Born: 2 October 1869
Died: 30 January 1948
Nationality: Indian
Mahatma Gandhi, was a prominent Indian political leader who campaigned for Indian independence. He promoted and used pacifistic principles and peaceful disobedience. Mohandas was born in Porbandar, India on 2 October 1869. His parents wanted him to become a barrister: a type of lawyer. As a result, when he was 19 years old he went to London to attend University College London to read Law. He took a job with an Indian Law firm and moved to South Africa to work out of their South African office. It was in South Africa where Gandhi would experience racial prejudice against Indians and would begin his work in civil rights.
Once back in India, Gandhi led the fight for Indian independence from the British Empire. He organised non-violent civil disobedience campaigns where large groups of the people would do things like refusing to work, sitting in the streets, boycotting the courts and more. Together these protests brought the nation to a standstill.
Gandhi was put in prison several times for organising these protests. He would often fast while he was in prison. The British government would eventually have to release him because the Indian people had grown to love Gandhi: the British were scared of the backlash they would face if they let him die.
Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, shortly after achieving his life goal of Indian independence. His great efforts to liberate his homeland of India have led to his birthday being celebrated as a national holiday in India, five Nobel Peace Prize nominations and his Great Utopian status.