Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi is considered one of the greatest men of the 20th century. To the people of India, he is thought to be the father of their nation. He believed in peace and brotherhood, and felt that the way to reach these goals was to be nonviolent and unafraid. He practiced love and tolerance for all humans. Many people in India were influenced by his views. Although he was never elected to an office, he is known as one of the world's greatest figures. Martin Luther King is often compared to Gandhi.
Gandhi was born in l869 and was married at the age of 13 to a girl about the same age. It was an arranged marriage according to custom. When he grew up, he studied law in London. He went to South Africa to do some legal work, however, that country was under British control and treated Indians like low class citizens.
India At Its Best
Martin Luther King, Jr.
English: Gandhi during the Salt March, March 1930....Indians were made to walk in the streets and discriminated against in everything they did. Gandhi ended up staying in India for 21 years working for Indian rights.
He led many campaigns for Indian rights and organized a strike among Indian miners. He was arrested many times by the British, but his work brought important reforms or changes for his people.
When Gandhi returned to India around l915, he soon saw the injustice his countrymen were receiving and quickly decided to change things. He led many campaigns for freedom. Once when riots broke out, Gandhi fasted to show the people the need to be non-violent. His fasts would often end the violence. He was thrown in jail many times trying to stop or change the way the British were treating the Indians. In April of l9l9, the British ordered...