In today’s digital world of misinformation and fleeting outrage, Gandhi’s model of principled media — anchored in trust, restraint and purpose — offers a timeless blueprint for using technology to serve truth, not trends

On June 4, 1903, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi launched The Indian Opinion in South Africa, a publication that became a vital tool in his struggle against racial injustice. As detailed by Ela Gandhi in her book, “Mahatma Gandhi and the Media  —  The Indian Opinion” a publication of the National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi, the seeds of this resistance were sown on June 7, 1893, when Gandhi, despite holding a valid first-class ticket, was forcibly ejected from a train at Pietermaritzburg due to his race.

That freezing night in the station’s waiting room marked a turning point; he resolved to stay and resist injustice instead of returning home. He also telegrammed the railway manager, urging corrective action against such discriminatory conduct. Ela Gandhi writes, “On that night, he rejected the idea of abandoning his case and immediately returning home to a life of dignity and respect. He rejected the idea of succumbing to the insults and accepting them as a way of life in South Africa. He decided instead to stay on and confront and transform the racist system”.

His activism in South Africa spanned over two decades (1893-1914). During this period, he developed and refined his unique philosophy of non-violent resistance, which he termed “Satyagraha” (truth-force). He organised mass protests, boycotts, and civil disobedience campaigns against discriminatory laws, such as the Black Act (which required Indians to carry registration certificates) and the £3 poll tax (In 1913, the South African Government introduced a £3 tax on Indians, (mainly those who had completed their indentured labour contracts).

These struggles often led to (direct) confrontations with the authorities, and Gandhi, along with thousands of other Indians, faced numerous arrests and endured harsh prison sentences. His imprisonments — further drew attention to unjust laws........

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