Hello Gandhi Collectors,
"Sal Mubarak" (Happy New Year). Today is New Year for some of the people in India which is day after Diwali.
In today's world we see lot of protest is going on whether it is in India (corruption) or Middle East (freedom) or USA (wall street) all are trying to protest against injustice or difficulty they are facing in today's world.
This is same what we all know about protest did by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa & India and MLK in USA and many others in last 100 years using Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience.
But this Civil Disobedience and Non-Violence in USA goes back in mid 1800 when Henry David Thoreau refuse to pay tax. On July 1846, Thoreau ran into the local tax collector, who asked him to pay six years of delinquent poll taxes. Thoreau refused because of his opposition to the Mexican-American War and slavery, and he spent a night in jail because of this refusal. The next day Thoreau was freed, against his wishes, when his aunt paid his taxes. The experience had a strong impact on Thoreau. For more reading about Thoreau click this link
Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 and died on May 6, 1862 was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.
Henry David Thoreau played a significant role in Mahatma Gandhi's life and he was one of the person who had a lasting impact on Gandhi.
Gandhi first read Thoreau's book "The Duty of Civil Disobedience" in 1907 in South Africa which he published a paraphrase of his book in his weekly newspaper, Indian Opinion..
Gandhi also wrote in his own book "HIND SWARAJ" that views express in this book are his, but he follow Thoreau and other writers. In appendix of Hind Swaraj book he mentioned about Thoreau's works "The Duty of Civil Disobedience" and "Life without Principle".
Some quotes by Henry David Thoreau was affected to Gandhi.
"Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slave..."
"An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day..."
On June 26th 2010, Birth House of Henry David Thoreau was Inaugurated after very long time and hard work by volunteers. It is located at 341 Virginia Road, Concord, Massachusetts.
Want to know more about Thoreau Farm's then click this link http://www.thoreaufarm.org/
Following is the cover I made with help from my friend who took picture of Theorau's house and who helped me to get hand cancel on this cover on June 26, 2010 and mailed it to me.
Gandhi in his 1942 appeal to"To American Friends," wrote, "You have given me a teacher in Thoreau, who furnished me through his essay on the 'Duty of Civil Disobedience'."
I take full responsibility of this cover and it has
1) Thoreau 5 cents stamp
2) Gandhi 8 and 4 cents stamps
3) 29 cents American Eagle stamps in Red, White and Blue.
4) Hand Cancellation from USPS Concord, MA. (Birth & Death Place of Thoreau)
5) Picture of Thoreau Farm(house). (Send to me by my friend).
6) Description about Inauguration in Front
7) Description about Henry David Thoreau in back with his quotes and role he played on Gandhi.
Again thanks for reading and Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Gandhi Stamps Club
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