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Biography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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Introduction Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is more popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born on October 2nd, 1869 and passed away on January 30th, 1948. He was the most popular leader of the Indian nationalist movement during the British-rule that lasted for nearly a century in India. He was the most adamant supporter of the non-violent civil disobedience and was the leader that inspired the move towards independence and civil rights amongst the Indians. Gandhi was born on the coastal regions of Gujarat in a Hindu Bania community in the family of a senior government official Karamchand Gandhi. His mother Putlibai was his father's fourth wife. The first three wives died during child birth. His mother was a Jain and Gandhi was strongly influenced by Jain traditions and customs (Erikson, 1969). He studied law abroad in London. His very first effort towards social change was on return to India in 1915. Prior to his return, he worked in South Africa for the civil rights of the Muslims and Hindus in the region. This was where he first experimented with the new techniques of non-violent efforts towards change. While he was in South Africa, he also dedicated his time towards voicing non-violently against the numerous legislatures that existed against the Indians. These were the techniques he then also applied when returning to India when supporting peasants to fight against the extreme land taxes in the region (Erikson, 1969). He was never a supporter of communalism and

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