mohandas gandhi

1. Mohandas Gandhi:
The Mahatma
Essential Question:
How did Gandhi’s non-
violent protest impact
India?

2. “My life is dedicated to service of India
through the religion of non-violence
which I believe to be the root of
Hinduism. The religion of non-violence is
not meant merely for the riches and
saints. It is meant for the common
people as well.”
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

3. What do you already
know about Mohandas
Gandhi?

4. The most important political and spiritual leader in
achieving independence for India was Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi—The Mahatma (The Great Soul).
He was born in India in 1869.
He is honored by the people of India as the father of their
nation.
Gandhi’s life was guided by a search for the truth.
He believed that truth could be known only through
tolerance and concern for his fellow man, and that finding a
truthful way to solutions required constant testing.
Gandhi overcame fear in himself and taught others to
master fear.
He believed in nonviolence, but he also held that violence is
better than cowardice.
He lived a simple life and thought it was wrong to kill
animals for food or to use their hides.

5. •Gandhi developed a method of direct social
action, based upon principles of courage,
non-violence, and truth, which is called
satyagraha (civil disobedience).
•In this method of passive resistance, the
way people behave is more important than
what they achieve.
•Satyagraha was used to fight for India’s
independence and to bring about social
change.
•Gandhi was arrested many times by the
British for creating unrest, but his efforts
brought important reforms.

6. •In 1930, Gandhi led hundreds of followers on a
200 mile march to the sea, where they made salt
from seawater.
•This was a protest against the Salt Acts, which
made it a crime to possess salt not bought from the
government.
•During World War II, Gandhi continued his struggle
for India’s freedom through non-violent
disobedience to British rule.
•He was often treated like a third-class citizen.
•He was jailed for the last time in 1942.
•Altogether, he spent seven years in prison for
political activity.

7. •Gandhi’s non-violent protest led to India
gaining independence from Great Britain in
1947.
•In 1948, at the age of 78, while on his way to
a prayer meeting, in New Delhi, Gandhi was
assassinated.
•A high-ranking Brahman, who feared Gandhi’s
program of tolerance for all creeds and
religions, shot him three times.

8. His beliefs and actions have inspired civil rights
movements across the globe.
He is an icon of world peace.
His birthday, 2
nd
October, is commemorated
worldwide as the International Day of
Non-Violence.