An Autobiography

Gandhi’s non-violent struggles against racism, violence, and colonialism in South Africa and India had brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his career, he took it as an opportunity to explain himself. He feared the enthusiasm for his ideas tended to exceed a deeper understanding of his quest for truth rooted in devotion to God. His attempts to get closer to this divine power led him to seek purity through simple living, dietary practices, celibacy, and a life without violence. This is not a straightforward narrative biography, in The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi offers his life story as a reference for those who would follow in his footsteps.

Mohandas K Gandhi was born in 1869 to Hindu parents. He studied law in London and was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1891. He worked to improve the rights of immigrant Indians in South Africa, returning to India in 1915 to take up the struggle for independence from Britain. Gandhi never wavered in his belief in non-violent protest and Independence, in 1947, was not a military victory but a triumph of human will. In January 1948 Gandhi assassinated as he walked to take evening prayers.