Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was a South‑Asian lawyer‑turned‑political leader whose doctrine of non‑violent civil disobedience reshaped the struggle against British colonial rule and inspired movements for social justice worldwide. By mobilising millions of ordinary Indians through mass protests such as the 1930 Salt March—a 240‑mile trek from Sabarmati to Dandi that culminated in the illegal manufacture of salt—Gandhi demonstrated that disciplined non‑cooperation could challenge imperial authority without armed conflict. His synthesis of ethical philosophy, grassroots organisation, and strategic negotiation made him a singular figure in both Indian history and the global canon of resistance. ## Early Life, Education, and Legal Career Born into a merchant family in Porbandar, Gujarat, Gandhi was the third of four children of Karamchand Gandhi, a senior civil servant in the princely state of Porbandar, and Putlibai, a devout Hindu. After completing his secondary education at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, he travelled to London in 1888, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in law from University College London and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1891. Returning to India in 1891, Gandhi struggled to establish a practice, prompting his acceptance of a one‑year contract in 1893 to work as a legal adviser for an Indian firm in Durban, Natal, South Africa—a posting that lasted eleven years and exposed him to institutionalised racial discrimination. ## Philosophy of Satyagraha and Non‑Violence In South Africa, Gandhi formulated “satyagraha” (truth‑force) during the 1906 Indian passive‑resistance campaign against the Transvaal’s Asiatic Registration Act, which required all Indians to carry identity passes. He articulated the principle in his 1909 pamphlet Hind Swaraj, arguing that moral power derived from self‑discipline, truthfulness, and willingness to accept suffering without retaliation. The doctrine demanded three practical pillars: non‑violent resistance (ahimsa), civil disobedience (satyagraha), and constructive programmes such as khadi weaving, which he promoted to revive village economies and reduce dependence on British textiles. Gandhi’s insistence on personal austerity—evident in his daily routine of simple vegetarian meals, barefoot walking, and nightly prayer—reinforced his public message that political change must be rooted in ethical conduct. ## Major Campaigns and Political Leadership Gandhi’s first mass Indian campaign occurred in 1917 with the Kheda satyagraha, where he secured a tax remission for famine‑stricken peasants in Gujarat after persuading the British collector to suspend revenue collection for a year. The 1919 Champaran agitation in Bihar, sparked by the exploitation of indigo growers under the Tinkathia system, marked his debut as a national leader and resulted in the abolition of forced cultivation. As president of the Indian National Congress in 1921, 1923, 1925, 1937, and 1946, he launched the Non‑Cooperation Movement (1920‑22), urging boycotts of British institutions and the adoption of indigenous goods; the movement mobilised an estimated 30 million participants before its abrupt suspension after the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922. The 1930 Salt March, commencing on 12 March and concluding on 6 April, attracted over 78 000 volunteers and forced the British to arrest more than 60 000 Indians, including Gandhi himself, thereby internationalising the Indian independence cause. In August 1942, Gandhi’s “Quit India” resolution demanded immediate British withdrawal, leading to mass arrests of Congress leaders and a surge of underground resistance that persisted until the 1947 Partition. ## Global Influence and Enduring Legacy Gandhi’s tactics reverberated beyond the subcontinent, shaping the civil‑rights strategies of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., who cited the Salt March in his 1952 “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and informing Nelson Mandela’s anti‑apartheid struggle in South Africa during the 1960s. The United Nations recognised his contribution to peace by awarding the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995, and his birthday, 2 October, is observed worldwide as the International Day of Non‑Violence. Despite his assassination by Nathuram Godse on 30 January 1948, Gandhi’s writings—spanning Satyagraha in South Africa (1908) to The Collected Works (volumes 1‑100)—continue to be studied in law schools, political science departments, and ethics courses. Contemporary Indian policy on rural development, exemplified by the 2020 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, echoes his emphasis on village self‑sufficiency, while global climate‑justice movements invoke his principle of “Sarvodaya” (universal uplift) to argue for equitable resource distribution. Gandhi’s synthesis of moral philosophy and mass mobilisation endures as