by Kevin Alfred Strom

RECENTLY Google replaced their normal search page graphic with one depicting Mohandas K. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma (Sanskrit for “Great Soul”) Gandhi, in recognition of his birthday, which is now celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi’s movement of civil disobedience was a significant factor in India’s successful quest for self-determination and the ultimate withdrawal of Britain from the Indian subcontinent. (ILLUSTRATION: Mahadev Desai (left) and Gandhi meet with other Indian nationalists in 1939)

Barack Obama praised Gandhi, saying “Gandhi’s teachings and ideals, shared with Martin Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, . . . → Read More: Gandhi, Obama, and Race