was given to an Indian who was ruthlessly thrown out of the train for travelling in a First-Class ticket compartment. Nevertheless, holding the ticket for his travel, the white man was averse by the presence of a non-white person alongside him.

 

 

The colour of the skin decided the privilege of a human, which was shocking for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, an Indian Barrister practising in South Africa.

It was a long winter night on \(\text{June 7, 1893}\), the beleaguered Indian spent the entire night in the waiting room of the station mulling over the prejudice and dominance of the whites.

Post the disgraceful event at the Pietermaritzburg station, Gandhi vowed to fight against Racial Prejudice in South Africa.

His stay in South Africa witnessed a new wave of peaceful protests to regain the rights of the subjugated masses. His method of agitation without violent means was unique at that time and came to be called the “Satyagraha”.

The entire period of his stay saw the proliferation of his sound principles of non-violence across the region, which enabled the masses to regain their bragging rights.

The above incident projects the superior mentality of a white man over a dark-skinned person even though he was entitled to travel in that compartment.

These discriminations have various shades in terms of Race, Religion, Caste, place of birth etc. These discriminations kindled the Vigour to regain the rights.