Mahatma Gandhi — LLMpedia

Mahatma Gandhi
Elliott & Fry · Public domain · source
Name	Mahatma Gandhi
Birth date	October 2, 1869
Birth place	Porbandar, Gujarat, British India
Death date	January 30, 1948
Death place	New Delhi, India

Contents

Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement against British rule, inspired by Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He is known for his non-violent resistance methods, which have influenced notable figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Aung San Suu Kyi. Gandhi's philosophy of Satyagraha and Ahimsa has been widely adopted by movements such as the American Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. His legacy extends beyond India to inspire movements in South Africa, United States, and Myanmar, with leaders like Desmond Tutu and Malala Yousafzai drawing from his principles.

Early Life and Education

Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, to a Hindu family and was raised in a devout Vaishnavite household, influenced by Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana. He studied law at Inner Temple in London, where he was exposed to the ideas of Charles Dickens, John Stuart Mill, and Herbert Spencer. Gandhi's experiences in South Africa, where he faced racial discrimination and worked as a lawyer, shaped his views on social justice and human rights, similar to those of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. He was also influenced by the Theosophical Society and its leaders, Helena Blavatsky and Annie Besant.

Gandhi returned to India in 1915 and joined the Indian National Congress, working closely with leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal. He led several movements, including the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Salt March, which drew inspiration from the Boston Tea Party and the Women's Suffrage Movement. Gandhi's methods of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance were influenced by the Irish independence movement and the Suffragette movement, led by figures like Éamon de Valera and Emmeline Pankhurst. The Indian independence movement was also supported by international figures like Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, and Rabindranath Tagore.

Gandhi's philosophy of Satyagraha emphasized the power of non-violent resistance and truth, drawing from the ideas of Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He believed in the importance of simple living and self-sufficiency, as outlined in his book Hind Swaraj. Gandhi's ideology was also influenced by Buddhism, Jainism, and Sufism, as well as the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Wordsworth. His concept of Ahimsa has been compared to the principles of Pacifism and Christian anarchism, as seen in the works of Leo Tolstoy and Dorothy Day.

Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse, a member of the Hindu nationalist group Hindu Mahasabha. His death was mourned by leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as well as international figures like Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. Gandhi's legacy continues to inspire movements for civil rights and social justice around the world, including the American Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Anti-Apartheid Movement led by Nelson Mandela. His birthday, October 2, is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti in India and as the International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations.

Gandhi was married to Kasturba Gandhi and had four sons, including Harilal Gandhi and Devdas Gandhi. He was a strong advocate for women's rights and education, as seen in his support for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and the Seva Mandir. Gandhi's personal practices included vegetarianism, yoga, and meditation, which were influenced by the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. He was also a prolific writer and published several books, including My Experiments with Truth and Hind Swaraj, which have been translated into many languages, including English, Hindi, and Gujarati. Gandhi's life and legacy have been the subject of numerous films, including Gandhi directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Ben Kingsley.

Category:Indian independence activists