Gandhi is a movie about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It depicts main events in the life of Gandhi to demonstrate his leadership of India’s non-violent, non-cooperative independence movement against the United Kingdom rule. Ben Kingsley stars as Gandhi and won a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Actor. 20 years in the making, the film won a total of eight Academy Awards in 1982.

Soul Stars – Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Martin Sheen, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard

What we like

• This is a truly inspirational movie, depicting an inspirational man. We have much to learn from Gandhi through his non-violent ways, his determination, his embracing and acceptance of religions
• Gandhi declares a hunger strike to stop fighting between Hindu and Muslim which does eventually happen

Soul experience

• There is so much to encompass with the teachings and life of Gandhi. They called Gandhi the mahatma meaning “great soul” for his life work. Religion is not meant to divide us but through the ages unfortunately this has happened. Gandhi strove to understand the major religions of the world and through this came to appreciate and respect them. Here are some of his views…
• “I believe in the fundamental Truth of all great religions of the world. And I believe that if only we could, all of us, read the scriptures of the different Faiths from the stand-point of the followers of those faiths, we should find that they were at the bottom, all one and were all helpful to one another.”
• “There is no religion higher than Truth and Righteousness. If we commit sins with the name of God on our lips, can we hope to win the grace of God? Suppose one man admits the existence of God, but lives a life of falsehood and immorality, while another knows not the name of God but lives a life of truth and virtue, can there be any doubt as to which should be regarded truly religious as well as moral?”  

To reflect on

• Gandhi at the end of the movie as a voiceover: When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always.

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