Mahatma

Fakir Lalon Shah

Gandhi writing, 1942

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Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British Rule, and in turn inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "great-souled", "venerable"), first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.

Early Life and Education

Born and raised in a Hindu family in coastal Gujarat, western India, Gandhi trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, and was called to the bar at age 22 in June 1891. After two uncertain years in India, where he was unable to start a successful law practice, he moved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. He went on to stay for 21 years. It was in South Africa that Gandhi raised a family, and first employed nonviolent resistance in a campaign for civil rights. In 1915, aged 45, he returned to India.

Role in Indian Independence

Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for various social causes and for achieving Swaraj or self-rule. One of his earliest significant involvements in Indian affairs was the Champaran and Kheda agitations of Bihar and Gujarat. The non-cooperation movement in 1920 was a significant milestone in the fight against the British. Gandhi also led the Dandi Salt March in 1930 in protest against the colonial salt tax. In 1942, he launched the Quit India Movement, demanding an end to British Rule of India.

Philosophy and Methods

Gandhi's vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism was challenged in the early 1940s by a new Muslim nationalism which was demanding a separate Muslim homeland carved out of India. Eventually, in August 1947, Britain granted independence, but the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.

As a practitioner of Ahimsa (non-violence), Gandhi swore to speak the truth and advocated that others do the same. He also advocated for the rights of women, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Gandhi's economic ideas are best described as an advocacy for a simple lifestyle, self-sufficiency, and small-scale industry.

Death

Gandhi was assassinated in the garden of the former Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, who held him responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan. Gandhi's death was mourned nationwide.

Legacy

Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi is commonly, though not formally, considered the Father of the Nation in India, and his image appears on Indian rupees.

Gandhi's legacy includes his contributions to the Indian independence movement and his philosophy of non-violence, which has inspired civil rights movements around the world.