India

Mahatma Gandhi

Early Life Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar, in the present‑day Indian state of Gujarat. His father was the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar; his deeply religious mother was a devoted practitioner of Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god Vishnu), influenced by Jainism, an ascetic religion governed by tenets of […]

Salt March

Salt Tax Britain’s Salt Act of 1882 prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet. Indian citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from their British rulers, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, also charged a heavy salt tax. Although India’s poor […]

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru: Early Life and Family Jawaharlal Nehru was born into an affluent Kashmiri Brahman family in Allahabad on November 14, 1889. Tutored at home until the age of 15, Nehru subsequently attended Harrow in England and, later, Trinity College, Cambridge. After studying law at London’s Inner Temple, he returned to India at the age […]

This Day in History: 09/16/1932 – Gandhi Begins Fast

Taj Mahal

Originally built by Emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb his wife, the Taj Mahal remains an architectural marvel of the modern world.

History Rewind: Gandhi’s Funeral 1948

Thousands gather in New Delhi, India, for the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi, the beloved truth‑seeker and nonviolent activist who helped free India from British rule.

When Gandhi’s Salt March Rattled British Colonial Rule

In March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and his followers set off on a brisk 241‑mile march to the Arabian Sea town of Dandi to lay Indian claim to the nation’s own salt.

6 Things You Might Not Know About Gandhi

Find out more about the life and legacy of the iconic Indian leader