Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (commonly Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma meaning "great soul") (1869 – 1948) was a leader of the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of Satyagraha — resistance through mass civil disobedience strongly founded upon ahimsa (non-violence) which influenced freedom struggles around the world. Gandhi is commonly known and spoken of worldwide as .
Gandhi remained committed to non-violence and truth even in the extreme situations. He lived simply, organizing an ashram that was self-sufficient in its needs. He made his own clothes and lived on a simple vegetarian diet. Influenced by the ideas of Russian anarchist writer Kropotkin, he promoted the use of a loom to produce cloth locally, to enable a boycott of British cloth.