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Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)Indian national and spiritual leader. Born on 2 October 1869, at Porbandar in Gujarat into a well-off trading family, Mohandâs Karamchand Gandhi read for the Bar in London in 1888-9 despite his lack of a university education. He practised as a lawyer in Bombay and was sent in 1893 to Natal in South Africa to help an Indian client. There, he became involved in a protest movement against the withdrawal of civil rights from the Asian community, and led it for 20 years. He began living an extremely austere life, marked by chastity, simplicity and hours spent at the spinning wheel, a symbolic rejection of Western technology. In 1904, he founded the Phoenix settlement, with the aim of realising his ideas of religious tolerance, non-violence and cultural nationalism in a community. His remarkable personality helped unite the various Asian groups in South Africa, and his campaigns, which included a march into the Transvaal, resulted in success when the South African government backed down in 1914. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma (Sanskrit for 'great soul'), returned to India in January 1915 and led several non-violent protests against British rule. In 1920, he persuaded the Indian National Congress to start a policy of non-cooperation with the British – proof of his growing authority. Although this campaign was halted in 1922 after escalating violence, and Gandhi was imprisoned for conspiracy for two years, he remained a leading figure even though he held no political office. In 1930, he received enormous national attention and support when he led the Salt March, a protest against the hated salt tax. Then he turned his attention to the lower classes and the 'untouchables' at the bottom of the caste system, whom he called the 'children of god'. During World War II, he led the Quit India campaign, protesting against India's involvement in war without Indian consent. Imprisoned again in 1942, he was released two years later. Although he was not part of the negotiations for Indian independence in 1946-7, he became a mythical figure, a potent symbol of national defiance. Disturbed by the communal strife between Hindus and Muslims that followed the partition of India and Pakistan in August 1947, he embarked on a fast in support of Delhi Muslims. On 30 January 1948, he was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic who objected to his benevolence to Muslims. Gandhi's main strength was wise and charismatic opposition, not practical politics. His use of civil disobedience – satyagraha (grasping the truth) – and passive resistance was immensely influential, especially with American civil rights reformers such as Dr Martin Luther King. |
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