Mahatma Gandhi

Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, on October 2, 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi studied law in London before spending many formative years in South Africa. There he developed the methods of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience that would define his public life.

After returning to India in 1915, he became a leading figure in the fight against British rule through campaigns such as non-cooperation, the Salt March, and the push for swaraj, or self-rule. He also wrote extensively, lived with deliberate simplicity, and urged reform on issues ranging from poverty and untouchability to relations between religious communities.

Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. Remembered around the world as Mahatma, or “great soul,” he remains one of history’s most influential advocates of political change through nonviolence.