Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer and worldwide icon of “Satyagraha” — the movement of resistance through mass civil disobedience that is strongly founded upon ahimsa (non-violence). Employed to ultimate (and difficult) success in India and South Africa, Satyagraha has become one of the strongest philosophies of freedom struggles worldwide.
Gandhi is commonly known and spoken of as Mahatma Gandhi. (Mahatma in Hindu is a derivative of the Sanskrit word for “Great Soul”) Gandhi was committed to non-violence and truth even in the most extreme situations. He was a student of Hindu philosophy and lived simply, organizing an ashram that was self-sufficient in its needs. He made his own clothes and lived on a simple vegetarian diet. He used rigorous fasts for self-purification as well as means of protest. The symbol of engaged non-violent disobedience, Gandhi’s teachings have inspired civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela, HH Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi. Mohandas Gandhi is honored as the “Father of the Nation” in India and his birthday on October 2 is annually commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday.
Quotes
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Whatever you do may be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
“I think it would be a good idea.” (when asked what he thought of Western civilization)
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
“We must become the change we want to see.”