Mahatma Gandhi

Before he was given the title of Mahatma, or "great soul," for helping lead India to independence from British rule, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to a poor family in Porbandar, India, on October 2, 1869. Though he only received an elementary education, Gandhi was a shy child and found companionship in books, especially the Indian classics. These stories had a profound effect on him, with their overarching values of truth and love.

Gandhi was an average student. His time at school was interrupted when, at only 13, he married the 14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji Kapadia in an arranged marriage. He went on to graduate from high school, but dropped out of college. A family friend then recommended that Gandhi be sent to London to study law. Despite some objections from his family and concerns that England would corrupt him, Gandhi packed his bags and set off for London. He arrived in 1888 and began studying law and jurisprudence at University College, London.

At 22, Gandhi became a barrister and returned to India, but his law practice in Bombay failed. He accepted a job offer as a lawyer in South Africa, which at the time was also part of the British Empire. Gandhi knew that he would be in South Africa for at least a year, but he ended up staying for 21 years. It was in South Africa that he developed his political and ethical views, in large part due to the discrimination he was subjected to because of his skin color and heritage. Gandhi fought for the rights of both Indians and Africans in South Africa, and was later proclaimed a national hero.

In 1915, Gandhi returned to India as a known Indian nationalist and social activist. He became the leader of the Indian National Congress; 10 years later, India declared its independence from British rule. It was a long struggle. Gandhi demanded immediate independence in 1942, to which the British responded by imprisoning him and thousands of congressional leaders. Ultimately, Gandhi led India to its independence, and is now considered the father of his country. Today, he is globally respected for his policy of nonviolent protest, or satyagraha, in his political and social activities. As Gandhi once wrote, “Nonviolence is not a weapon of the weak. It is a weapon of the strongest and the bravest.”

Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist in 1948. His legacy, however, has never faded, and he left the world with many words of wisdom about the value of compassion, courage, and tolerance. They are words we can live by, whatever our path in life.