Great leaders inspired by gandhi biography

Nelson Rohihlahla Mandela (1918-2013) and Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) were two of human history’s greatest leaders in the struggle against governmental oppression. They are also remembered as great ethical teachers. Their lives had many similarities; but there were also differences.

Similarities:

Both Mandela and Gandhi were born into politically influential families. Gandhi’s father, and also his grandfather, were Dewans (prime ministers) of the Indian state of Porbandar. Mandela’s great-grandfather was the ruler of the Thembu peoples in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. When Mandela’s father died, his mother brought the young boy to the palace of the Thembu people’s Regent, Chief Jogintaba Dalindyebo, who became the boy’s guardian. He treated Mandela as a son and gave him an outstanding education.

Both Mandela and Gandhi studied law. Both were astute political tacticians, and both struggled against governmental inom

•

Gandhi, Mohandas K.

October 2, 1869 to January 30, 1948

Upon his death, Mohandas K. Gandhi was hailed by the London Times as “the most influential figure India has produced for generations” (“Mr. Gandhi”). Gandhi protested against racism in South Africa and colonial rule in India using nonviolent resistance. A testament to the revolutionary power of nonviolence, Gandhi’s approach directly influenced Martin Luther King, Jr., who argued that the Gandhian philosophy was “the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (Papers 4:478). 

King first encountered Gandhian ideas during his studies at Crozer Theological Seminary. In a talk prepared for George Davis’ class, Christian Theology for Today, King included Gandhi among “individuals who greatly reveal the working of the Spirit of God” (Papers 1:249). In 1950, King heard Mordecai Johnson, presiden

•

Famous personalities influenced by Gandhi

Sep 09, 2009 12:09 PM IST

Here is a list of famous personalities, world leaders who were influenced by the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi.

* Leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States, Martin Luther King and James Lawson, drew from the writings of Gandhi in the development of their own theories about non-violence.

* Anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was inspired by Gandhi.

* Albert Einstein once called Gandhi "a role model for the generations to come" in a letter writing about him.

* British musician John Lennon referred to Gandhi as an influence on his music.

* Former US Vice-President and environmentalist Al Gore also acknowledges Gandhi's influence on him.

* Prior to his becoming the President of the United States, then-Senator Barack Obama noted that: "Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind o