What was Satyagraha before Gandhi used it?

Answer 1

Satyagraha literally means adhering to truth, Satya in Sanskrit meaning the Truth. In almost all communities and in almost all corners of this world, Satyagraha had been used in all ages by people to peacefully demonstrate protest. It is a passive struggle, never deviating to violence. Gandhi was not its inventor but develpoed it as a very powerful political weapon which he used successfully against the British in South Africa and in India. In Satyagraha, the protestors sit at a place without moving from there, even if threatened with violence. Fasting is another form of similar protest in which the protestors go on a fast and eat nothing. Even Irish Republcan Army soldiers have turned to fasing in the Maize Prison at the end of which their leader and poet Bobby Sanderson died in prison after 65 days of fasting. Satyagraha and fasting are noted for their adherence to Truth and Non-violence.