Who is Mahatma Gandhi?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was a world-renowned pacifist who led his fellow Indians towards their independence from the British Empire. Mahatma (an honored named meaning "great soul" in Sanskrit language) developed and advocated a protest method known as Satagraha ("way of truth"_, which essentially revolved around non-violent protest. Gandhi was the primary influencer of inspiring the Indian people to lead their movement towards the establishment of an Indian Commonwealth. Mahatma Gandhi has also influenced succeeding generations in their various movements, including Nelson Mandela's South Africa apartheid movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights movement.

Mahatma Gandi was born in Porbander, Gujarat, India, on October 2, 1869 and he was born into a middle-class, somewhat aristocratic family. His father was a local government official, and eventually inspired him to train as a lawyer in London, England. Following his graduation from law school, in 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa in order to practice law and assist in the eradication of discriminating laws against Indians and other minorities. Gandhi was first arrested on November 6, 1913 in South Africa, while leading a strike consisting of Indian miners, in order to burn their identification cards.

Gandhi, like his successors, drew much motivation and guidance from his predecessors, particularly from Leo Tolstoy, who experienced a conversion to what he referred to as "Christian anarchism" in the 1880s. From that point on, Tolstoy acted as a mentor to Gandhi, and they continued to write each other until his death. Eventually, Gandhi would return to India during World War I, in order to encourage Indian natives to join the British Army's Indian fleet. At the war's conclusion, Gandhi emerged as a key player in the Indian Nationl Congress and independence movement. Gandhi first gained worldwide publicity through his various acts of non-violence protests and civil disobedience, particularly for his unique method of fasting. Despite his publicity and popularity, the British government imprisoned him on numerous occasions in order to attempt to stifle the independence movement. Perhaps the most well-known single protest by Gandhi, was known as the Salt March. The Salt March lasted twenty-four days and began on March 12, 1930, eventually ending on April 5. During this march, Gandhi led tens of thousands of fellow Indians towards the sea in order to extract their own salt, which was forbidden as the British had a monopoly over the salt industry. The march was largely successful, though many Indians were incarcerated as a result of it. Later on, in May of 1933, Gandhi started a twenty-one day fast to protest the British government.

The independence movement continued throughout World War II, and was particularly sparked when Gandhi wrote a resolution entitled Quit India, which inspired tens of thousands of additional supporters. Like many times before, Gandhi was arrested on August 9, 1942 and incarcerated for two years.

One of Gandhi's key characteristics was his ability to bridge the gap between Indian Hindus and Muslims, who had long feuded. Despite Gandhi's insistence on a unified country upon their independence, Hindu and Muslim separatists wanted to establish separate countries: one Muslim state (Pakistan), one Hindu state (India). On January 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi's life was tragically taken by a successful assassination by Naturam Godse, a fellow Hindu.

In his autobiography, entitled The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi reveals his inspiration for his philosophies, and they were inspired by the Bhagvad Gita, as well as the Jain religion. Gandhi also strictly adhered to a vegetarian diet and it was his belief that a diet should consist of only the essential foods, in which he felt animals were not deemed to be. Gandhi was also an advocator of spiritual reflection and would often spend entire days in silence, trying to resolve his soul and attain inner peace. Upon his return from South Africa, Gandhi rid himself of material possessions (including fancy clothing) and he often weaved his own clothes in order to conserve resources. It is for this reason, that the image of a spinning wheel was included in the flag of the Indian National Congress. Gandhi was also opposed to conformed education and believed that parents should be the primary educators of their children, rather than impersonal school teachers. Despite his numerous contributions to society, Mohandas K. Gandhi was never the recipient of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, though he did receive five nominations.