Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), referred to as 'Mahatma' and 'Father of the Nation', was the preeminent leader of India's nonviolent movement for independence from British rule. His life and thought inspired global movements for nonviolence, civil rights, and freedom. Lalitha Zackariah (ed.) is a noted Gandhian scholar and former Director of the Research, Reference and Training Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.