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Mahatma Gandhi

by Eisha from Delhi

Freedom is not.
Mahatma Gandhi praying (google images.)
Mahatma Gandhi praying (google images.)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 and died on 30 January 1948). He was the preeminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement.

He was the pioneer of satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa or total nonviolence — which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi or "Great Soul", an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore, and in India also as Bapu.

He is officially honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience while an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, during the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he organized protests by peasants, farmers, and urban labourers concerning excessive land-tax and discrimination.

Page created on 7/11/2010 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 7/11/2010 12:00:00 AM

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