Born: 2 October 1869 · Died: 30 January 1948 · Age: 78
Leader of India's independence movement whose non-violent civil disobedience, including the 1930 Salt March, inspired civil rights campaigns worldwide
Did you know?He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times but never actually received the award during his lifetime.
Quick facts
Date of birth2 October 1869
Date of death30 January 1948
Age at death78
Cause of deathGunshot wound
NationalityIndian
BirthplacePorbandar, India
Occupationlawyer, political activist
Editor's Take:
Gandhi transformed protest itself, proving that disciplined, peaceful resistance could challenge the most powerful empire in the world. He developed his methods first in South Africa, fighting discrimination against the Indian community, before returning home to lead the independence movement. His 1930 Salt March, a walk of nearly 400 kilometres to make salt in defiance of British law, turned a simple act into a global news story. He lived with deliberate simplicity, spinning his own cloth as a symbol of self-reliance. His ideas went on to inspire civil rights leaders across the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
Key Milestones
1893: Begins 21 years of activism in South Africa
1915: Returns to India
1920: Launches the Non-Cooperation Movement
1930: Leads the Salt March to Dandi
1942: Launches the Quit India Movement
1948: Assassinated in Delhi
Leader of India's non-violent independence movement against British rule.
