Civil Disobedience in Indian Tradition, with Some Early Nineteenth Century Documents c5.3

c5.3

The twentieth century Indian people's protest against governmental injustice, callousness and tyranny (actual or supposed) has expressed itself in two forms: one with the aid of some arms, the other unarmed. The protest and resistance with arms has by and large been limited to a few individuals or very small groups of a highly disciplined cadre. Aurobindo, Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad (to name a few), in their time have been the spectacular symbols of such armed protest. Unarmed protest and resistance is better known under the names of non-cooperation, civil disobedience and *satyagraha*. This latter mode of protest owes its twentieth century origin, organisation and practice to Mahatma Gandhi.