Essay Competition


In August 1908, Mahatma Gandhi organised a Passive Resistance Campaign to get South Africans of Indian origin to resist the law that required all Indians to carry registration certificates. The culmination of the protest was the bonfire of 1908 where 2,000 protestors placed their certificates in a large iron pot and they were set alight. This bonfire of 1908 was an important event in the passive resistance or Satyagraha campaign of Gandhi and as such is part of our South African legacy.

Topic: The Bonfire of 1908 – Passive Resistance Then & Now


Closing date: 22 July 2008



Rules:
  • Open to all school learners (students) in Grades 10 and 11
  • The essay must be the original work of the entrant
  • The essay should not be longer than two pages
  • Collect an entry form from the Indian Consulate or from your school. Downloadable from www.tolstoyfarm.com/ www.indiainsouthafrica.com
  • No late entries will be accepted and the judges’ decision is final
  • Illegible entries will be disqualified
Prizes:
  • 1st Prize – R 4 000-00
  • 2nd Prize - R 2 000-00
  • 3rd Prize -R 1 500-00
The school with the most entries will also win a collection of books

Additional Information:

Resource material on the Bonfire of 1908 and on Passive Resistance is available at websites: www.indiainsouthafrica.com and www.tolstoyfarm.com. Interested students may also consult books and periodicals at the library of the Indian Consulate at No. 1, Eton Road, Cnr. Jan Smuts Avenue & Eton Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Tel: +27-11-482 8484; Fax: +27-11-482 8492.

Send your entry to:

The Gandhi Essay Competition
* Indian Cultural Centre at No. No. 1, Eton Road, Cnr. Jan Smuts Avenue & Eton Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Tel: +27-11-482 8484; Fax: +27-11-482 8492.
* Or hand it to your School.



CLOSING DATE: 22nd July 2008
Topic:



Student Name: ………………………………………….. Contact No.: . …………………………..

Date of Birth : ………………………………………….. Date of Entry : ……………………………

I, ……………………..………………………………. hereby certify that this is my original work

Student Signature: ………………………………. Parent’s Consent: …………………………..……..
School Stamp


School Name : …………………………………………………...

Telephone No.: ………………………………………….……….

Fax No.: ………………………………..…… Grade: ….……….

School Address: …………………………………………………

………………………………………………………....................



Rules:
  • Open to all school learners (students) in Grades 10 and 11
  • Must be the original work of the entrant
  • Maximum length is 2 pages
  • Illegible entries will be disqualified
  • No late entries will be accepted and the judges’ decision is final
  • This entry form should be attached to your essay
Entries may be dropped off at:

Indian Consulate:
No. 1, Eton Road, Cnr. Jan Smuts Ave. & Eton Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg
Tel: +27-11-482 8491
Fax: +27-11- 482 8492

* Or hand it to your School.

Essay Competition organized by Gandhi Centenary Committee, Consulate General of India and Centre for Indian Studies in Africa, University of the Witwatersrand

GUIDELINES

KEY STATEMENT: “The Bonfire of 1908: Passive Resistance Then and Now”

KEY QUESTIONS: What was the Bonfire of 1908, what was Gandhi’s satyagraha/passive resistance campaign, how did it influence resistance movements in South Africa, is it relevant today?

ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTION

WHAT WAS THE BONFIRE OF 1908
HOW DID IT RELATE TO GANDHI’S SATYAGRAHA CAMPAIGN
WHAT WAS GANDHI’S SATYAGRAHA CAMPAIGN
HOW DID GANDHI’S IDEAS INFLUENCE SUBSEQUENT CAMPAIGNS IN SOUTH AFRICA

CONCEPTS

RESISTANCE
SATYAGRAHA
INFLUENCE

SUGGESTED APPROACH TO THE ACTIVITY:

READ THE GIVEN SOURCES AND ANY OTHERS YOU CAN FIND. TAKE NOTES AND MAKE SUMMARIES ON THE FOLLOWING
  • WRITE YOUR OWN SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE BONFIRE OF 1908
  • WRITE A SUMMARY OF GANDHI’S SATYAGRAHA CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH AFRICA
  • MAKE A LIST OF THE WAYS IN WHICH GANDHI’S METHODS OF RESISTANCE INFLUENCED SUBSEQUENT EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
  • ASK YOURSELF WHETHER GANDHI’S TECHNIQUES HAVE RELEVANCE TODAY. WHO COULD USE THEM? IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?
USING YOUR NOTES AND SUMMARIES, WRITE YOUR ESSAY PRESENTING YOUR IDEAS AS WELL AS APPROPRIATE PIECES OF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

For More Information Click:

1. Sharpeville Massacre- The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day
2. Sharpeville Massacre- The Massacre
3. Sharpeville Massacre- Aftermath
4. “I Saw a Nightmare...”- Doing Violence to Memory:The Soweto Uprising, June 16,1976
5. Women and the African National Congress:1912-1943
6. The Sacred Warrior- The liberator of South Africa looks at the seminal work of the liberator of India- By NELSON MANDELA
7. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Philosophy of Nonviolence to Change the Status Quo
8. What made them choose non-violence? - Comparing the cases of Gandhi, King and Mandela.
9. India And The Struggle Against Apartheid- By E.S Reddy