Mahatma Gandhi: Life, Nonviolence and the Road to Independence

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer and political leader. He led the nonviolent struggle against British rule in India. The world knows him as Mahatma, but that was never his birth name. It is a title of Sanskrit origin that means great soul. His name in Hindi is written मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी.

This guide answers the questions people ask most. Where was he born? What was he like as a young man? How did he die? It also follows the events that led to Indian independence in 1947.

Where was Mahatma Gandhi born?

Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar. This town lies in the present-day Indian state of Gujarat.

His family belonged to the Modh Bania community. It is classed within the Vaishya varna. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as diwan of the princely state of Porbandar. A diwan is a chief minister. His mother, Putlibai, was Karamchand’s fourth wife. She was a Hindu devoted to the Pranami Vaishnava tradition.

So Gandhi grew up close to government and close to faith. Both shaped the way he later led.

Mahatma Gandhi young: marriage, family and London

Gandhi married Kasturba Makhanji in May 1883. He was only 13. The couple had four sons who reached adulthood:

• Harilal, born in 1888
• Manilal, born in 1892
• Ramdas, born in 1897
• Devdas, born in 1900

In the same year that Harilal was born, Gandhi left home to study law. He set out for London on 4 September 1888.

In London he joined the Vegetarian Society. The members elected him to its executive committee. Most biographies of the young Gandhi skip this detail. It shows that he was already taking part in organised public causes as a student.

South Africa: where the method took shape

In 1893 Gandhi travelled to South Africa. An Indian trading firm had hired him to handle its legal work.

On 7 June 1893 he was forced off a train at Pietermaritzburg. He held a valid first-class ticket. That incident is one of the best-known episodes of his life.

He did not leave the matter there. On 22 August 1894 he founded the Natal Indian Congress. Its aim was to fight racial discrimination against Indians in South Africa.

This is also where he developed satyagraha. The word means insistence on truth. It is tied to ahimsa, the principle of nonviolence. The idea is simple. You refuse to cooperate with an unjust rule, and you refuse to hurt anyone while you do it.

Back in India: Champaran and non-cooperation

Gandhi returned to India on 9 January 1915. Two years later, in 1917, he joined a struggle in Champaran, in Bihar. Peasants there were being forced to grow indigo. Gandhi took up their cause and won concessions from the administration.

The Non-Cooperation Movement followed. It did not stay peaceful. After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi called the movement off on 12 February 1922. He chose to stop the campaign rather than let it turn violent. That decision tells you how seriously he took his own rule.

The Salt March of 1930

The Salt March is the best-known act of his career. Britain held a monopoly on salt in India. The march was organised as a tax resistance and a nonviolent civil disobedience campaign against that monopoly.

You can connect with this story at your own dinner table. Salt is in nearly every meal you eat.

Here is how the march went:

• On 11 March 1930, the day before he set out, Gandhi gave a speech. He asked his followers not to turn to violence, even if he and his companions were arrested.
• On 12 March 1930 he left the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. He had 78 companions with him.
• The route to Dandi was 241 miles long. That is about 388 kilometres.
• On the morning of 6 April 1930 he picked up natural salt from the shore at Dandi. By doing so he broke the British salt law.
• On 5 May 1930 he was arrested at Karadi. He was sent to Yerwada Jail.

The march started a mass campaign. According to the Sabarmati Ashram’s history, around 60,000 supporters of independence were jailed during it.

The campaign ended in talks. Gandhi and the Governor-General, Lord Irwin, signed the Gandhi–Irwin Pact on 5 March 1931.

Mahatma Gandhi photo: the Dandi March image

One of the best-known images of the walk is titled “Dandi March in Progress” and dates from April 1930. Its collection record names the holding institution. It is the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust in Ahmedabad. If you want to see where the walk began, the Sabarmati Ashram is the place to look.

Quit India

On 8 August 1942 a resolution was adopted in Bombay. It demanded that Britain withdraw from India. That began the Quit India movement, which Gandhi supported.

India became independent in 1947. Gandhi had made a vow on 12 March 1930. He promised not to return to the Sabarmati Ashram until India was free. He kept that promise even after 1947. He never went back.

Mahatma Gandhi death: date and place

Gandhi was killed on 30 January 1948. He was at Birla House in New Delhi and was on his way to a prayer meeting. Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, shot him.

So the answer to the common search for his death date is 30 January 1948. He was 78 years old.

Why 2 October matters today

The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 61/271 on 15 June 2007. It named 2 October, Gandhi’s birthday, the International Day of Non-Violence. His birthday is now marked far beyond India.

Timeline

1. 2 October 1869 Born in Porbandar.
2. May 1883 Married Kasturba Makhanji.
3. 4 September 1888 Left for London to study law.
4. 1893 Went to South Africa for legal work.
5. 22 August 1894 Founded the Natal Indian Congress.
6. 9 January 1915 Returned to India.
7. 1917 Joined the Champaran peasants’ struggle.
8. 12 February 1922 Called off the Non-Cooperation Movement.
9. 12 March 1930 Began the Salt March from Sabarmati.
10. 6 April 1930 Broke the salt law at Dandi.
11. 5 May 1930 Arrested at Karadi.
12. 5 March 1931 Gandhi–Irwin Pact signed.
13. 8 August 1942 Quit India movement began.
14. 30 January 1948 Assassinated in New Delhi.

Details you won’t find in guidebooks

• The vow. On 12 March 1930 Gandhi swore not to go back to the Sabarmati Ashram until India was free. India became independent in 1947, and he still did not return.
• The ticket. In June 1893 Gandhi held a valid first-class ticket. He was still removed from the train at Pietermaritzburg.
• The vegetarian. As a student in London, he joined the Vegetarian Society. He was elected to its executive committee.
• A disputed view. After the Bihar earthquake of 15 January 1934, Gandhi gave a religious reading of it. He linked the disaster to discrimination against so-called untouchables. Rabindranath Tagore disagreed. He argued that earthquakes have natural causes, not moral ones.
• A famous image. The “Dandi March in Progress” photo from April 1930 is held by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.

FAQ

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Mahatma Gandhi en.wikipedia.org
2. Vikipedi — Mahatma Gandi tr.wikipedia.org
3. Wikipedia — Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi de.wikipedia.org
4. Rajghat Samadhi Committee — Life Events of Mahatma Gandhi rajghat.gov.in
5. Sabarmati Ashram — On the Eve of Historic Dandi March gandhiashramsabarmati.org
6. Indian Ministry of Culture — Day 1, 12th March cmsadmin.amritmahotsav.nic.in
7. Sabarmati Ashram — History gandhiashramsabarmati.org
8. Gandhi as Information — Dandi March in Progress gandhistory.in
9. Sabarmati Ashram — Life Chronology gandhiashramsabarmati.org
10. United Nations — International Day of Non-Violence un.org

Image: Mahatma Gandhi leaves Presidency Jail in Calcutta.jpg — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain