Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

thought and culture, instead of a mere slavish copying of everything. Another great force was that of Swami Vivekananda, alike in his passionate love and admiration for India. Children of India, I am here to speak to you today about some practical things, and my object in reminding you about the glories of the past is simply this: out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can, drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, march forward and make India brighter, greater, much higher than she ever was. We must build an India yet greater than what she has been." Commenting on 'India's Rights' she called for self-determination among Indians to oppose the British domination, and concluded with the remark that "India's eyes are open- ing ". She-said, "It is because it has become a habit, bred in us from childhood, to regard the saheb-log as our natural superiors, and the greatest injury British rule has done to Indians is to deprive them of the natural in- stinct born in all free peoples, the feeling of an inherent right to self-determination, to be them- selves. Indian dress, Indian food, Indian ways, Indian customs are looked on as second rate; Indian mother-tongue and Indian literature cannot make an educated man. Thank God that India 'S eyes are opening ".

earliest possible moment... and by means that is legitimate, that is honourable, and by means that is non-violent that is peaceful... we can- not give battle to this government by means of steel... but by exercising what I have often called ‘soulforce ’ and it is not the prerogative of. .... sanyasi or saint. Soulforce is the pre- rogative of every human being, female or male..” XXXVIII - session - 1922 - Gaya President: Deshbandhu Chittarajan Das. He highlighted the ideal of nationalism and concluded with the remark, “the essential truth of nationalism lies in this, that it is necessary for each nation to develop itself express itself and realise itself so that humanity itself, express itself and realise itself .” Mohd. Ali spoke in depth on non-violence and opined that our swaraj must be achieved through non-violent agitation, Proceeding futher he said, “our swaraj must be ‘Sarvaraj’, the Raj of AIL... it must be won by the minimum sacrifice of the minimum number and not by the maximum sacrifice of the maximum number. Since I have full faith in it I have no need to hanker after violence President: Mahatma Gandhiji. Presiding over the Belgaum Congress Mahatma Gandhi expressed his views on 'Boycott', 'Machinery', 'Hindu-Muslim unity', 'Swaraj scheme' and twelve points: speaking on the foreign cloth he blamed it for the idleness of Indian peasants and underlined the need for teaching the peasant to utilise his spare hours in carding and spinning cotton and dress himself in Khaddar. He opined that untouchability is another hindrance to Swaraj, “This is essentially a Hindu question and Hindus cannot claim or take Swaraj, till they have restored the liberty of the suppressed classes. ” Deliberating on Swaraj and 12 points he said, "Public must know....full definition of Swaraj.....happily the committee appointed by the all parties' conference is charged with that mission.... may I suggest... following points: XL - session - 1924 - Belgaum XXXIX-session-1923-Cocanada President: Mohd. Ali.

XXIII - session -1907 - Surat

President: Ghose The Congress session at Surat (1907) saw the split between Moderates and Extrem- ists within the Congress over the question of venue and Presidentship. The effect was that it weakened the INC movement till the Lucknow session of 1916. Rash Behari President: Annie Besant. She spoke elaborately on the topics, The awakening of Asia', 'India’s Rights' etc, Deliberating on the awakening of Asia she said, "The awakening of Asia is part of a world- movement, which has been quickened into marvellous rapidity by the worldwar. The world movement is towards Democracy." XXXIII - session - 1917 - Calcutta

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Dr. Annie Besant and Lokamanya Tilak hoisted this flag during the Home Rule Movement 1917

Speaking on the 'loss of belief in the supe- riority of the white race', she underlined the work of ‘Arya Samaj’ and 'Theosophical So- cieties' in bringing about an awareness among the people about the value of their own civili- zation; she said: "The undermining of this belief dates from the spreading of the Arya Samaj and the Theosophical Society. Both bodies sought to lead the Indian people to a sense of the value of their own civilization , to pride in their past, creating self-respect in the present and self- confidence in the future. They destroyed the unhealthy inclination, to imitate the West in all things, and taught discrimination, the using only of what was valuable in Western

President: Lala Lajpat Rai. M. Gandhi moved the ‘Swaraj Resolution’: speaking on the Resolution he said, 'the object of INC is the attainment of Swarajya through non-voilent means' and highlighted the concept of ‘soulforce'. To put it in his own words, “the object of INC is the attaintment of Swarajya by the people of India by all legitimate means and peaceful means.... ...I want you to accompany the carrying out of this Resolution with a faith and a reso- lution which nothing on earth can move, that you are intent upon getting swaraj at the