Mahatma Gandhi: The Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest leader of the Indian independence movement. His life was his
lesson, and to till day inspires many around the world. Read this post to know about Gandhi’s
biography, family, education, life, philosophy, quotes and so on.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi was a lawyer, nationalist, and anti-colonial activist. He led a non-violent mass movement
against the British rule of India which ultimately resulted in Indian independence.
Mahatma Gandhi is revered in India as the Father of the Nation.
Table of Contents
• The early life of Mahatma Gandhi: Birth and Family
• Education of Mahatma Gandhi
• South Africa during the 1800s
• Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
• Gandhiji’s return to India: 1915
• Early movements by Gandhiji
• 1917: Champaran Satyagraha
• 1918: Kheda satyagraha
• 1918: Ahmedabad mill strike
• Gandhiji’s active involvement in the Indian National Movement
• 1919: Khilafat movement
• 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement
• 1930: The Salt March and The Civil Disobedience Movement
• 1942: Quit India movement
• Partition and independence
• Death of Mahatma Gandhi
• Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy
• Literary works of Mahatma Gandhi
The early life of Mahatma Gandhi: Birth and Family
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, in Porbandar in the princely state
of Kathiawar in Gujarat.
His father was Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi who served as a dewan of Porbandar state. His
mother was Putlibai who came from Junagadh. Mohandas was the youngest of four children. He
had two brothers and a sister.
At age of 13, Mohandas was married to 14-year-old Kastubai Makhanji Kapadia as was the
custom at that time.
, His father passed away in 1885, and the same year he and his wife lost their first child. The
Gandhi couple later had four sons over the years.
Education of Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi Ji received his primary education in Rajkot where his father had relocated as dewan to
the ruler Thakur Sahib. He went to Alfred high school in Rajkot at the age of 11.
In 1887, at the age of 18, Gandhi Ji graduated from a high school in Ahmedabad. He later
enrolled at a college in Bhavnagar but dropped out later. He had also joined and eventually
dropped out of a college in Bombay.
He then went to London in 1888 to pursue law at the university college. After completing his
studies, he was invited to be enrolled at Inner temple to become a barrister.
He returned to India in 1891 at the age of 22 after his mother passed away.
He failed to establish a successful law career both in Rajkot and Bombay.
In 1893, he moved to Durban, South Africa, on a one-year contract to sort out the legal problems
of Abdullah, a Gujarati merchant.
South Africa during the 1800s
The British had colonized and settled in the Natal and Cape provinces of South Africa during the
1840s and 50s. Transvaal and Orange Free State were independent Boer (British and Dutch
settlers) ruled states. Boer means farmer settler in Dutch and Afrikaans. The governance of
colonial regions (Natal and Cape) was controlled by the minority white population which
enforced segregation between government-defined races in all spheres.
This created three societies- whites (British and Dutch or Boer ancestry), Blacks and Coloureds
(mixed race) which included ethnic Asians (Indians, Malayans, Filipinos, and Chinese).
Indian immigration to South Africa began in the 1860s, when whites recruited indentured Indian
labour (Girmityas), especially from south India, to work on sugar plantations. Later many Indian
merchants, mostly meman Muslims also migrated. By the 1890s, the children of the ex-
indentured labourers had settled down in South Africa making up the third group.
Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
1893: Mohandas Gandhi witnessed extreme apartheid or racial discrimination against Asians in
South Africa. His journey from Durban to Pretoria witnessed the famous incident when he was
thrown out of a first-class compartment by a white man at Pietermaritzburg station. Upon
arriving at Johanessburg, he was refused rooms in the hotels.
These experiences motivated him to stay in South Africa for a longer period to organize the
Indian workers to enable them to fight for their rights. He started teaching English to the Asian
population there and tried to organize them to protest against the oppression.
Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest leader of the Indian independence movement. His life was his
lesson, and to till day inspires many around the world. Read this post to know about Gandhi’s
biography, family, education, life, philosophy, quotes and so on.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi was a lawyer, nationalist, and anti-colonial activist. He led a non-violent mass movement
against the British rule of India which ultimately resulted in Indian independence.
Mahatma Gandhi is revered in India as the Father of the Nation.
Table of Contents
• The early life of Mahatma Gandhi: Birth and Family
• Education of Mahatma Gandhi
• South Africa during the 1800s
• Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
• Gandhiji’s return to India: 1915
• Early movements by Gandhiji
• 1917: Champaran Satyagraha
• 1918: Kheda satyagraha
• 1918: Ahmedabad mill strike
• Gandhiji’s active involvement in the Indian National Movement
• 1919: Khilafat movement
• 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement
• 1930: The Salt March and The Civil Disobedience Movement
• 1942: Quit India movement
• Partition and independence
• Death of Mahatma Gandhi
• Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy
• Literary works of Mahatma Gandhi
The early life of Mahatma Gandhi: Birth and Family
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, in Porbandar in the princely state
of Kathiawar in Gujarat.
His father was Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi who served as a dewan of Porbandar state. His
mother was Putlibai who came from Junagadh. Mohandas was the youngest of four children. He
had two brothers and a sister.
At age of 13, Mohandas was married to 14-year-old Kastubai Makhanji Kapadia as was the
custom at that time.
, His father passed away in 1885, and the same year he and his wife lost their first child. The
Gandhi couple later had four sons over the years.
Education of Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi Ji received his primary education in Rajkot where his father had relocated as dewan to
the ruler Thakur Sahib. He went to Alfred high school in Rajkot at the age of 11.
In 1887, at the age of 18, Gandhi Ji graduated from a high school in Ahmedabad. He later
enrolled at a college in Bhavnagar but dropped out later. He had also joined and eventually
dropped out of a college in Bombay.
He then went to London in 1888 to pursue law at the university college. After completing his
studies, he was invited to be enrolled at Inner temple to become a barrister.
He returned to India in 1891 at the age of 22 after his mother passed away.
He failed to establish a successful law career both in Rajkot and Bombay.
In 1893, he moved to Durban, South Africa, on a one-year contract to sort out the legal problems
of Abdullah, a Gujarati merchant.
South Africa during the 1800s
The British had colonized and settled in the Natal and Cape provinces of South Africa during the
1840s and 50s. Transvaal and Orange Free State were independent Boer (British and Dutch
settlers) ruled states. Boer means farmer settler in Dutch and Afrikaans. The governance of
colonial regions (Natal and Cape) was controlled by the minority white population which
enforced segregation between government-defined races in all spheres.
This created three societies- whites (British and Dutch or Boer ancestry), Blacks and Coloureds
(mixed race) which included ethnic Asians (Indians, Malayans, Filipinos, and Chinese).
Indian immigration to South Africa began in the 1860s, when whites recruited indentured Indian
labour (Girmityas), especially from south India, to work on sugar plantations. Later many Indian
merchants, mostly meman Muslims also migrated. By the 1890s, the children of the ex-
indentured labourers had settled down in South Africa making up the third group.
Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
1893: Mohandas Gandhi witnessed extreme apartheid or racial discrimination against Asians in
South Africa. His journey from Durban to Pretoria witnessed the famous incident when he was
thrown out of a first-class compartment by a white man at Pietermaritzburg station. Upon
arriving at Johanessburg, he was refused rooms in the hotels.
These experiences motivated him to stay in South Africa for a longer period to organize the
Indian workers to enable them to fight for their rights. He started teaching English to the Asian
population there and tried to organize them to protest against the oppression.
