Dr. Siby K. Joseph
September 11, 1906, is one of the most significant days in the life of a young Mohandas Gandhi, as it led to the birth of Satyagraha. It is true that the seeds of non-violent struggle were born within him in an embryonic form when he faced intense racial discrimination—most famously when he was thrown out of a train at the Pietermaritzburg railway station in South Africa on June 7, 1893. The young lawyer faced that humiliation despite holding a valid first-class ticket, simply because of the colour of his skin. However, it became one of the most creative experiences of his life, prompting him to stay in South Africa and fight against racial prejudice.
To prepare Indians in South Africa for this struggle, he established the Natal Indian Congress in 1894. Gandhi further tested his deep convictions and the principles found in John Ruskin’s Unto This Last by setting up the Phoenix Settlement in 1904. Later, he gained firsthand experience managing an ambulance corps during the Boer War and the Zulu Rebellion. These events convinced him that war and violence were completely useless, setting the stage for an alternative form of struggle based entirely on non-violence.
These ideas crystallized further due to two major events. The first was the deep emotional impact of witnessing the suffering of Zulu women during military repression. The second was the introduction of a humiliating new law called the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance. This law forced all Asian people over the age of eight to be fingerprinted and registered. In response, a massive, historic meeting was convened at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg, led by Abdul Gani. During that meeting, the Indian community took a solemn vow to defy the government and accept imprisonment over submission. Gandhi voluntarily took full responsibility for advising them to choose jail. This historic gathering is widely considered the birth of Satyagraha. It was on South African soil that Gandhi, the Satyagrahi, was born. He realized the power of this non-violent struggle based on soul-force, and he experimented with and perfected it over the course of his eventful life.
After returning to India, he wanted to test this new method of struggle in his homeland because he believed that it was a universal weapon founded on the principles of truth, non-violence, love, and a readiness for self-suffering. He established his ashram near Kochrab in 1915 and later shifted it to Sabarmati in 1917. From his ashram, he led the nationwide Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. Even after disbanding his ashram in the wake of the Salt Satyagraha, he never abandoned that unique method of converting the opponent through the sheer strength of love and self-suffering. After relocating to Sevagram in 1936, he led his last major non-violent struggle, the Quit India Movement, which ultimately freed Indians from the British yoke. Gandhi’s Satyagraha movements in South Africa and India remained a source of influence for non-violent struggles worldwide.
Today marks the 120th anniversary of this historic day. It is also the 131st birth anniversary of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, the spiritual heir of Mahatma Gandhi, who was instrumental in leading the Bhoodan (Bloodless) Revolution to ensure land for poor peasants living in penury. Therefore, it is highly befitting that we are discussing non-violence, Satyagraha, and the Gen Z movement today. Just as Gandhi and Bhave evoked the true spirit of the masses through moral courage and nationwide mobilization, modern, youth-driven Gen Z movements are redefining activism in the digital age with a focus on non-violent techniques. They began with decentralized methods of organization—mainly through social media campaigns—and have moved onto the ground to demonstrate the effectiveness of collective, non-violent resistance as a powerful tool against institutional injustice. Following the Gen Z movement, we are now witnessing Gen Alpha coming to the forefront in many parts of India to voice their concerns and to address the real issues they confront due to the apathy of the ruling class.
What role should senior activists and believers in non-violence play in the Gen Z uprisings that we are witnessing today? I look upon the present uprisings of Gen Z in India and abroad from a positive angle, because they have brought key issues in the fields of education, environment, and climate change into the mainstream discourse, forcing ruling dispositions to address crises that were largely ignored by them earlier. What is most significant is that these movements have led to the removal of fear, which is vital for success in any non-violent struggle. However, in any struggle that continues for a long time without immediate success, there is a natural tendency to resort to violent methods. This is where the role of senior activists and experienced non-violent resisters becomes crucial.
Drawing on their firsthand experience in the field, they can keep the movement non-violent through active mentorship and guidance, creating positive vibes through constructive efforts at the grassroots level of the struggle. This helps shape the youth movement into a model of constructive action—visible when they clean protest premises, roads, and surrounding areas, and when they establish community-driven self-help mechanisms that transcend barriers of religion, caste, creed, and economic background.
Here, their positive energies are utilized in the right direction, instead of being wasted on negative tendencies that harm their body, mind, and spirit. Through intergenerational cooperation, Gen Z will not feel alienated; instead, it becomes an opportunity to learn from each generation, with everyone contributing to the process of social transformation. I would love to hear from senior activists, Gen Z youth, and others on this very important day, which was so transformative for Mohandas Gandhi.
Note: This was prepared by Dr. Siby K. Joseph for an online meeting of activists, NGO representatives, and youth on the Gen Z Movement, held on September 11, 2026, on the occasion of Vinoba Bhave’s birth anniversary.
