Mahatma Gandhi: how he built his brand with peace and non-violence
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948): Have you ever heard of him? He was the man who freed India from the clutches of the British. East India Co. had arrived in India about a hundred years before independence from the United States. When the United States gained its independence in 1776, India was completely under British occupation. If the British treated their American colonies with a motherly attitude, in India they were oppressive and tyrannical. They stayed in India and ruled the country on the pretext that “India did not know how to rule itself”. Many freedom fighters tried different methods, including armed uprising, to free their country from British occupation. British viceroys and governors-general put down each uprising ruthlessly with an iron fist, branding freedom fighters extremists and sending them behind bars.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi then entered the scene of the Indian freedom struggle, having spent his youth studying law in London and practicing law in South Africa. He united India’s fragmented freedom struggle movement under his single brand of struggle. Non-violence-was his mantra. He advocated fasting and non-cooperation in a non-violent way to protest against the draconian British laws specially designed to maintain their vicious control over the earth’s resources.
The British were experts at putting down armed uprisings, but they had no answer for peaceful demonstrations for self-determination and freedom. Gradually they had to withdraw from India because of Gandhi and his kind of non-violent protest. In 1947 India achieved freedom, thanks to this man dressed only in a loincloth. Gandhi has inspired thousands of leaders around the world, including Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
If you are a political leader, you decide what your brand will be?
The corporations and personalities discussed above provide valuable insights and lessons on how to build strong brands. They base their brands on strong values and lofty characters. Major companies and personalities diligently maintain their brands. They realize that a competitor may come up with an equally good product after all. But no competitor can duplicate a brand. Therefore, they spend a considerable part of their income on building and monitoring their brands. More than fear of competition, it is a passion for their work and a firm belief in their abilities that has brought them to where they are today.