Gandhi bbc documentary planet

Indian independence activist (1869–1948)

"Gandhi" redirects here. For other uses, see Gandhi (disambiguation).

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā (from Sanskrit, meaning great-souled, or venerable), first applied to him in South Africa in 1914, is now used throughout the world.

Born and raised in a Hindu family in coastal Gujarat, Gandhi trained in the law at the Inner Temple in London and was called to the bar at the age of 22. After two uncertain years in India, where he was unable to start a successful law practice, Gandhi moved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. He went on to live in South Africa for 21 years. Here, Gandhi raised a family and first employed nonviolent resistance in a campaign for civil rights. In 1915, aged 45, he returned to India and soon set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against discrimination and excessive land tax.

Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, and, above all, achieving swaraj or self-rule. Gandhi adopted the short dhoti woven with hand-spun yarn as a mark of identification with India's rural poor. He began to live in a self-sufficient residential community, to eat simple food, and undertake long fasts as a means of both introspection and political protest. Bringing anti-colonial nationalism to the common Indians, Gandhi led them in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi

Filmed for BBC One's wildly popular Planet Earth II to exemplify peaceful coexistence between man and animal

Leopards skulk in Aarey Colony. SGNP has 35 leopards, seven of which are in Aarey. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav

A seldom visited part of Mumbai’s landscape and its elusive tenant have made it to the most watched natural history show in the UK in 15 years. Urban leopards along the eastern periphery of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) -- covering Thane and Mulund -- were filmed for the upcoming ‘Cities’ episode of Planet Earth II.

Fifteen people -- five foreign naturalists and 10 locals and tribals, aged 20-45 -- spent January through February this year skulking around the park with ultra high definition cameras, military-grade thermal imaging cameras and night vision infrared cameras, capturing every move of the urban leopard.

Remarkable coexistence
Fredi Devas, producer of the Cities episode, told mid-day from the UK that Mumbai serves as an incredible example of how the wildlife and humans co-exist in urban settings. “The way leopards and humans share space there is remarkable. That’s why Mumbai and urban leopards were chosen to be a part of our Cities episode.”

Fredi Devas, producer of Cities episode

But why SGNP? “We were making a film about urban wildlife. What’s incredible is that in Mumbai, leopards can be seen roaming the streets. What is surprising is the fact that Mumbai, rather SGNP, has the highest density of leopards in the world, beating even Yala [National Park] (in Sri Lanka, which, too, has one of the highest leopard densities),” said Devas.

The team of filmmakers, he said, wanted to shoot a sequence that showed the inspiring coexistence with the wildlife and people’s “tolerance” of the shy leopards, a misunderstood and feared lot.

At home
Devas explains that SGNP offers the perfect ecosystem: Leopards have a natural habitat to go bac

“We must feel that we are all citizens of this one planet because unless we do, we won’t solve the problems,” Mr. Attenborough said in an interview with the UN.

Over the course of his more than 70-year-long career at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the legendary natural history broadcaster, who turned 98 last month, managed to bring the farthest reaches of planet Earth into the homes and hearts of millions, from Zoo Quest in the 1950s to his Planet Earth trilogy in the 2020s.

Delivering an electrifying speech at the opening of the World Leaders Summit on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021, Sir David addressed Heads of State against the backdrop of stunning, cinematic pictures splashed on giant screens behind him. These were produced by Silverback Films, the production company that has collaborated with him on many of his most celebrated natural history documentaries.

Watch his full speech below:

He had a strong message for the COP26 summit on the state of the environment.

“In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a terrible decline,” he said. “In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery, ladies and gentlemen, delegates, excellencies. It’s why the world is looking to you and why you are here.”

Much of his work has focused on the wonders of the natural world and how to protect them. His in-depth stories reflect an ever-changing Earth, from restoring biodiversity and preserving natural landscapes to mitigating climate change and understanding the impact of human activities on the environment.

Watch his journey from zoologist to climate activist:

In 2022, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) presented Sir David with the Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his advocacy within the global environmental movement.

“If we stand a chance of averting climate and biodiversity breakdowns and cleaning up polluted ecosystems

Sanjeev Bhaskar explore the lives of the 20th century's greatest activists, examining the lives of Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr. He'll assess the qualities that made them great, and the groundbreaking ways in which each of them fought for their causes.

The 20th Century was the century of activism. It was a century in which a series of extraordinarily brave individuals encouraged whole swathes of society to throw off the shackles of oppression and get the rights they deserved. These activists spoke for those without a voice, often prepared to lay down their lives for the causes they believed in.

At the beginning of the century, most women couldn't vote, empires ruled much of the planet and marginalised people across the world were being persecuted. The work of these four icons would help society take huge leaps forward. Clearly, there is much more to do in a pursuit of a world in which everyone is equal, but today's activists stand on the shoulders of these giants. Each of these four greats dared to step outside the expectations society had of them. They changed what the world thought possible for women, the subjugated, disabled people and African Americans, and in doing so advanced their causes exponentially. If it weren't for these four icons, history would be very different. Often softened and sanitised by history, this documentary reminds us that these people were firebrands, revolutionaries who were unafraid to risk everything for the advancement of their causes.

Emmeline Pankhurst rallied women in one of the largest protests London had ever seen, before leading them in a campaign of militancy and vandalism, which would see her cause placed firmly at the top of the social agenda.

Mahatma Gandhi employed non violent tactics of passive resistance in the face of the largest empire the world had ever known, he not only helped to secure independence for India, he created the blueprint for generations of