Mahatma Gandhi, born on 2 October 1869, in Porbandar, India, was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement against British rule. As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.
In the eyes of millions of his
fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The unthinking adoration
of the huge crowds that gathered to see him all along the route of his tours
made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work during the day or rest at
night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only to the Mahatmas.”
His fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his
death. The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of the most universally recognized on
earth.
