Mahatma Gandhi Interesting Facts

August 20, 2009 | In: History facts

Mahatma literally translates to ‘great soul’ in Sanskrit.

He went to England when he was 19 to study law.

In 1930 Gandhi led hundreds of followers on a 240-mile march to the sea, where they made salt from seawater in protest against the British salt law, which made it illegal to possess salt not bought from the government.

Time Magazine, the famous U.S. publication, named Mahatma Gandhi the Man of the Year in 1930.

Mahatma Gandhi spoke English with an Irish accent, for one of his first teachers was an Irishman.

Mahatma Gandhi experimented with diets to see how cheaply he could live and remain healthy. He started living principally on fruit and goats’ milk and olive oil.

Gandhi’s policy of Satyagraha, based largely on Hinduism, was influenced by many diverse sources, including Christ, Leo Tolstoy, and Henry David Thoreau.

On 30 January 1948, Gandhi was shot and killed on the grounds of the Birla Bhavan (Birla House) in New Delhi.

Sometimes called the “father of modern India,” Gandhi helped to liberate India from England’s rule using passive resistance and civil disobedience (peacefully disobeying laws).

These methods included fasting (refusing to eat any food) and boycotting (refusing to buy) British goods. The Indians saw him as a spiritual and political leader as he worked to improve the economic and social conditions of his country.

Gandhi fought for the rights of the Indian population in South Africa as well, and he led the fight to rid India of its caste system, especially defending the rights of the “untouchables,” the poorest people. India gained its independence from Britain in 1947 but split into India and Pakistan because the Hindus and Muslims were still at war. Gandhi worked hard to keep peace between the Hindus and Muslims of Asia. Soon after India’s independence, however, Gandhi was shot by someone who did not want the Hindus to tolerate the Muslims.

Gandhi led thousands on a 200-mile protest march to call attention to his message of tolerance.