When Gandhiji was thrown out from the train in South Africa, he never looked back. He picked himself up and quickly re-calibarated his life. This courageous action resulted in freeing 350 million people from the clutches of white dominance. All through the fight, the principles that Gandhiji followed of non-violence and non-cooperation reigned.
He assessed every situation against these principles and took the necessary actions. He got us the freedom with dignity. Gandhiji’s path for independence was so profound that Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King used it to free their people too!

Gandhiji’s fight for freedom provides many significant lessons. Let us take a look at some of them and relate it to the world of training:

• Negotiation Skills Training – Many times the British sat down with Gandhiji to coerce him to accept their authority. Sometimes they used force, like the Jallianwala Bagh, and sometimes they had across-the-table discussions; however, at all times Gandhiji did not compromise his principles of non-violence and non-cooperation. Gandhiji was a powerful negotiator as he was clear about what was negotiable and what was non-negotiable. He stood firm and fearless on what he considered a ‘non-negotiable’. He did not want the British to rule India – this was a non-negotiable. Finally, the British succumbed!
• Presentation Skills Training – At the start of the fight for freedom, Gandhiji lacked any impact in his presentations. But as the fight gained momentum and his passion was fuelled, there was not a single person in the audience who was unmoved. Great presentations are possible when there is palpable passion!
• Blended Learning – Gandhiji was born in India, worked in UK, started the fight for freedom in South Africa and finally ended up in India to give us independence. He blended all the learning and experiences he got from the various cultures and used what was appropriate for the situation. He was willing to replace the known with the unknown when the known did not create the necessary impact!