Mahatma Gandhi Biography, Facts & Life Story

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Porbandar , British India , 2 of October of 1869 - New Delhi , Union of India , 30 of January of 1948 ) was the most prominent leader of the Indian independence movement against the British Raj , for what he practiced disobedience non-violent civilian , as well as an Indian Hindu pacifist , politician , thinker and lawyer . Received from Rabindranath Tagore the honorary name Mahatma ( composition in Sanskrit and Hindi of maha: 'grande' and ātmā: 'soul'). ¹ In India he was also called Bāpu (બાપુ, 'father' in the Gujarati language ).

Since 1919 he openly belonged to the front of the Indian nationalist movement . He instituted novel methods of social struggle such as the hunger strike and in his programs he rejected armed struggle and carried out a preaching of the ahimsa (non-violence) as a means of resisting British rule. He defended and widely promoted total fidelity to the dictates of conscience, even going as far as civil disobedience if necessary; Furthermore, he advocated a return to the old Hindu traditions. He corresponded with León Tolstoy , who influenced his concept of nonviolent resistance . He was the inspirer of the salt march, a demonstration across the country against the taxes to which this product was subject.

Imprisoned repeatedly, he soon became a national hero. In 1931 he participated in the London Conference, where he claimed the independence of India. He leaned in favor of the right of the Congress party and had conflicts with his disciple Nehru , who represented the left. In 1942 London sent Richard Stafford Cripps as an intermediary to negotiate with the nationalists, but when no satisfactory solution was found, they radicalized their positions. Gandhi and his wife Kasturba were deprived of their liberty and placed under house arrest at the Aga Khan Palace , where she died in 1944, ² while he was fasting for twenty-one days.

His moral influence on the development of the talks that prepared the independence of India was considerable, but the separation with Pakistan deeply discouraged him.

Once independence was achieved, Gandhi sought to reform Indian society, beginning by integrating the lower castes (the shudras or 'slaves', the outcasts or 'untouchables' and the mlechas or 'barbarians'), and by developing rural areas . He disapproved of the religious conflicts that followed India's independence, defending Muslims on Indian soil , being assassinated by Nathuram Godse , a fanatical Hindu integrationist , on January 30 , 1948 at the age of 78. Its ashes were thrown into the Ganges River .

On political economy , he thought that capital should not be considered more important than labor , nor that labor should be considered superior to capital, judging both dangerous ideas; rather, a healthy balance should be sought between these factors, since both were considered equally valuable for material development and justice. He was a great defender of vegetarianism and rejected any form of mistreatment of living beings.                                                                                                                          

Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
Personal information
Name of birth	Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Native name	મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી
Other names	Bapu ('dad') Mahatma ('great soul')
Birth	As October 2 as 1869 Porbandar , British Raj
Death	Of January 30 of 1948 (78 years old) New Delhi , Union of India
Cause of death	Gunshot wound
Grave	Raj Ghat
Home	London , India and South Africa
nationality	India
Citizenship	india (since 1947)
Mother tongue	Guyaratí
Ethnicity	Vaisia
Religion	Hinduism
Politic party	Indian National Congress
Physical characteristics
Height	1.64  m
Eyes	Dark brown
Family
Parents	Putlibai Gandhi Karamchand Gandhi
Spouse	Kasturba Makhanji
Children	Harilal , Manilal , Ramdas , Devdas
Education
Educated in	University College London
Student of	Shrimad Rajchandra
Professional information
Occupation	Lawyer , politician , activist
Known for	Central figure of the Indian independence movement and for advocating active non-violence
Years active	since 1919
Movement	Nonviolence and vegetarianism
Notable works	Satyagraha
Conflicts	March of salt
Member of	Inner Temple
Distinctions	Order of the Companions of OR Tambo Person of the year  (1930)
Firm