Monday 31st of August 2026
08:45:18 PM
Monday 31st of August 2026
08:45:18 PM
MAHATMA GANDHI
“My Life is My Message”
| 1869, October 2 | Birth at Porbandar in Gujarat Province |
| 1883 | Married to Kasturba |
| 1887 | Passed Matriculation Examination from Ahmedabad Centre |
| 1888, September 4 | Left for London to study Law |
| 1891, January 12 | Passed the Law Examination |
| 1891, June 10-11 | Called to the British Bar and enrolled in the High Court |
| 1891, June 12 | Set sail for home |
| 1891, July 6 | In India, introduced to Rajchandrabhai (whom Gandhiji regarded as one of his Gurus) |
| 1891, November 16 | Applied for enrolment in the Bombay High Court |
| 1892, May 24 | Came to Bombay to start practice in the High Court as a Barrister |
| 1893, April 19 | Representing a Porbandar firm set sail for South Africa |
| 1893, May 31 | At Pietermaritzburg railway station Gandhiji was ordered to go into the van compartment of the train although he held a valid first class ticket. On his refusal, a constable forcibly ejected Gandhiji alongwith his baggage. He was left to shiver all night |
| 1894, May 22 | Proposed an organisation to watch the interests of Indians and to oppose colour bar against them in South Africa |
| 1894, August 22 | Founded Natal Indian Congress to fight against colour prejudice |
| 1894, September 3 | Admitted to Natal Supreme Court despite opposition by Natal Law Society |
| 1899, October 17 | Outbreak of Boer War. Gandhiji joined Ambulance Corps |
| 1901, October 18 | Departure for India with the assurance to return to South Africa if his services are needed |
| 1901, December 27 | Moved resolution on South Africa at Calcutta Congress session |
| 1902, November 20 | At the growing pressure from Indians in South Africa, returned to South Africa |
| 1903 | Founded Transvaal British Indian Association |
| 1904, October 1 | Took over entire management responsibility of ‘Indian Opinion’ a weekly newsletter |
| 1904, Nov-Dec. | Founded Phoenix Settlement |
| 1906, September 11 | Started Passive Resistance Movement |
| 1909, Nov. 13-22 | Wrote ‘Hind Swaraj’ in Gujarati on board ‘S.S. Kildonan Castle’ on the way to South Africa from London |
| 1915, January 9 | Returned to India via England |
| 1915, May 20 | Founded Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab, Ahmedabad |
| 1917, April | Started Champaran Satyagraha for the peasants |
| 1918 | Ahmedabad Mill Workers and Kheda Peasants’ Satyagraha |
| 1919, April 13 | Massacre at mass meeting at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Gandhiji implored people to be calm |
| 1919, September 7 | ‘Navjivan’ (Gujarati) started under Gandhiji’s editorship |
| 1919, October 8 | First issue of ‘Young India’ under Gandhiji’s editorship was published |
| 1920-21 | Khilafat and Non-Co-operation Movements |
| 1922, February 5 | Chauri-Chaura incident and withdrawal of Non-Co-operation Movement |
| 1922, March 10 | Arrested. On 21 March sent to Yeravda Jail. Remained there till March 1924 |
| 1924, September 17 | Started 21 days fast for Hindu-Muslim unity |
| 1924, December 23 | Presided over the Belgaum Congress |
| 1928, December 26 | Attended Calcutta Congress where a draft Constitution of India was adopted on 31st December 1928 |
| 1929, December 31 | Gandhiji’s resolution on ‘Complete Independence’ was adopted at an open session of the Lahore Congress along with immediate boycott of Legislatures |
| 1930, January 26 | Pledge of Independence taken all over India |
| 1930, February 19 | All India Congress Committee adopted Civil Disobedience programme |
| 1930, March 12 | At 6.30 a.m. with 78 Ashramites and others, Gandhiji started his famous ‘Dandi March’ from Ahmedabad (241 miles) to break the Salt Law |
| 1930, April 6 | At 8.30 a.m. broke the Salt Law at Dandi |
| 1930, May 5 | Arrested at Karadi Camp, taken to Yeravda Jail |
| 1931, January 26 | Released from the Jail |
| 1931, March 5 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact was announced |
| 1931, August 29 | Left for London to attend Second Round Table Conference |
| 1931, December 28 | Returned to India |
| 1931, December 31 | Decided to restart Satyagraha |
| 1932, September 20 | Started fast against separate electorates for the Harijans allowed in Communal Award |
| 1933, May 8 | Started 21 days fast for the improvement of conditions of Harijans, and was released at 9 p.m. from the jail |
| 1933, July 31 | Started Individual Civil Disobedience movement |
| 1933, August 1 | Arrested and remained in jail till 23 August, 1933 |
| 1933, August 1 | Started Harijan upliftment tour |
| 1933, November 7 | Stated “I am going to resign from the Congress” |
| 1934, September 17 | Declared his intention to retire from the Congress |
| 1934, October 28 | Resigned from the Congress |
| 1934, October 29 | Founded Sevagram Ashram at Wardha |
| 1936 | Wardha Scheme of Education |
| 1937 | North-West Frontier Province tours |
| 1938, May & Oct-Nov. | Started fast unto death at Rajkot. |
| 1939, March 3 | Broke fast at Rajkot (issue resolved on 7 March 1939) |
| 1940, October 17 | Started Anti-War Individual Satyagraha with Vinoba Bhave as the first Satyagrahi |
| 1942, January 15 | ‘Jawaharlal will be my successor’, Gandhiji said |
| 1942, March 22 | Stafford Cripps arrived in India |
| 1942, March 30 | The idea of ‘Quit India’ burnt upon Gandhiji |
| 1942, August 8 | Addressed All India Congress Committee at Bombay where ‘Quit India’ resolution was passed. ‘Quit India’ movement started |
| 1942, August 9 | Arrested and taken to Aga Khan Palace jail, Pune |
| 1942, August 15 | Lighted the pyre of Mahadev Desai, his Secretary who died in the jail |
| 1943, February 10 | Started fast in Aga Khan Palace jail |
| 1943, March 3 | Ended fast in the jail |
| 1944, February 22 | At 7.30 p.m. Kasturba died. The saree woven from yarn spun by Gandhiji was wrapped around her body and the pyre was lit |
| 1944, May 6 | Released from the jail |
| 1945, June-July | Simla Conference |
| 1946, March | Cabinet Mission arrived |
| 1946, October 10 | Inhuman atrocities started in Noakhali and other districts in East Bengal |
| 1946, November 6 | Left Calcutta for Noakhali by a special train |
| 1947, Jan-Dec. | Toured troubled areas of Bengal, Bihar and Delhi |
| 1947, August 15 | At Calcutta, fasted as country was cut into two pieces |
| 1948, January 13 | Started fast in Delhi at Birla House against communal riots |
| 1948, January 16 | Stated, ‘I have no wish to live if I cannot see peace established all round me, in India as well as in Pakistan’ |
| 1948, January 18 | Broke fast by taking sweet lime juice from Maulana Azad at Birla House |
| 1948, January 20 | A bomb exploded during prayer at Birla House |
| 1948, January 27 | Wrote that Congress should cease as a political body and should devote to peoples’ service |
| 1948, January 30 | At 5.17 p.m. shot dead on his way to evening prayer ground at Birla House, Delhi |
Statement of Fasts
In South Africa
| 1913 | (Phoenix) Penitential fast for a week for moral lapse of two inmates at the settlement |
| 1914 | (Phoenix) Fourteen day’s fast for a similar reason |
In India
| 1915, June 1 | Fasted for a day on detecting untruth among Ashram boys |
| 1915, September 11 | Gave up evening meal due to some Ashramites’ objection to the admission of a Harijan in the Ashram |
| 1918, March 15-17 | For a raise in the wages of mill workers of Ahmedabad |
| 1919, April 6 | First day of the Satyagraha movement |
| 1919, April 13-15 | Began fast for 72 hours owing to Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar, and disturbances at Bombay and Ahmedabad |
| 1921, November 19-21 | Fasted owing to disturbances at Bombay |
| 1921, November 28 | Took vow to fast for 24 hours on every Monday till Swaraj was won and started it from that day |
| 1922, Feb 12-16 | Owing to the massacre of Chauri-Chaura |
| 1924, Sept. 17-30 | For Hindu-Muslim unity |
| 1924, October 1-7 | For having detected sexual aberrations in some boys and girls of the Ashram |
| 1925, Nov. 24-30 | For having detected sexual aberrations in some boys and girls of the Ashram |
| 1928, June 22-24 | Owing to moral lapse of an Ashram inmate |
| 1932, Sept. 20-25 | In protest against the decision to set up separate electorates for the Harijans |
| 1932, December 22 | In protest against Government not allowing fellow prisoners to do scavenging work |
| 1933, May 8-23 | For self purification and of his colleagues’ |
| 1933, August 16-22 | In protest against Government’s decision not to grant all the facilities for Harijan work which he was having previously in jail |
| 1934, August 7-13 | An irate reformer attacked an opponent Pt. Lal Nath of the Harijan upliftment group with a lathi. Started fast to atone |
| 1939, March 3-6 | For the breach of promise by the Rajkot ruler |
| 1940, Nov. 12-13 | Because he doubted his fellow inmate of committing theft |
| 1941, May 5-7 | Because of communal riots in Ahmedabad |
| 1941, June 29 | For communal unity |
| 1943, Feb. 10-28 | In protest against Government’s propaganda that the responsibility of disturbances after ‘Quit India’ resolution lies on the Congress |
| 1943, March 1-2 | In protest against Government’s propaganda that the responsibility of disturbances after ‘Quit India’ resolution lies on the Congress |
| 1944, Nov. 30 | Fasted or thought of fasting for one or more days. Details and reason could not be traced |
| 1946, Oct. 20-23(?) | Probably on account of an error by the person who prepared the fair copy of a letter written during negotiations with the Muslim League |
| 1947, August 15 | Against partition of the country |
| 1947, Sept. 1-3 | Because of communal riots |
| 1947, October 11 | Birthday according to Vikram calendar, fasted instead of celebrating it |
| 1948, Jan. 13-17 | For communal unity |
Arrests and Imprisonments of Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
| 1908, January 10 | Arrested for failing to register or to leave Transvaal. Was sentenced to two months simple imprisonment, on 30th Jan. following a compromise, released |
| 1908, Oct. 7-12 | While returning from Natal as he was unable to show his registration which he had burnt, imprisoned with hard labour |
| 1909, February 25 | Arrested, sentenced for 3 months’ imprisonment at Transvaal for not producing registration certificate |
| 1913, November 6 | After the ‘great march’ he was arrested at Palmford, released on 7th on bail furnished by Kallenbach |
| 1913, November 8 | Again arrested and released on bail |
| 1913, November 9 | Arrested and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment. At Volksrust sentenced for further three months, but unexpectedly released on 18 December, 1913 |
In India
| 1917, April 16 | While touring Champaran served with a notice to leave the district but was not arrested |
| 1919, April 10 | Arrested at Palwal on his way to Amritsar and was taken back to Bombay where he was released on 11 April |
| 1922, March 10 | Arrested near Sabarmati Ashram for writing three articles in ‘Young India’. Sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Released from Yeravada prison on 5 February, 1924 unconditionally after an operation on 12 January, 1924 |
| 1929, March 4 | Arrested and released for burning foreign clothes at Calcutta |
| 1930, May 5 | At 00.45 arrested at Karadi near Dandi for violating the Salt law, without trial was imprisoned and released unconditionally on 26 January, 1931 |
| 1932, January 4 | Arrested in Bombay at 3 a.m. and taken to Yeravada Jail. On 8 May 1933 as he started fast was released at 6 p.m. |
| 1933, August 1 | Arrested early in the morning at Ahmedabad following his march toward Ras and released on 4 August at 9 a.m. Was asked to leave Yeravada limits by 9.30 a.m. Did not comply, so arrested on the same day at 9.50 a.m. and sentenced to one year imprisonment. Started fast on 16 August. He was shifted to Sassoon hospital on 20 August and was released on 23 August at 3.45 p.m. from the hospital |
| 1942, August 9 | Arrested in the early hours of the morning under the Defence of India Rules following ‘Quit India’ resolution and was lodged in Aga Khan Palace jail. Released unconditionally at 8 p.m. on 6 May, 1944 |
