Satyagraha
Satyagraha is a term of contested translation that Gandhi used to define his method of non-violent resistance. It derives from the Sanskrit satyah: meaning truth, and agraha: firmness. He distinguished Satyagraha from mere "non-violence" or "passive resistance" by describing it instead as something more forceful. According to Gandhi, the term reflected a commitment to truth that is in itself a form of non-violent action.
Dravidian
Pertaining to a group of languages spoken in southern India.
Coolie
Indentured servants, such as those brought from India to South Africa during the British colonial period. It was on behalf of the rights of Indian coolies in South Africa that Gandhi first engaged in civil disobedience and that he first developed Satyagraha as a political tool.
Gujarati
The language spoken in the region of Gujarat, in northwestern India where Gandhi grew up. Gujarati was his first language. The concept of Satyagraha derives both from Sanskrit and Gujarati.
Partition
In the context of "Reflections on Gandhi," partition refers to the division of religious groups on the Indian subcontinent into regions of Muslim majority Pakistan and Bangladesh and Hindu India. The partitioning of India was mandated by the British in 1947 after Independence. It resulted in extreme violence as large populations from the given regions attempted to flee.
Self-rule
The term commonly used for Indian independence.
Nationalism
A commitment to one's country as the basis of political identity.
Labour Party
The leftist party in power in England at the time of Indian independence. The party that Orwell belonged to.
Serial
Something that's a part of a series. Gandhi's autobiography appeared in serial form in an Indian newspaper.
Asceticism
A mode of existence characterized by self-discipline, specifically in respect to control of appetites and abstinence.
Assimilation
The process of one entity being absorbed into another. In the case of this essay, the term refers to cultures.
Apartheid
The system (made official in South Africa) of racial segregation and discrimination.
piety
Religious devotion, commitment or reverence.
Anarchism
A political belief in the abolition of government. The essay refers to left-wing anarchism, but the term may also pertain to right-wing movements.
Brothel
A place housing prostitutes. Gandhi visited a brothel in his younger years.
Bramahcharya
Complete chastity as well as the elimination of sexual desires
Vegetarianism
Abstinence from eating meat.
Anti-humanism
An outlook that decentralizes human experience, in order to recognize other lifeforms and elements, possibly including deities.
Humanism
An outlook that puts the human, rather than divine or supernatural matters, as the most important element.
Left-wing
Traditionally liberal or socialist political bodies or thought.
