Задание

Read the text. Match the headings to the texts.

In India he is remembered as ‘the father of the nation’ and he is famous the world over for his belief in peace and non-violent protest. Gandhi believed that people have the power to achieve positive change by walking the path of peaceful resistance. It’s a path Gandhi walked all his life… Gandhi was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in India on 2nd October, 1869 into a merchant family. When he was 19, Gandhi broke with tradition and left India to study Law in London. Then, in 1891, he accepted a job at an Indian law firm in Durban, South Africa, where he remained for twenty years. Gandhi was shocked by the discrimination against Indian immigrants in South Africa and headed a campaign for their civil rights. During this time, Gandhi developed his principle of ‘satyagraha’ which means ‘devotion to truth’ through non-violent action. Gandhi was sent to prison many times for leading peaceful campaigns of civil disobedience. Before he left the country, though, the South African government made many of the changes he had called for.

In 1914, Gandhi returned to a troubled India which was occupied by the British Empire. Gandhi felt that India could never truly be free as long as it remained under British rule. He wanted to work towards Indian independence and create greater understanding between all classes and religious faiths across the country. In 1919, he joined the new Indian National Congress Party and launched a policy of peaceful non-cooperation with the British, including a boycott of British goods and institutions. One of Gandhi’s most famous protests was against the tax on salt imposed by the British authorities. He led thousands of people on a 320 km ‘march to the sea’ to make their own salt from seawater. Because of his various campaigns, Gandhi was imprisoned four times: in 1922, 1930, 1933 and 1942.

Nevertheless, as a result of Gandhi’s talks and negotiations with the British government, India won independence in 1947. However, there remained fierce tension between different religious groups in the country. On 30th January 1948, Gandhi, then aged 78, was assassinated. The assassin could not accept Gandhi’s belief that all faiths were of equal value. Gandhi was on his way to a prayer meeting when he was shot three times in the chest.

Gandhi maintained his life-long belief in peace, non-violence and that all people were created equal. His beliefs informed all areas of his life; in meetings he always wore the simple clothes of an Indian villager, while the politicians around him dressed in formal suits. He also followed a vegetarian diet and lived a simple life. In India, he was called ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi which means ‘great soul’. There, his birthday is celebrated as an official holiday and also as an International Day of Non-violence. Gandhi spoke to everybody, everywhere when he said, “Be the change you want to see.” And indeed, his achievements remain an inspiration to people all over the world; his life truly was his message.