Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand. (1869 - 1948) Original 1938 PhotographRare original photograph of the the pre eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon total nonviolence, which helped India to gain independence, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi ("Great Soul"), an honorific first applied to him