Open Lecture “Mahatma Gandhi: the Man and His Life's Work”

The lecture was dedicated to the 155th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth. 

The lecturer introduced the audience to the personality of the outstanding Indian political figure Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is known as Mahatma. It was him who Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, called “Father of the Nation”. 

The lecture covered the initial period of M. K. Gandhi's development as a political figure. The audience learned about Gandhi's family, his studying in London, and the influence of Indian traditions on the formation of the young man's worldview. The main focus was on his efforts in South Africa, where the tactic of nonviolent resistance ('satyagraha') emerged, and Gandhi's first work, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule (published in 1909). The audience was able to hold in their hands its lifetime 1921 edition. Finally, Professor Dorokhova spoke about the results that Gandhi had achieved in South Africa by 1914. 

Nataliya Smirnova, Head of the Department of Foreign History, focused on the origins of the title Mahatma which, thanks to Rabindranath Tagore, is associated only with M. K. Gandhi. Considering the importance of Tagore's personality in the history and culture of India, a fragment of the anthem of the Republic of India was played. It was Tagore who authored the lyrics and music for it. 

Irina Dorokhova reminded the audience that Mahatma Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa. On January 9, 1915, he returned to his homeland which he had to get to know almost anew. He was firmly convinced that satyagraha could be applied in India as well. A lecture on this topic will be held in the Scientific Library on October 31. 

The library staff has prepared an exhibition of works on Gandhi's public life, and Professor Dorokhova granted a number of English-language publications devoted to the study of the worldview and life of the Mahatma. 

Nataliya Smirnova,

Head of the Department of Foreign History