Mohandas Gandhi

oh no. It is very bad to see M.K.Gandhi who showed mercy even to his enemy after the great killer Hitler. And Mr.King is a follower of Gandhi, thus who have to come first?

If he was born a few hundred years earlier people would be worshiping him.

I'm guessing everyone who gave him a highfive (like me) is wishful thinking. Based on the current state of humanity, it would appear he had no influence whatsoever.

In part, his activism and philosophy was the mold for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Challenged many 20th century notions of power, strength, and individuality. . .in the simplist terms, a memorable leader of his people. . .spiritually, an almost unbeatable combination of first-world legal and scholastic training in addition to a sense of compassion/justice that left an impression on millions of people. And like most (if not all) of people who are too cool for their time or profess great change- their ass gets killed. . .Gandhi possessed a warrior's spirit- he was willing to take whatver you'd give him in order to achieve victory and justice. . .He has his detractors- but there's always this fact: he wanted to throw out oppressive English rule and he certainly was a part of that success.

He should be considered the world's greatest man of the earth of 20th century and Nobel Peace Prize should be given

Gandhi was not what everyone thinks! Yes publicly he was a humble, gentle and a caring person. But to those who knew him, he was violent, abusive and somewhat of a sexual deviant!! Try doing some research on this man, you may find some things out about him that could well change you mind!!! He also had just a little more to do with the British than what he would have you believe!!! We must be very careful about those we put on a pedal stall when knowing nothing about their personal actions and private life!!! Changed due to mistakes, sorry! 12:48 07/30/2007

Unfortunately, the "sainted" MG was a hypocrite of the first order. When his wife or associates would become ill, then under Gandhi's orders, they had to follow "native" remedies. When Gandhi became sick, he went immediately to the best British doctors!

But, Broodinghen, Gandhi could always redeem himself with an awesome quip.  When asked by journalists what he thought of Western civilization, he replied, "I think it would be a good idea."

I always felt uneasy about Gandhi. A notion of great personal courage and virtue clashed in my mind with a notion of mislead and misleading idealism.I have difficulties with visionary and charismatic political leaders. Even if they are unselfish and personally integer like Gandhi their aura might overshine dangerous errors and prevent their detection. It is so hard to discern whether a person's vision is wishful thinking, or deep insight into heretofore unacknowledged aspects of reality, or a muddle of both. And it is hard to tell whether a person with charisma is an authority, or a seducer, or a cross of both. Charisma muffles criticism and this can prove dangerous.There were flaws in Gandhi's thinking and he had perhaps no chance of detecting them himself. Seems that posterity has not yet ruled them out. In my opinion the taboo of criticising a saintlike man like him prevented his followers from recognizing a deplorable fact: There are political systems in which civil disobedience is... Read more

Come on, passive resistance inspired by Theoroe was put to practice by this great man, hes only matched by his protege Nehru as the 20th century's greatest Indians. A true humanitarian

A great and inspirational pacifist who helped liberate India from the yoke of British imperialism. Would that we had a spiritual and/or political leader like him now in these troubled, turbulent times. Of course, like all of those we exalt, he had his personal idiosyncrasies. For example, up until the end of his life, he liked to sleep between 2 nude young women in order to test his "will power". Also, he was not completely against the Caste system as it existed in India, which surprised me, considering his reputation for compassion and his love of freedom. But, as I've said, no one is without their flaws, and very few in human history have made their mark in such a laudable and praiseworthy manner.

i'm learning about Gandhi in school at the moment and all i have learnt is that he is a facinating man none of the stuff you are acusing him of in your comments mabey they are not telling us all the truth but im sure with the amount of fantastic things he has done for Indias Independance must out weigh the negative some people have mentioned. So overall i think he was a remarkable man and if he were still alive i would love to meet him.

An impressive man, but not very reliable....

Gandhi wasn't the first to use nonviolence in the place of brutality for reform, he simply persisted in using his methods of nonviolence during very hard times. He brought about crucial changes in South Africa and impacted the world with his many movements. If he wasn't such a great man, why does almost everyone know him as Mahatma? Growing up, I always thought that was his given name, Mahatma, meaning great soul, and not knowing his great deeds except remembering everyone referred to him as someone of honorable importance. So many of you criticize him for things relating to the Jews. I guess you guys are Jewish.. but how could Gandhi concentrate on something going on in another country when plenty of harm was already going on in his home country, India. You guys giving him a rating of 1 because He also advised the Jews to commit mass suicide as a way to protest Hitler and stuck to his guns when the results of the Holocaust came in. Right..yeah, this probably comes from another Jewish ... Read more

Overrated. He simply used the political and cultural climate of his country to his advantage, but at the first opportunity he did away with all of his pacifist philosophy and okay'd a war with a neighbouring country. Hypocrite.

Really amazing man, but got to give him a 1 for his attire.....

It would be intresting to see what Ghandi would have to say about today's supposed peace protestors- you know the ones who vandalize buildings and harass anyone with a different view from theirs.

He influenced so many people and was the first to use the process of peaceful protest. I am also an Indian, and my parents moved to America from India. Without him setting us free from the British, I wouldn't be able to visit India and see such a nice, fun country.

Gandhi was one of the greatest men who ever lived. People on this site have argued that it was because he removed the British from India, he was responsible for the conflict between India and Pakistan. But, in fact, all his life, Gandhi had fought for peace between Hindus and Muslims, and recognized himself that if Muslims and Hindus couldn't work together, then India might very well be better off with the British in power. He tried his best to stop the fighting, but it was something bigger than him, something bigger even than the British. The conflict between Muslims and Hindus in India has been going on almost as long as Islam has been a religion. He tried, and that, in my opinion, is good enough.

Mohandas Gandhi was arguably the greatest person of the 20th Century. A man of peace and tranquility, Gandhi was a man of moral principles and great courage. He was a man who influenced many world leaders. Finally, Gandhi taught the world the virtues of both civil disobedience and self-sacrifice, something the world seems to have lost and ought to re-learn.

great man he did what was right for his people, and I wished the Jews had committed mass suicide (AT LEAST WE WOULDN'T BE IN THE MIDDLE EAST TRYING TO KEEP THEIR CRAP OF LAND CALLED A COUNTRY TOGETHER) Ghandi was a gentle man but he did have other means in case the british got funky.

Gandhi was resisting the British-not the Nazi's or 'Bin Laden's'-in which his pacifism couldn't possibly be effective.He also advised the Jews to commit mass suicide as a way to protest Hitler and stuck to his guns when the results of the Holocaust came in.

He is the true definition of a world leader. Always gentle and never angry, He always believed in never hating. He was such a wonderful man trying to do what always was best. He had amazing self control. He was beaten, treated badly, and he never retiliated violently. A true world leader.

A man of peace and highly respected by me. I question his influence as a leader on the rest of the world compared to thers. His ideas of nonviolence kickstarted the methods of the civil rights movement through MLK, but I couldn't rate him above quite a few other leaders on this list.

To unite a nation of half a billion divided so viciously on religious and caste lines,..to set an example by personal suffering and leading the masses on path of 'Satyagrah', and peaceful non-cooperation, ... to attain the stature of 'the father of the nation' and yet not to aspire for any political office while living a simplistic life - ALL THESE are signs of a TRULY GREAT LEADER...no denying this fact. BUT, apathy for true nationalists and martyrs like Bhagat Singh (even when they were on death row) and underestimating their contribution, and also, allowing the horror of partition to happen cannot be written off so easily.

I think Gandhi is one of the best leaders ever. His self-sacrifice and civil disobedience is honourable. A true leader that stood up for what he believed in and worked hard for equality. People like Gandhi just don't really exist anymore, or if they do I haven't heard of them. Gandhi was revolutionary. His non-violent approach to making change is very admirable, especially in a world that likes to make change through war!

Gandhi is a very controversial figure but he freed his homeland at great personal sacrifice. He may not have been the best leader for India because he may have limited India's potential by ruling as a pacifist and the intensity with Pakistan started around when Gandhi was in office.

It is really hard for me to rate Mohandas Gandhi, but I am going to try anyways....as a person with a non-violent approach at ending oppression, he is great. His personal sacrifices were also awesome. But I do not feel he was the greatest leader for India after the end of British rule. Gandhi and alot of his family member rulers are partly responsible for the reason why India is not near as strong as it should be. SO many others could have made India a more powerful nation. India has had the hardest time trying to catch up with the rest of the modern countries, but it is slowly getting there. There are still quite a few internal obstacles to overcome, such as the terrorist activity in the Kashmir, and so many other horrible travesties !Great Britain tried to suck the soul out of India, but it didn't work and India will become just as powerful as many other countries in the world someday. Because the people of India are so beautiful, there is nothing wrong with that at all.

lived the Gita ,it would be nice if we all could

This man is amazing in terms of both what he did, but more importantly how he did it. He provides lessons that it would do us all well to absorb.

i always love seeing terrifically ignorant people repeatedly make stupid comments, even about an incredible mind like Ghandi. hey gopman, what are you doing with your life that makes you so superior to Ghandi? How many of you who knock him are willing to make the sacrifices he made? Oh, no hands up? That's what I thought. In a time when terrorists make the most waves, a man who advocated change through non-violence is truely an inspiration.

I respect Gandhi for his courage and for trying to make a better life for his fellow Hindus in India by peaceful revolution. He had the courage to go up against the British in resistance to the injustices which were being branded upon his people. He worked so hard to get to the promised land, even sacrificing his life, but had no idea of what India would become once it got there. "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."- Mohandas Gandhi

Iam appalled how people under rate this guy. Not only did he liberate a country with the use of non violence & love... Also he stood firmly when it required strength & temerity by suppotring the allies during the world warII although still britian discriminates in the war allowance of indians.

What else u want from a man who liberated one billion people with the use of non-violence, compassion & love.

Great leader.Showed things can get down through non-violence.

A quiet, gentle, frail little man who through passive resistance gained independence for India and its' people from Imperialist Great Britan; quite a feat. Truly a brilliant leader who is certainly not a phony. I don't see how anybody can see or say anything negative about this saintly man.

Slick lawyer who after being educated in England turned it to his advantage in his primitive home land. He was murdered by a fellow hindu for lack of ethnic purity and help ignite one of the largest ethnic slaughter in the 20th Century ~58 million dead. Phony saint of the anti-western left.

Good man. Attributed his good works and brotherly love to his education of Jesus.

Mohandas Gandhi is not as warm and fuzzy as he all seems.

Someone-rare for a politician-whom i admire greatly.He had the unshakeable will to stand for the rights of,and eventually bring freedom to, hundreds of millions of people.He opposed oppressive colonialism by non-violent means-the 200 mile "salt march" to the sea in 1930,was a tremendously audacious act of defiance.He was imprisoned for his beliefs but never faltered.He was committed to significantly improving the lot of women and animals.He did his best to prevent Hindu-Muslim conflict(a longstanding problem only contained beneath the surface,but certainly not alleviated by British rule)in Bengal,and was assassinated by a fanatic as a result.That fledgling independent states often struggle initially is usually the result of the "divide and rule" mess caused by imperialists;the difficulties India experienced after 1947 were no exception,and should not be attributed to Gandhi.He was not a saint,he wasn't perfect:he was human,and all the more remarkable for it-a rare shining example of in... Read more

How can you not like someone who said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." I will always wonder what might have been had the Christian community of the day not failed him by not allowing him, as a young man, to worship with them simply because he was not of their race. Goes to prove that standing in a garage doesn't make you a car any more than sitting in a church makes you a Christian.

How can anyone say that he is bad!!!??? he is as close as perfect as we (people) can get.Grossmith and mcgrumpo is as ignorant as it gets. the tensions between the hindus and muslims was going to increasing and was about to erupt one day. and it happened after independence. the only reason the hindus and muslims were unified before was because they both wanted independence and so worked together to achieve it. it really did not have much to do with the british keeping them together. and grossmith he did actually help india because he fought injustice all thoroughout india. he told the indians to get rid of their old traditions such as sati, the caste system, and said women as well as men are just as important. he gave women a vital role in the fight for india's independence by telling them to make textiles to be sold in india so the british could not further abuse the working class in india. and he later adopted the spinning wheel as the symbol of the indian national congress.... Read more

Mohandas Gandhi was truly one of the most courageous leaders of the 20th Century. He saw that grave injustices were being done to his people by the British and he saw that it would be stopped. The Salt March was by far one of the greatest things he did, and the symbolism was very powerful. The British had put essentially the corner on the salt market in India, the Indians could only buy salt at government depots where the Brits would charge an exorbitant price. Gandhi said it was unfair and he led a march to the coast to where salt was processed and there they would "take back what was there's". That day, over 60,000 people were arrested, including Gandhi himself. That, along with other boycotts of British goods, allowed the Indians to shake off the shakles of colonialism that had been in place since the 16th Century. Colonialism was horrible for India because the British took advantage of the resources of the country. They did not allow the Indians to partake of the economic benefits... Read more

Controversial guy. Here's a quote of his I've memorized for ya: "Whenever I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murdererers and tyrants and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it- ALWAYS." It may not be something that hasn't been said before, but I like the way he phrases it and the way he looks at the world. That quote seems to fit in with the times pretty well...

Liberated India, an elite historical figure.

By forcing the end of British rule in India, which had maintained cooperation between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi separated the two groups, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people.

iron will with true vision

great, apart from how he treated his ever-suffering wife. Not a saint, but a pragmatist

Gandhi saw injustice and instead of looking the other way, stood up for those who had no voice and did so in a non-violent way. Although brutal violence was used against him, he never gave up on his goal to help the oppressed.

Transcendentally great.