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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is born
Born in the coastal town of Porbandar, which was then a part of the Bombay Presidency, British India. His father was a high official in the town. -
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Gandhi Defines His Values
The Indian classics, especially the stories of Shravana and king Harishchandra, had a great impact on Gandhi in his childhood. In his autobiography, he admits that they left an indelible impression on his mind. Gandhi's early self-identification with truth and love as supreme values is traceable to these epic characters. -
Gandhi Gets Married
In May 1883, 13-year-old Mohandas was married to 14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji. This was an arranged child marriage,a tradition according to the custom of the region. Mahatma Gandhi's marriage is a reflection of an 'ideal' relationship which is based on 'true friendship', where it is more important to accept and support what your friend is doing, rather than expect and demand from him or her -
Gandhi Travels to London to Study Law.
Gandhi studied at University College London, where he studied Indian law and jurisprudence and to train as a barrister at the Inner Temple. -
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Gandhi's Time in England
Gandhi tried to adopt "English" customs, including taking dancing lessons for example. However, he could not appreciate the bland vegetarian food offered by his landlady and was frequently hungry until he found one of London's few vegetarian restaurants. This is also where he really started to practice the Hindu virtues of being a vegan and abstaining from alcohol. -
Gandhi Returns to India
Upon his return to India he finds out that his mother had died while he was in London. His family had kept the news from him for quite some time. He also trys to open his own law firm in the BomBay area, but it fails because he is too shy to speak up in court. -
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Civil Rights Movement in South Africa
His time spent in South Africa was where he developed his political views, ethics and political leadership skills. Indians in South Africa were lead by wealthy Muslims, one of which employed Gandhi as a lawyer. The South African experience exposed handicaps to Gandhi that he had not known about. He realised he was out of contact with the enormous complexities of religious and cultural life in India, and believed he understood India by getting to know and leading Indians in South Africa. -
Gandhi Is Attacked by a Mob
As he arrives in Durban, a mob of white settlers attack him and he barely escapes thanks to his wife and the police superintendent. He refused to press charges on any member of the mob. -
Gandhi Organizes
He returns to India permanently, known as an Indian organizer, nationalist, and theorist. Gandhi took leadership of Congress in 1920 and began a steady stream of demands. -
Gandhi is named "Mohatma"
He is known as the Father of India, also the nationalist leader of the independence movement. -
Gandhi Assumes Leadership of Indian National Congress
Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving the independence of India from British domination. -
The Salt March
Gandhi started this walk as a way to disobey British law and the tax on salt. The march was led by him and thousands of Indians followed right behind him. It took 23 days to reach the ocean which was 240 miles from where it started. This event helped to push India towards independence from Great Britain. -
"Quit India"
Gandhi declared that India could not be party to a war ostensibly being fought for democratic freedom while that freedom was denied to India itself. As the war progressed, Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, calling for the British to Quit India in a speech. This was Gandhi's and the Congress Party's most definitive revolt aimed at securing the British exit from India. Quit India became the most forceful movement in the history of the struggle -
India and Pakistan Recieve Independence
Tensions escalated until Gandhi demanded immediate independence in 1942 and the British responded by imprisoning him and thousands of Congress leaders for the duration. Meanwhile the Muslim League did cooperate with Britain and moved, against Gandhi's strong opposition, to demands for a totally separate Muslim state of Pakistan. In August 1947 the British partitioned the land, with India and Pakistan each achieving independence on terms Gandhi disapproved of greatly. -
Mahatma Gandhi is Assassinated
Gandhi is killed by a Hindu extremist who believed that he was too sympathetic towards Muslims.
