mahatma gandhi

Born in the princely state of Porbandar in India in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi helped to end British rule in his homeland.

He started as a loyal subject of the Crown, but his experiences of the brutality of the British Empire in South Africa helped to shape his politics, leading to the development of a political (and spiritual) philosophy of non-violent resistance to injustice.

In India, he became the most prominent leader of the struggle for national self determination. This eventually turned into the Indian declaration of independence, which was realized in 1947. The former British Raj was divided into two states, Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan - a partition that Gandhi opposed.

Perhaps the greatest exponent of civil rights in the modern era, he is better known to us today as Mahatma (the Hindi word meaning “Great Soul” - a sign of respect), and more commonly in India as Bapu ji, or “respected papa”.

recommended reading

There are several good books about Gandhi’s life, a few of which are on the Bookstore page of this website. In particular, Ramachandra Guha’s Gandhi Before India provides an excellent account of the formative years of the great man’s life, when he developed the philosophy that changed India and the world.

Also recommended, Richard Attenborough’s epic biopic Gandhi is beautifully done, with Ben Kingsley giving a wonderful, Oscar-winning performance as the Indian independence leader.

Assassinations Podcast Theme Music (Intro, Outro, and Transitions) written and performed by Graeme Ronald