Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi
Elliott & Fry · Public domain · source
Name	Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Birth date	2 October 1869
Birth place	Porbandar, Kathiawar Agency, Bombay Presidency, British India
Death date	30 January 1948
Death place	New Delhi, Dominion of India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Lawyer, political activist, writer
Known for	Leader of Indian independence movement, pioneer of satyagraha
Spouse	Kasturba Gandhi
Children	Harilal Gandhi, Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi, Devdas Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial activist, and political leader who mobilized mass movements against British rule and influenced global movements for civil rights and social change. He pioneered satyagraha, a strategy of nonviolent resistance, and combined political campaigns with social reform initiatives addressing untouchability, swadeshi, and rural uplift. His life intersected with major figures and institutions across the British Empire, India, and international movements for justice.

Early life and education

Gandhi was born in Porbandar in the Bombay Presidency of British India into a family of the Modh Baniya caste; his father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as a diwan in regional princely states, and his mother, Putlibai Gandhi, was devoutly religious. He attended school in Rajkot before traveling to London in 1888 to study law at Inner Temple and interacted with contemporaries and institutions such as the Vegetarian Society, Theosophical Society, and newspapers of the Victorian era. Returning to India in 1891, he struggled to establish a legal practice in Bombay and Rajkot before accepting a contract in South Africa.

Political awakening and activism in South Africa

In South Africa, Gandhi faced racial discrimination, including the famous 1893 incident at Pietermaritzburg; this catalyzed his lifelong activism. He organized the Indian community and co-founded the Natal Indian Congress and later the Transvaal Indian Congress, engaging with figures like John Dube and institutions such as the Cape Colony administration and the South African Republic. He developed satyagraha during campaigns against the Asiatic Registration Act and the Black Act, coordinating passive resistance, petitions, and negotiations with colonial officials and Indian diaspora leaders including Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Leadership in the Indian independence movement

Returning to India in 1915, Gandhi was embraced by leaders of the Indian National Congress and became a central strategist alongside contemporaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, C. Rajagopalachari, and Abul Kalam Azad. He led nationwide campaigns including the Champaran Satyagraha, the Kheda Satyagraha, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March), and the Quit India Movement. His tactics of mass mobilization involved collaborations and tensions with organizations like the All-India Muslim League, the Indian National Army, and colonial institutions such as the Viceroy of India office and the British Parliament.

Philosophy and methods: Satyagraha and nonviolence

Gandhi articulated satyagraha drawing on sources including Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, writings of Leo Tolstoy, and ideas from Henry David Thoreau; he framed truth (satya) and firmness (agraha) into disciplined nonviolent action. He promoted civil disobedience, noncooperation, and constructive work—such as the Khadi movement and village sanitation—over violent revolution, engaging with thinkers and activists like Rosa Parks and later influencing leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. He debated tactics with opponents including Subhas Chandra Bose and navigated legal and political responses from colonial authorities including Lord Irwin.

Social reform and views on caste, religion, and economics

Gandhi campaigned against untouchability, promoting the uplift of Harijans and advocating temple entry and sanitation reforms, often clashing with traditionalists and leaders such as B. R. Ambedkar over approaches to caste. He sought Hindu-Muslim unity and negotiated with leaders like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad while criticizing communalism amid events like the Partition of Bengal (1905) and increasing communal tensions preceding Partition of India. Economically he advanced village self-reliance through the Charkha movement and critiqued industrial capitalism, discussing alternatives with economists and reformers connected to Gandhian economics and institutions such as rural cooperatives.

Imprisonments, fasts, and later political struggles

Gandhi endured multiple imprisonments ordered by colonial authorities including under Defense of India Act provisions and negotiated releases with viceroys; notable incarcerations occurred during the Rowlatt Act protests and the Quit India Movement. He used hunger strikes as moral and political instruments, fasting in prisons and public spaces to protest communal violence, compel negotiations, or enforce discipline within movements, intersecting with leaders like Sardar Patel and activists from organizations like the All India Women's Conference. His later years involved intense conflict over the timing and terms of independence, negotiations with figures such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Lord Mountbatten, and representatives of provincial governments.

Assassination and legacy

Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a member of Hindu Mahasabha circles opposed to his policies on Partition of India and communal reconciliation. His assassination provoked nationwide mourning and institutional responses from the Constituent Assembly of India, leading to memorials, archives, and museums like the Sabarmati Ashram and institutions across India and internationally. His methods inspired civil rights and independence movements worldwide, influencing figures and bodies such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, César Chávez, the United Nations, and academic disciplines examining nonviolence; his writings and collected works remain central in repositories and debates over ethics, politics, and postcolonial studies.

Category:Indian independence movement Category:Nonviolence advocates Category:People from Porbandar