Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi is the central figure of the chapter, and Fischer presents him as a leader whose strength lies in courage, patience and unshakeable principle. He is fearless in the face of authority, calmly refusing to obey the order to leave Champaran even at the risk of arrest, yet he is entirely non-violent, relying on truth and moral pressure rather than force. He is also methodical and thorough, investigating the peasants' grievances carefully and recording depositions from about ten thousand of them, building an unanswerable case rather than rushing into protest. Perhaps his most distinctive quality is his insistence on self-reliance: he wants the peasants to overcome their own fear and stand on their own feet, and he declines outside help — even from his English friend Charles Freer Andrews — that might make them look dependent. Beyond the legal battle he shows a practical concern for the …