Mahatma Gandhi Biography

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Mahatma Gandhi Biography
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India. Raised in a Hindu merchant caste family, Gandhi studied law in London and was admitted to the British bar in 1891. After struggling to establish a legal practice in India, he accepted a position in South Africa in 1893, where he spent 21 years fighting against racial discrimination.
Returning to India in 1915, Gandhi became a leader in the Indian nationalist movement. He advocated for non-violent civil disobedience, a philosophy he called Satyagraha, or "truth-force." Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for various social causes and for achieving Swaraj, or self-rule. His most famous protest was the Salt March in 1930, a 240-mile journey to the Arabian Sea to protest the British monopoly on salt.
Gandhi's efforts were instrumental in India's independence from British rule in 1947. However, he was deeply saddened by the partition of India and Pakistan, which led to widespread violence between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi fasted and prayed to promote peace and unity, often at great personal risk. His actions helped quell riots in Calcutta and Delhi, averting potential civil wars.
Throughout his life, Gandhi practiced and preached simplicity, self-reliance, and spiritual purification. He lived modestly, wore hand-spun clothes, and often fasted for self-purification and social protest. Gandhi's methods inspired civil rights movements worldwide, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s campaign in the United States.
On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu nationalist. Although he never received the Nobel Peace Prize, he was nominated five times. His birthday, October 2, is commemorated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi's legacy as an icon of peace and non-violent resistance continues to inspire people around the world to this day.