His book Satyagraha in South Africa (1928), chapter XII, on how the word was chosen
A Word for the Work
On 11 September 1906, some three thousand Indians met at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg. They gathered to resist the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance, which required every Indian in the Transvaal to register and carry a certificate. A merchant named Haji Habib proposed that they swear before God never to submit to the law. The crowd stood and took the oath. Mahatma Gandhi was their lawyer, and he had to explain their campaign to the public. He had been using the English term passive resistance, but he disliked it. The phrase suggested weakness, and newspapers used it for people who lacked weapons.
Gandhiji wanted a word from his own language that matched the pledge his people took. In late 1907, he announced a competition in his paper in South Africa, Indian Opinion, offering a small prize for an entry. His cousin Maganlal Gandhi suggested sadagraha, which means firmness in a good cause. Gandhiji liked the root, but a cause is something people argue over. He modified the term to "Satyagraha", combining satya (SUT-yuh), meaning truth, with agraha, meaning firmness. The word described a deliberate choice rather than helplessness, showing that the community had the strength to disobey and bear the penalty.
Therefore
When you take a stand, name it before other people assign you their own labels. The name you choose tells everyone how to understand your work.
Satyagraha in South Africa (1928), chapter XII
Gandhiji recorded the story of the contest while held in Yeravda jail between 1923 and 1924. He wrote the history in Gujarati, and it appeared in English in 1928 as Satyagraha in South Africa. In chapter XII, he explained how the competition at the Phoenix printing office produced the word. The struggle in the Transvaal lasted eight years after the meeting in the theatre. It ended in 1914 with a settlement signed by General Smuts. The word outlived the campaign. Gandhiji brought it to India, where it became the name for every major movement he directed.
A small reminder, on the desk or the notebook, that finding the right word for your work helps everyone understand what you stand for.
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