The life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a unique journey along the path of greatness. He courageously proclaimed that his life was his message. A simple man clad in a handwoven dhoti, he believed that the greatest weapon is one’s own character.
Gandhiji lived in troubled times, when India’s social and political existence was crushed by the mighty British Empire. His clarity of vision and his mission ignited the minds of thousands of people.
Under his leadership, the freedom struggle of India, for the first time, became a truly mass movement. He had no armies to command, yet the mightiest empire of the times was no match for his determined leadership, clear vision, and strength of character.
True, Gandhiji was the greatest leader of modern India. Yet, to millions of people across the world, he was much more than that. To them, he was a saint whose values will have everlasting relevance. It’s no wonder that the whole world came to worship him as a great soul – a Mahatma.
It was Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet, who first addressed him as ‘Mahatma’ and soon the whole world started using this name with great respect and affection. A truly befitting name for the father of our nation, who represents all that, is noble about our great heritage.