MARTIN LUTHER KING by R.N. Roy
R.N. Roy was a Professor of English in Nagpur University. In this present extract the writer compares the life and achievements of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
Both Gandhi and King belonged to the 20th century, a century that has witnessed more hatred and cruelties than any other century in this history of the world. Both fought for the welfare of the downtrodden, King for the welfare of the Black Americans and Gandhi for the Harijans.
As an ardent clergyman, King believed in the equality of man. The racial discrimination deeply distressed him. Though few White Americans grant few concessions for Blacks, their misery constantly haunts them. They always live in a constant economic insecurity and they are also deprived of normal education and social opportunities.
The Blacks were harassed by day and were haunted by night. A Black was nobody in his own land. The economic insecurity, social inferiority, fear and resentment were enveloped in a Blacks personality. Though the Black Americans had done all kinds of works and had fought bravely and sacrificed their lives to defend America’s honor and prestige in times of external peril, they were never treated equally with Whites.
In India too, a same kind of situation prevailed. They segregated a large part of their population as ‘Untouchables’ and these untouchables suffered discrimination for ages. Mahatma Gandhi fought throughout his life for the welfare of those Harijans. The British rule too sapped India’s vitality and it affected the spiritual and mental growth of India. Gandhi followed the doctrines of ahimsa in all kind of situations and he made the Britishers to yield to his passive resistance and made them to quit India.
Even from his young age, Martin Luther King was deeply inspired by this living Indian example and he too made his revolt to be based on hope, love and non-violence. He wanted the Blacks to share lunch counters, schools, libraries, parks, hotels and other facilities with the Whites. He insisted on having these rights without any further delay.
In 1956, King led a boycott of the public buses in Montgomery, to protest against segregated seating on them. Though there were many mass arrests, physical attacks, torture and threats the protest was successful. The U.S Supreme court ruled out the racial segregation on public conveyance. This victory in Montgomery taught the Black’s the power of organization, the superiority of moral force over physical force and the efficacy of non-violence.
King became a powerful speaker - The Christian leadership conference in 1957 gave him a national platform. He delivered innumerable lectures and discussed the problems of Blacks with the world wide leaders. His voice rang with a revivalist fervor. In 1963 king delivered one his most impressive oration of his career and 2,50,000 Americans of all faiths, races and creeds assembled together ‘to march on Washington’.
From 1957 to 1968, King challenged the moral complacency of America and fought for the rights and liberties of the Black, with the weapon of non-violence. He raised a vast army, which was based upon sincerity, determination, faith and conscience. This army stormed bastions of hatred and its allegiance was to God alone. The ‘black power’ militants criticized and challenged King’s non-violence because they could not renounce the use of violence to achieve their goals. But still King’s faith in non-violence never wavered.
In 1964 he was acknowledged for his peaceful methods and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when he was just 35. In 1967 King expressed his open opposition to the Vietnam war. In 1968 he held a poor people campaign in Washington. On April 4, 1968 when King was planning with his staff on the balcony of the Lorraine hotel, regarding the sanitation workers was shot to death.
King dedicated his book “Why We Can’t Wait” to his children. He dreamt that in future the people will judge Blacks by their character than by the color. King strongly believed that non-violence is the only weapon which could prevent the typhoon of nuclear war. He was the pride of the world and the whole world mourned his tragic death. He was a man of great thoughts, a peaceful warrior. The world will never stop admiring him. The author feels that along with King’s death the ray of hope too died.
----HAPPY LEARNING----
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