Programme 4: Gandhi: Great Soul

Programme Outline

The programme opens by the sea where Gandhi is being arrested by British soldiers as he bends down to collect salt. The narrator begins the story of Gandhi who tried to change things in India by using 'quiet words, a spinning wheel and a lump of salt'. Gandhi was born when India was part of the British Empire. He grew up in a religious, middle-class home and came to London as a young man to train as a lawyer. He started work in South Africa and soon found himself a victim of the repressive treatment Indians received there. Gandhi encouraged peaceful protest among the Indian population and succeeded in having some of the laws changed to make life better. He returned to India where he quickly became recognised as a leader. He tried, by similar means as in South Africa, firstly to gain fairer laws, and finally total independence from the British. After many years, including some spent in prison for rebellion, he helped the Indian people to achieve independence.