Icons of Gandhi

Icons of Gandhi


 


Glasses


Gandhi’s Iconic Eyeglasses consisted of metal wired frames with round lenses and a single bridge.
These spectacles were bought by him for the very first time in the year 1890 in London when he went there to study law.
The sheer simplicity of the metal frame, combined with how they were one of the more popular choices at the time, were probably the factors that made him decide to buy these glasses.
As he eventually became a prolific activist,
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Loincloth


Gandhi desired to identify himself with the poor masses of India.
He had been contemplating about it for some time.
It was in the city of Madurai on the 22nd of September 1921, that he finally took the decision to adopt the dhoti worn by the poor peasants of India.
This was only four inches wide, nearly as many feet long and covered the waist up to the knees.
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Walking Stick - Lathi


Mahatma Gandhi’s image is incomplete without his walking stick.
It is said that the stick he carried was not heavy so that it did not hurt the insects or other creatures on the ground.
This is the same stick he used during the Dandi March in the year 1930.
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Hey Ram


These are the two words uttered by Gandhi which were his last.
These words were an invocation to god Ram, who had been Gandhi’s venerated icon.
It was on 30th January, 1948 that Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse.
At about 5.45 p.m. in the evening, Gandhi stepped out of Birla Hose and was walking towards the garden to hold the prayer meeting.Just as he climbed the steps to the platform from where he had to speak, a man dressed in khaki tunic advanced towards him,
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Bhajan – Vaishnav Jan to, Raghupati Rahgav


Mahatma Gandhi included the singing of bhajan or devotional songs both during his prayers as well as at the beginning of his meetings.

One of his favourite bhajans was 'Vaishnava Jana To' written by the 15th century poet Narsingh Mehta, which came to be sung daily in his ashram. This song emphasised that only those who understood the pain of others were close to God.
As part of the 150th Birth anniversary celebrations of Gandhi,
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Khadi


‘Khadi’ is a word derived from the word Khaddar stands for hand spun cloth.
During India’s freedom struggle Gandhi urged people to boycott foreign goods and spin their own cloth. Through the making of khadi he wanted the people of India to be self-reliant. He also aimed at reviving the cloth making tradition of India which had declined due to the British rule.
To popularise Khadi, Gandhi got a few handlooms installed in the Sabarmati Ashram and got one weaving expert from Palanpur to teach the people how to weave.
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Charkha


Charkha or the spinning wheel is a tool which is used to spin fibre into yarn. It has been used in India since ancient times. It gained importance and became a symbol of revolution during India’s freedom struggle when Mahatma Gandhi urged the people of India to spin their own yarn and became a symbol of self-reliance.

Historical Significance

This is when Mahatma Gandhi initiated the swadeshi movement and urged the people of India
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Pocket-Watch


Gandhi was known for his punctuality and it is no surprise that amongst his meagre personal belongings, his most prized possession was his pocket watch.

It was during his student days in England, when he asked his brother in India to send him a double watch-chain of gold.

Later when he changed his attire from western to Indian his watch could be seen attached to the folds of his loincloth with a safety pin
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Rosary


Gandhi had a rosary made out of Tulsi beads. Along with his very few other possessions, this rosary or the japamaala was one of the things that was also spiritually significant. It consisted of 108 beads and was used by Gandhi during his prayers. At other times it would be layered around his neck.
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