Explain Tolstoy Farm.

Tolstoy Farm was a communal settlement established by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa in 1910, named after the renowned Russian author Leo Tolstoy, whom Gandhi admired for his moral teachings. It served as a pivotal experiment in Gandhi's principles of simple living, self-sufficiency, and nonviolent resistance.

Located near Johannesburg, Tolstoy Farm was envisioned as a self-sustaining community where individuals of different races and backgrounds could live and work together harmoniously. Gandhi sought to create a space where residents could practice the principles of truth (satya) and nonviolence (ahimsa) in their daily lives while resisting the oppressive racial laws of the time.

The residents of Tolstoy Farm engaged in various activities aimed at self-sufficiency, including agriculture, animal husbandry, and handicrafts. They cultivated crops and raised livestock, emphasizing the importance of manual labor and simplicity in daily life. The community also placed a strong emphasis on education, with Gandhi himself serving as a teacher and mentor to the residents.

Tolstoy Farm became a center for Satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) and civil disobedience against discriminatory laws such as the poll tax and pass laws. Gandhi and other leaders organized protests and campaigns from Tolstoy Farm, advocating for the rights and dignity of all people, regardless of race or nationality.

Despite facing challenges and hardships, Tolstoy Farm served as a transformative experience for Gandhi and his followers, shaping their approach to activism and social change. The principles and practices developed at Tolstoy Farm would later influence Gandhi's leadership of the Indian independence movement and inspire similar experiments in communal living and nonviolent resistance around the world.