Mahatma Gandhi Biography

[pic 1]                            Mahatma Gandhi Biography

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, called « Mahatma » meaning Great Soul, was one of the most significant revolutionary figures of the Modern Age. He lead the Indian people in a non-violent revolution against the British imperialists. He was famous for his pacifistic approach to freeing his country and the people in India. He was a Hindu but he was accepted by other religions.

He was born on 2nd October 1869 in the North West of India, and was married at 14 years old to Kasturbai. He studied Law, travelling to England in 1888. When he returned to India in 1891 he struggled to find work. In 1893 he received a proposition from South Africa to do a job for them, and during his travel he discovered the racial discrimination the British had created against dark-skinned people. [pic 2]

After winning the trial, Gandhi decided to campaign against the ban on Indian rights, specifically the right to elect representatives at the Assembly. His petition gained 10 000 signatures and the removal of the law. This made Gandhi popular and he decided to keep fighting racism.

Gandhi was imprisoned for 6 months in 1906 after convincing 3000 delegates to not submit to a new segregation law. During his life he was imprisoned many times and developed a movement called Satyagraha, the shaking off of burdens. After the Amritsar Massacre on April 13, 1919, and the deaths of over 300 Indians, he suspended the Satyagraha.

In 1930, Gandhi began his most famous protest: the Salt March. He walked for 24 days, gaining followers all the time. When he picked up the salt, Gandhi announced « the beginning of civil disobedience », and was arrested.

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On the 30th January 1948, a Hindu nationalist activist shot Gandhi 3 times in the chest. Before Nathuram Godse killed him, there were 4 other assassination attempts on Gandhi. Over 2 million Indians attended his funeral in Delhi.

Gandhi’s anti-violence campaign inspired many other people. An example is the leader of the American Civil Rights movement Martin Luther King along with people like Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. Gandhi is still a prominent pacifist figure today.

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