Mahatma literally means – ‘the great soul or a great person’. This is a social title conferred out of popular respect. Though he is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi or Gandhiji, his original name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869, in Gujarat, in pre-liberation era in India and was instrumental in India’s liberation struggle from the Colonial British Rule.
Mahatma Gandhi is considered the most popular and instrumental leader of India’s liberation struggle. His opinions and philosophy about leading the liberation movement, connected with the then masses of India and he literally ruled over their hearts. He is hence also considered as the ‘Father of the Nation’, by the Indian population.
Social activist vs. Politician
Mahatma Gandhi was more of a Social activist to begin with than a typical Politician. He was genuinely interested in the upliftment and empowerment of the neglected and suppressed segments of the Indian population. He stood up against the racial discrimination against the Indians by the Britishers or the White-skinned races. He also stood up against the ill-effects of the Caste System within the Indian social structure. He led various Social movements like the Dandi March, the Satyagraha movement, etc. throughout his life to achieve these goals. The umbrella motivation over all these social movements was of course the liberation of the Indian population from the Colonial British rule. His main philosophical difference and strength, that separated him from all other liberation movements in India and across the world – was his strict belief in the Power of Non-Violence – as means of peaceful resistance to injustice.
Biopic movie
His life has been depicted in popular literature and media. Richard Attenborough’s Biopic Movie called Gandhi won an Academy Award for the Best Picture in 1982.
Mahatma Gandhi, rightly called the Father of India, is a personality of global significance, even today.
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