"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

BIOGRAPHY OF MAHATMA GANDHI : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. He became one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900's. GandhiJi helped free the Indian people from British rule through nonviolent resistance, and is honored by Indians as the father of the Indian Nation.

The Indian people called Gandhiji 'Mahatma', meaning Great Soul. At the age of 13 Gandhi married Kasturba, a girl the same age. Their parents arranged the marriage. The Gandhis had four children. Gandhi studied law in London and returned to India in 1891 to practice. In 1893 he took on a one-year contract to do legal work in South Africa.

At the time the British controlled South Africa. When he attempted to claim his rights as a British subject he was abused, and soon saw that all Indians suffered similar treatment. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years working to secure rights for Indian people.

He developed a method of action based upon the principles of courage, nonviolence and truth called Satyagraha. He believed that the way people behave is more important than what they achieve. Satyagraha promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining political and social goals. In 1915 Gandhi returned to India. Within 15 years he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement.

Using the principles of Satyagraha he led the campaign for Indian independence from Britain. Gandhi was arrested many times by the British for his activities in South Africa and India. He believed it was honorable to go to jail for a just cause. Altogether he spent seven years in prison for his political activities.

More than once Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be nonviolent. India was granted independence in 1947, and partitioned into India and Pakistan. Rioting between Hindus and Muslims followed. Gandhi had been an advocate for a united India where Hindus and Muslims lived together in peace.

On January 13, 1948, at the age of 78, he began a fast with the purpose of stopping the bloodshed. After 5 days the opposing leaders pledged to stop the fighting and Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse who opposed his program of tolerance for all creeds and religion assassinated him.

http://twientysixjanuary.blogspot.com

There have been many great leaders in the past such as Martin Luther King, Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. But there is one leader, who has had a great impact on my life even though I wasn't here to witness him and that is Mahatma Gandhi. He was willing to give up his life just to gain peace and freedom. Mahatma Gandhi realized that violence would not resolve problems, but instead it would create more problems. Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence, transcend all times and cultures. He named his mass movements as 'Satyagraha' which means 'to insist on truth' and he stood for what he believed in and no amount to pain inflicted to him would make him leave his stand. One of his major mobilization of Indian people against the British rule was the 'Salt Agitation' whereby he led hundreds of thousands of Indians on a march and then made salt from sea water as a measure of protest against the imposition of salt tax. This act of defiance against mighty British rule became a significant stepping stone for the Indians in their journey towards freedom. He led the Indian freedom struggle to success entirely through the strength of non-violence. His courage to remain steady on his principles is a shining example of how one can achieve the impossible by just believing and staying on the side of truth.

Destiny

"Many Paths-One Destination"
(http://www.creativetransformations.com/Many%20Paths.htm)

Destiny shadows itself behind obstructions
Camouflaged as others hoping to escort you to the right path
She murmurs “I am waiting”…

Destiny is something that is known in every culture, worldwide. In the book, the Alchemist shows Santiago that anyone can achieve their destiny by daring to begin. Paulo Coelho shows us that once you start to pursue your destiny, all the world conspires to help you achieve your destiny. On the journey to find destiny, there will be obstacles along the way and you will meet people who help you to overcome those obstacles to make the journey more worthwhile. It is not easy to achieve your destiny and neither is it impossible.

Daring To Begin

“I have inside me the winds, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe.” (Coelho 140) In The Alchemist, Santiago, a young shepherd boy, travels to Egypt where he discovers his true abilities. Santiago’s journey starts off in Andalusia, a region in southern Spain, where he dreams of treasure. Santiago slowly realizes that his destiny awaits him in the Egyptian Pyramids. Along the way, Santiago learns the Language of the Universe and therefore realizes that everything is connected through the soul of the world. Santiago’s journey allows him to find his one true love, meet new people who give him new perspective of life, and gain enlightenment by learning the Language of the Universe. Santiago successfully achieves his destiny through his reliability, ambition, and open mindedness.

Throughout The Alchemist, Santiago represents a very reliable and trustworthy person in various ways. In the beginning it is Santiago’s sheep, which were not able to communicate with him, but must rely on him. He states, “They trust me, and they’ve forgotten how to rely on their own instincts…” (7) Santiago’s thoughts show that his sheep depend on him more than they depend on themselves. This proves the fact that if Santiago can gain the trust of his sheep, he is able to gain the trust of almost anyone. Later, when all of Santiago’s money gets stolen by the thief at Tangier, he meets a crystal merchant and starts working for him. Within a month, Santiago asks the crystal merchant if he can sell tea in expensive crystal glasses so that it would attract more costumers. The crystal merchant hadn’t even known Santiago that well, but because he trusts Santiago, the crystal merchant lets him sell tea in the crystal glasses and Santiago’s idea becomes successful. Finally, after Santiago achieves his destiny and treasure, he wants to be with Fatima. Santiago’s reliability allows Fatima to have some trust in him and therefore Fatima allows Santiago to continue the search for his destiny. Santiago’s reliability plays a vital role in his abilities to accomplish his destiny as does his ambition.

Santiago’s journey to find his destiny can’t be accomplished without his ambitions. At first, Santiago’s ambitions cause him to give up priesthood. Santiago has always wanted to travel, but does not have enough money. Hence, he decides to become a shepherd and travel everywhere with his sheep. This is the key he uses to leave his cage and gain some freedom. Later on, about a year after getting robbed in Tangier, Santiago earns enough money from the crystal merchant to buy his sheep once again. Instead, he decides to courageously continue his quest to find his destiny. Santiago realizes that he can become a shepherd again, whenever he wants to and that it is better to finish off what he has already started. Santiago is once again on the right path. Finally, Santiago finds his greatest achievement so far, his true love and doesn’t want to move on. Fatima’s love knocks him off the path to find his destiny. When Santiago and Fatima realize this, Fatima tells him that he has to continue his journey. Santiago decides to go to the pyramids again. Before Santiago leaves, he states, “I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystals and crossed the dessert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist… I will return, just as your father came back to your mother.” (117). Santiago is determined to search for his destiny and come back to Fatima after all of it is over. The fact that Fatima will be waiting for him, makes him ambitious and he leaves to pursue his destiny. Santiago stumbles out of his path a few times but always makes it back to reach his ambitions. Throughout the story, there are times when he has to make tough choices to reach his ambitions and in the end he makes it to his treasure.

Along the journey, Santiago has to make decisions with an open mind, viewing each choice with a different perspective. One of the first choices Santiago has to make is choosing between the merchant’s daughter or following his destiny. During this time, Melchizedek, the King of Salem, is beside him so that Santiago can make the right choice. Santiago realizes that he doesn’t even know if the merchant’s daughter loves him and that he can go back to her anytime. Santiago decides to agree to what Melchizedek is saying and makes his way towards his destiny. Later, when Santiago gets robbed at Tangier, Santiago stays calm and open minded. The crystal merchant offers Santiago enough money to go back to Spain but he declines the offer. Instead, he chooses to work for the crystal merchant and earn enough money to buy some more sheep. Finally, after working with the crystal merchant for a year, Santiago has enough money to buy a flock of sheep once again. Santiago keeps an open mind and chooses whether he should buy a flock of sheep or continue his journey to the pyramids. Santiago thinks to himself, “I can always go back to being a shepherd, the boy thought. I learned how to take care of sheep, and I haven’t forgotten how that’s done. But maybe I will never have another chance to get to the pyramids in Egypt.”(61). After coming this far, Santiago chooses to continue his journey and to find his treasure. Santiago knows that he can still become a shepherd anytime he wants to. All through his journey, Santiago keeps an open mind about the choices he has to make and this helps him to overcome many obstacles on the journey to reach his destiny.

Along his way, Santiago realizes that everything that has been created is connected through the Language of the Universe. He also finds out that, if someone can speak the Language of the Universe, he can communicate with the Soul of the World, the center of all life. Santiago reaches the pyramids, only to realize that his treasure was waiting for him in Andalusia. To achieve his destiny, Santiago uses his reliability to earn the trust of people, his ambitions to keep going, and he keeps an open mind so that he can accept whatever happens to him in the future. Santiago’s journey to reach his destiny represents success through failure. In The Alchemist, Coelho tries to show that anyone can achieve his or her destiny just by daring to begin.

Alex Levin: The Way To The Holy City Jerusalem

Achieving Destiny Through An Open Mind

It is too early for me to determine what my destiny will be but I can keep an open mind and accept everything that comes in my way. In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho clearly shows that Santiago keeps an open mind throughout his journey in order to achieve his destiny.Along his way, Santiago uses an open mind to look at his choices from different perspectives. Santiago uses this trait to its' maximum value so that he can make the right choices. Similarly, I keep an open mind so that I am ready to accept unforeseen events. This helps me to stay calm, every time something new happens. In the book, Paulo Coelho shows that anything is possible in this world and we have to be ready to accept it.