Gandhi was born on this day in 1869
He became the political leader and pioneer of the passive resistance movement against the South African government.
On Saturday, 2 October 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born into a Hindu Modh family in Porbandar, India.
In 1893 he accepted a year-long contract from an Indian law firm to work in Natal, South Africa.
His time in South Africa was a turning point in his career and changed him dramatically. Gandhi extended his original period of stay in South Africa to assist Indians in opposing a bill to deny them the right to vote. He became the political leader and pioneer of the passive resistance movement against the South African government and was also the co-founder of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC).
On his return to India, he became the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader during the Indian independence movement and used satyagraha – resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence – which led India to independence and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
In 2004 Ghandi was voted one of the top 10 Great South Africans from a list of 2 000 names.
See also:
•Youth taking a lead in politics
•Barack Obama remembers Mandela
