Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી 2 October 1869– 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass
civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence, which helped India to gain independence, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi (Sanskrit: महात्मा
mahātmā or "Great Soul", an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore), and in India also as Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ, bāpu or "Father"). He is officially honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there
as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.