Gandhi (1869–1948) was a famous leader and peacemaker from India who spent his life fighting for social justice. He helped his country to gain independence from British rule, and taught others to use peaceful protests to get their voices heard. Find out more about this gentle man and his desire for people of all backgrounds to live in harmony together. Then use our collection of printable resources below to test your newfound knowledge.

Fun facts:
- Gandhi was known to have terrible handwriting! Although he tried to improve it in later life, he encouraged young people to practise writing skills as part of their education.
- Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times, although he never won the award – which many people think was wrong. His birthday is now a national holiday in India, and is also honoured around the world as an International Day of Non-Violence.
- Although named Mohandas, Gandhi was honoured with the name Mahatma in 1914 during his time in South Africa. Mahatma is a religious title (rather like ‘Saint’ in Christianity) that means ‘Great Soul’. In India, Gandhi is also called the Father of the Nation or ‘Bapu’ (father).
“Where there is love there is life.”
Gandhi
A Short Biography of Gandhi
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, India. When Gandhi was just 13, his parents arranged a marriage for him. He and his wife Kasturba were married for over 60 years.
When Gandhi was 16, his father died, but he followed his father’s wish that he become a lawyer. At 19, he travelled to London, England, to study at university – even though he had recently become a father himself. When Gandhi returned to India three years later, he learnt that his mother had died while he was away.
Gandhi’s career in India started badly, so he took a job in South Africa where he lived with his family for 21 years. It was here that Gandhi experienced first-hand the mistreatment of people of colour. On his first appearance as a lawyer in court, Gandhi was asked to remove his turban. Another time, he was asked to leave a train carriage, despite his first-class ticket. When Gandhi refused, he was forcibly removed at the next station. These experiences left Gandhi determined to fight for social justice.
Gandhi became a political activist, drawing attention to the plight of Indian people in South Africa. When he returned to India in 1915, he helped his countrymen, too. India was ruled by Britain and Gandhi disliked the way that Indians were treated. He soon became leader of the Indian National Congress party, campaigning for independence.
Gandhi organised a series of peaceful protests. In 1930, for example, he led a 250-mile march to protest against a salt tax imposed by Britain. Thousands of Indians walked to the coast to make their own salt from evaporated seawater. He also encouraged people to strike and to stop buying British goods.
Gandhi was imprisoned many times and would often refuse to eat in prison to get more attention. The people loved Gandhi, and the authorities couldn’t risk him dying from starvation in their care.
When Britain became involved in World War II (bringing India into the conflict), the desire for independence became stronger than ever. Gandhi called for Britain’s immediate withdrawal from India, but the war complicated matters and it was another five years before independence came.
India was free at last, but was now partitioned into (mainly Hindu) India and (mainly Muslim) Pakistan. Gandhi was a Hindu but he wanted people to live together, whatever their religion. When violence broke out over the partition, he tried to bring peace.
Gandhi was greatly loved, but also had enemies. Some people thought Muslims and Hindus shouldn’t live together, and disliked Gandhi’s views. In 1948, Gandhi was on his way to morning prayers when he was shot and killed by a Hindu fanatic. Over two million people attended his funeral, joining a five-mile long procession.
Gandhi showed it was possible to fight injustice without resorting to violence. His actions soon sparked other civil rights movements and were an inspiration to leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr in the USA, and Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
Our Gandhi Resources