Life and Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi
This domain tests the chronology of Gandhi's life and the precise meaning of his philosophical vocabulary. Questions often pair a year with an event or ask which term describes which idea.
Life landmarks
- Born 2 October 1869 at Porbandar; law studies in London; South Africa 1893–1914, where Phoenix (1904) and Tolstoy Farm (1910) were experimental communities.
- Returned to India in 1915; Sabarmati Ashram; Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), Ahmedabad mill strike (1918).
- Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919), Non-Cooperation (1920–22), Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi (12 March–6 April 1930), Round Table Conference (1931), Quit India (1942); assassinated 30 January 1948.
Core vocabulary
Satya (truth), ahimsa (non-injury), satyagraha (truth-force), swaraj (self-rule), swadeshi, trusteeship, bread labour, sarvodaya (welfare of all; title of his 1908 Gujarati rendering of Ruskin's Unto This Last), and Nai Talim (basic education).
Worked example
A question asks which struggle first demonstrated satyagraha in India. Champaran (1917) is correct: it was a limited, disciplined intervention over indigo cultivators' grievances. Dandi (1930) was mass civil disobedience, not the first experiment. Reason: match the word first to chronology, not to fame.
Traps
- Confusing Sarvodaya with a state welfare scheme; it is a moral and voluntary ideal.
- Placing the Salt March in 1931; it began in 1930, and the Round Table Conference followed in 1931.
- Treating ahimsa as mere abstention from physical violence; Gandhi included thought, speech, and economic exploitation.