Mahatma Gandhi

Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi studied law in London before beginning his public life in South Africa. There he confronted racial discrimination and developed the method he called satyagraha—nonviolent resistance grounded in truth, discipline, and moral courage.

After returning to India in 1915, he became the central figure in the campaign against British rule. Through mass movements such as non-cooperation, civil disobedience, and the Salt March, he urged Indians to resist injustice without hatred, and he also spoke constantly about religious harmony, village industry, and the dignity of ordinary people.

Gandhi wrote widely in newspapers and journals including Indian Opinion, Young India, and Harijan, making his ideas accessible far beyond politics alone. Assassinated in 1948, he remains a deeply influential figure whose example has continued to shape debates about freedom, conscience, and peaceful protest.