Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, in North West India, on October 2, 1869. His father was the Chief Minister of Porbandar, and his mother was religious. His upbringing was infused with the Jain teachings of mutual tolerance, non-injury to living beings, and vegetarianism. He was later known as Mahatma Gandhi.
In picture: An undated picture of Mahatma Gandhi.
As a child, Mahatma Gandhi was as 'restless as mercury, either playing or roaming about. One of his favourite pastimes was twisting dogs' ears.
Picture dated July 24, 1931, in New Delhi of Mahatma Gandhi advocating a policy of non-violent, non-cooperation to achieve independence of India.
Mahatma Gandhi studied in a local school in Rajkot. His subjects were arithmetic, History, Gujarati, and geography. He joined the High School in Rajkot at the age of 11. Gandhi was a shy student with no interest in games. He loved books and school lessons.
Mahatma Gandhi married Kasturba in 1883 at Porbandar. He was 13 years old at that time. On September 4, 1888, Gandhi left for London to study Law. In 1891, Gandhi was called to the British Bar and enrolled in the High Court.
Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba had four sons - Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, Devdas before he took a vow of celibacy.
Mahatma Gandhi in an undated picture.
In picture: Mahatma Gandhi (C) poses with women during his tour of the Bengal province in 1946.
In April 1893 at the age of 23, Mahatma Gandhi set sail for South Africa to be the lawyer for Abdullah's cousin. Immediately upon arriving in South Africa, Gandhi faced discrimination because of his skin colour and heritage, like all people of colour. This mistreatment prompted Gandhi to begin campaigning for the civil rights of Indians in South Africa, and he eventually developed his concept of 'satyagraha' and 'ahimsa'. Despite being arrested and imprisoned multiple times, Mahatma Gandhi remained in South Africa until 1914. He later returned to India, where he became a transformative figure and led the nonviolent social action movement for India's Independence.
Picture dated June 9, 1939, of Mahatma Gandhi, accompanied by young followers, in Bombay (now Mumbai).
Mahatma Gandhi fought for much more than independence. His causes included civil rights for women, the abolition of the caste system, and the fair treatment of all people regardless of religion. His famous hunger strikes and message of nonviolence helped to unite the country and ultimately led to India's independence from the British on August 15, 1947.
Mahatma Gandhi arrives in Indore on May 4, 1935, to preside at a conference.
Despite being famous for nonviolence and the Indian independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi actually recruited Indians to fight for Britain during World War I. He opposed India's involvement in World War II.
Lord Louis Mountbatten (L) and Lady Edwina Mountbatten (R) receive Mahatma Gandhi when Lord Mountbatten becomes Viceroy of the British Indian Empire on April 11, 1947. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of the British Indian Empire (1947) and the first Governor-General of independent India.
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi protested against Britain's Salt Acts, which not only prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt - a dietary staple - but imposed a heavy tax that hit the country's poor. Gandhi planned a new Satyagraha campaign that entailed a 390-kilometer/240-mile march to the Arabian Sea, where he would collect salt in symbolic defiance of the government monopoly.
Mahatma Gandhi (C) is pictured with his followers in this March 1930 photo during the famous salt march to Dandi, Gujarat.
Mahatma Gandhi called for mass boycotts, he urged government officials to stop working for the crown, students to stop attending government schools, soldiers to leave their posts, and citizens to stop paying taxes and purchasing British goods. He began to use a portable spinning wheel to produce his own cloth, and the spinning wheel soon became a symbol of Indian independence and self-reliance.
Mahatma Gandhi (R) sits with Jawaharlal Nehru, during a Congress Party meeting in Bombay (now Mumbai) on August 9, 1942.
Mahatma Gandhi poses with Pashtun political and spiritual leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, May 17, 1938, in Peshawar, during a political meeting. The two men were known for their non-violent opposition to British rule during the final years of the Imperial rule in the Indian sub-continent. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was known as Badshah Khan or Frontier Gandhi.
In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi intensified his protests for the complete independence of India. He drafted a resolution calling for the British to Quit India. The 'Quit India Movement' or the 'Bharat Chhodo Andolan' was the most aggressive movement launched by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was the most prominent leader of the Indian Independence Movement against the British rule.
Picture dated January 12, 1938, of Mahatma Gandhi, accompanied by young followers, walking on a beach near Bombay (now Mumbai).
Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize 5 times in 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1947. Mahatma Gandhi was chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1948, but he was assassinated before it was conferred to him. In response to this, the Nobel Committee decided not to award the Peace Prize for that year
Mahatma Gandhi speaks with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, president of the Indian National Congress, on March 2, 1938, in Haripura, during a political meeting.
While walking to a prayer meeting in New Delhi on the evening of January 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was shot three times at close range by Nathuram Godse who blamed Gandhi for going along with the 1947 plan that partitioned British India along religious lines.
In picture: A huge crowd at the funeral procession of the Mahatma after he was assassinated.
Mahatma Gandhi lives on through his deeds. Mahatma Gandhi inspired several other political leaders all over the world including the likes of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, and Aung San Suu Kyi. He has inspired generations with his thoughts and beliefs and continues to do so.
Mahatma Gandhi was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1930 and was also the runner-up for Time's Person of the century.
A stamp was released in Britain honoring Gandhi's 100th Birthday, even though Gandhi had spent his entire life pushing the Britishers for India's independence.
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