Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2 1869–January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: ??????? ??????? ?????, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી) was a national icon who led the struggle for India's independence from British colonial rule, empowered by tens of millions of common Indians. Throughout his life he opposed any form of terrorism or violence, instead using only the highest moral standards. His philosophy of nonviolence, for which he coined the term satyagraha, has influenced national and international nonviolent resistance movements to this day, including the American Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King.

Recognition

Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize, though he was nominated for it five times between 1937 and 1948. Decades later however, the Nobel Committee publicly declared its regret for the omission, and admitted to deeply divided nationalistic opinion denying the award to Gandhi. When the Dalai Lama was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". The official Nobel e-museum has an article discussing the issue.http://www.nobel.se/peace/articles/gandhi/index.html

Related Topics:
Nobel Peace Prize - 1937 - 1948 - Dalai Lama - 1989

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Time Magazine had named Gandhi as the runner-up in "Person of the Century" and had an article with write-ups on Dalai Lama, Lech Wa??sa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela titled "Children of Gandhi" to recognise his influence on the future generations of leaders.

Related Topics:
Time Magazine - "Person of the Century" - Dalai Lama - Lech Wa??sa - Martin Luther King Jr. - Nelson Mandela

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The Government of India awards the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize to distinguished social workers, world leaders and citizen leaders. Nelson Mandela, the leader of South Africa's struggle to end racial discrimination and segregation, is a prominent non-Indian recipient of this honor.

Related Topics:
Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize - Nelson Mandela

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In 1996, the Government introduced the Mahatma Gandhi series of currency notes of denominations Rupees 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000.

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Mahatma

The word "Mahatma," while often mistaken for Gandhi's given name, is taken from the Sanskrit term of reverence "mahatman," meaning “Great Soul.” The title "Mahatma" was accorded Gandhi in 1915 by his admirer Rabindranath Tagore (the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature). It was given in response to Gandhi conferring the title of "Gurudev" (Great Teacher; Guru: Teacher Dev: God/Holy) upon Tagore. As stated in his autobiography, Gandhi never accepted the title because he found himself unworthy of it.

Related Topics:
Sanskrit - Rabindranath Tagore - Nobel Prize for Literature

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The wide acceptance of this title outside India may in part reflect the complexities of the relationship between India and Britain during Gandhi's lifetime. Such acceptance is consistent with the widespread perception of his deeply held religious beliefs and commitment to non-violence.

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Miscellaneous

Throughout his lifetime, Gandhi's activities attracted a wide range of comment and opinion. For example, as a more than loyal subject of the British Empire, Winston Churchill once stated:

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:"It is... nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well-known in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal Palace".

Related Topics:
Seditious - Middle Temple - Lawyer - Fakir - East - Viceregal Palace

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Conversely, Albert Einstein said of Gandhi:

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:"Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever walked upon this earth in flesh and blood".

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Nobel Laureate and former Israel Premier Shimon Peres once commented that:

Related Topics:
Nobel Laureate - Shimon Peres

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:"Mahatma Gandhi belonged to the future, not to the past".

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Mahatma Gandhi's work is not forgotten by his descendants. His grandsons, Arun Gandhi and Rajmohan Gandhi, and his great grandson, Tushar Gandhi, are also socio-political activists, promoting non-violence around the world.

Related Topics:
Arun Gandhi - Rajmohan Gandhi - Tushar Gandhi - Socio-political

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