Ramdas Mohandas Gandhi (2 January, 1897 – 14 April, 1969) was the third son of

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. He was a freedom activist in his own right.

Biography

Ramdas was born in the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Natalia Republic, Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three o ...

, the third son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had two older brothers, Harilal and Manilal, and one younger brother,

Devdas Gandhi Devdas Mohandas Gandhi (22 May 1900 – 3 August 1957) was the fourth and youngest son of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born in the Colony of Natal and came to India with his parents as a grown man. He became active in his father's movem ...

. He was married to Nirmala Gandhi, and they had three children, including

Kanu Gandhi Kanu Gandhi (1917 – 20 February 1986) was an Indian photographer. He was a grandnephew of Mahatma Gandhi who lived with him in several of his ashrams and was a member of his personal staff. He is best remembered as Gandhi's photographer, r ...

. Raised in South Africa on one of his father's ashram-farms, Ramdas would, as an adult, tend to deprecate the idealistic poverty imposed by his father on all his associates. He had no taste for

asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

and considered that his father's lifestyle was nothing more than a personal fetish which caused inconvenience to others, including the Gandhi family. Nevertheless, he was a passionate nationalist and freedom fighter, and an active participant in the grueling civil protests of the 1930s which his father led. He was imprisoned numerous times by the British, and these prolonged stints in jail had serious effects on his health. At his father's funeral, Ramdas Gandhi was the one who lit the funeral pyre, as he had desired. He was joined by his younger brother

at the funeral. He died in 1969, aged 72.

References

1897 births 1969 deaths Ramdas Prisoners and detainees of British India Indian independence activists from Bombay Presidency People from Pune {{india-activist-stub Indian expatriates in the Colony of Natal