Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ru ...

was a key

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

leader known for employing

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, construct ...

against

British Rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

to successfully lead the campaign. He was the pioneer of ''

Satyagraha Satyāgraha (from ; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is ...

'' — the resistance of alleged

tyranny A tyrant (), in the modern English language, English usage of the word, is an autocracy, absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurper, usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defen ...

through mass

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

, firmly founded upon ''

ahimsa (, IAST: , ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. (also spelled Ahinsa) is one of the cardinal vi ...

'' or total

nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

— which inspired movements for civil rights and freedom around the world. Gandhi is commonly known in India and around the world with the honorific ''Mahatma Gandhi'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: महात्मा ''

mahātmā Mahātmā (English pronunciation: , , ) is an honorific used in India. The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequently, this epithet has also been used with ...

'' — "Great Soul") and as ''Bapu'' (

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

: બાપુ ''bāpu'' — "

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

"). In India, he is recognised as the

Father of the Nation The Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a person considered the driving force behind the establishment of a country, state, or nation. Pater Patriae was a Roman honorific meaning the "Father of the Fatherland", bestowed by th ...

by all Indians and 2 October, his birthday, is commemorated each year on

Gandhi Jayanti Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday in India, celebrated annually on 2 October to honour the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, one of the key leaders of the Indian independence movement and a pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence. It ...

, a national holiday.

Currency and stamps

In 1996, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

introduced the

Mahatma Gandhi series The Gandhi Series of banknotes are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the legal tender of Indian rupee. The series is so called because the obverse of the banknotes prominently display the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Since its introd ...

of currency notes in

rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

5, 10, 20, 50,

100 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standard SI prefix for a hundred is " hecto-". 100 is the b ...

500 500 may refer to: * 500 (number) * 500 BC * AD 500 Buildings and places * 500 Boylston Street in Boston * 500 Brickell in Miami * 500 Capitol Mall in Sacramento * 500 Fifth Avenue * 500 Renaissance Center, one of seven buildings in the GM ...

and

1000 1000 or thousand may refer to: * 1000 (number), a natural number * AD 1000, a leap year in the Julian calendar * 1000 BC, a year of the Before Christ era * 1000 metres, a middle-distance running event * 1000°, a German electronic dance music maga ...

denomination. Today, all the currency notes in circulation in India contain a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1969, the United Kingdom issued a series of stamps commemorating the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi. There have been approximately 250 stamps issued bearing Gandhi's image from 80 different countries worldwide.

Film

*1953: He is the subject of the American feature documentary '' Mahatma Gandhi: 20th Century Prophet'' *1963: Gandhi is portrayed by J.S. Casshyap in ''

Nine Hours to Rama ''Nine Hours to Rama'' is a1963 British-American neo noir crime film directed by Mark Robson (film director), Mark Robson that follows a fictionalised Nathuram Godse in the hours before he Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated the India ...

'' based upon the 1962 book by

Stanley Wolpert Stanley Albert Wolpert (December 23, 1927 – February 19, 2019) was an American historian, Indologist, and author on the political and intellectual history of modern India and PakistanDr. Stanley Wolpert's UCLA Faculty homepage and wrote fict ...

. *1968: '' Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869–1948'' (documentary on the life of Gandhi) *1982: Gandhi is portrayed by

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

in the award-winning film, ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

'', directed by

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

. The film won eight

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, including

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

and Best Actor. *1986: Gandhi is portrayed by

Sam Dastor Sam Dastor is an Indian-born British actor best known for his appearances in British television series. Life and career Dastor was born in India and raised in a Parsi family of Zoroastrian faith, though he later converted to Christianity. He g ...

in '' Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy'', a British mini-series which is about

Louis Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was a British statesman, Royal Navy of ...

and his role in the partitioning of India and Pakistan. *1989: Gandhi is portrayed by Jay Levey in a spoof segment in ''UHF'', a comedy film directed by Levey himself *1993: Gandhi is portrayed by Yashwant Satvik in ''Yugpurush Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar'', which is based upon the life of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

. *1993: Gandhi is portrayed by

Annu Kapoor Annu Kapoor (born Anil Kapoor; 20 February 1956) is an Indian actor, singer, director, radio disc jockey, and television presenter who has appeared in over a hundred films, as well as television series. His career has spanned over 45 years as ...

in the

Ketan Mehta Ketan Mehta (born 21 July 1952) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who has also directed documentaries and television serials since 1975. Early life and education Born on 21 July 1952 in Navsari in Gujarat, Mehta did his sch ...

film ''

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

'' which is about the life of

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...

. *1996: Gandhi is portrayed by

Rajit Kapur Rajit Kapur (born 22 May 1963) is an Indian film and theatre actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, '' The Making of the Mahatma'' for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Other n ...

in his award-winning role as a young Gandhi in '' The Making of the Mahatma'', a

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...

film about Gandhi's 21 years in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. *1998: Gandhi is portrayed by

in '' Jinnah'', a biopic of the founder of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Mohammed Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

. *2000: Gandhi is portrayed by Mohan Gokhale in ''

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

'', which is based upon the life of

. *2000: Gandhi is portrayed by

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...

in ''

Hey Ram ''Hey Ram'' () is a 2000 Indian epic historical fiction film written, directed, and produced by Kamal Haasan, that stars him in the title role with Shah Rukh Khan (in his Tamil debut) in a pivotal role. It was simultaneously made in the Tamil a ...

''. A film made by

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

, it portrays a would-be assassin of Gandhi and the dilemma faced by the would-be assassins in the turmoil of post-partition India. *2001: Gandhi is portrayed by Surendra Rajan in the film ''

Veer Savarkar Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966 ), was an Indian politician, activist and writer. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while confined at Ratnagiri in 1922. The prefix "Veer" (mea ...

'', about the life of

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966 ), was an Indian politician, activist and writer. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while confined at Ratnagiri in 1922. The prefix "Veer" (mea ...

. *2002: Gandhi is portrayed by Surendra Rajan in the film ''

The Legend of Bhagat Singh ''The Legend of Bhagat Singh'' is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is about Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hindus ...

'', a historical biographical film about the Indian freedom fighter

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer in December 1928 in what was intended to be retaliation for the deat ...

. *2004: ''

Swades ''Swades'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, alongside Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, and Lekh Tandon. T ...

'', "epitomizes Gandhi's values" according to his great-grandson,

Tushar Gandhi Tushar Arun Gandhi (born 17 January 1960) is an Indian author and son of Arun Manilal Gandhi, thus great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. In March 2005, he led the 75th anniversary re-enactment of the Dandi March. Early life Tushar Arun Gandhi was b ...

. The protagonist is called Mohan (Bhargava) which is Gandhi's birth name (Mohandas). The film is about a young NRI returning to India to help the country and its people, a tale similar to that of Gandhi's life. *2005: Gandhi is portrayed by Mohan Jhangiani (actor) and Zul Vilani (voice) who appears briefly in the film ''

Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

'' (the film was also turned into the book, '' Water: A Novel'', by

Bapsi Sidhwa Bapsi Sidhwa (; 11 August 1938 – 25 December 2024) was a Pakistani novelist who wrote in English and was resident in the United States. Sidhwa was best known for her collaborative work with Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote b ...

). *2005: '' Mangal Pandey: The Rising'', ends with newsreel footage featuring Gandhi. *2005: Surendra Rajan portrays Gandhi in

's biopic '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero''. *2005: ''

Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara ''Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by Jahnu Barua and produced by Anupam Kher. The film stars Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar. Plot The film explores the downward spiral of a retired Hindi ...

'', tells the story of a retired Hindi professor, who, as he falls victim to

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

, begins to believe that he was accused of being the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. *2006: The image of Gandhi is portrayed by

Dilip Prabhavalkar Dilip Prabhavalkar (born 4 August 1944) is an Indian Marathi actor, director, playwright and author. He has a career spanning over five decades in Hindi and Marathi theatre, television and movies. He was awarded the National Film Award for Best ...

in the award-winning film ''

Lage Raho Munna Bhai ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (; translation: ''Keep Going, Munna Bhai'') is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Abhijat Joshi, and produce ...

''. It stars

Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films. ...

Munna Bhai Murli Prasad Sharma, better known as Munna Bhai, is an Indian fictional character who appears in the ''Munna Bhai'' film series. The character is created by Rajkumar Hirani and portrayed by Sanjay Dutt. The Character is based on a Mumbai Local ...

and popularised the new term ''

Gandhigiri Gandhigiri is a neologism in India which is used to express the tenets of Gandhism (the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, which include Satyagraha and Ahimsa) in contemporary terms. The term became popular due to its usage in the 2006 Hindi film, '' Lage ...

'' in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. *2007: Gandhi is portrayed by

Darshan Jariwala Darshan Jariwala (born 29 September 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and stage. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Gandhi, My Father''. He is popular for his show in which he was seen ...

in ''

Gandhi, My Father ''Gandhi, My Father'' is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Feroz Abbas Khan. It was produced by Anil Kapoor, and released on 3 August 2007. The film stars Darshan Jariwala, Akshaye Khanna, Bhumika Chawla, and ...

''. *2007: The image of Gandhi is reprised by

in ''

Shankar Dada Zindabad ''Shankar Dada Zindabad'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Prabhu Deva. Starring Chiranjeevi and Karishma Kotak, the film is a remake of the 2006 Hindi film '' Lage Raho Munnabhai'' and a sequel to '' Shankar D ...

'', the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of ...

remake of ''

''. *2009: ''

Mahatma Mahātmā (English pronunciation: , , ) is an honorific used in India. The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequently, this epithet has also been used wit ...

'' reflects on Gandhian values. *2009: ''

Road to Sangam ''Road to Sangam'' is a 2010 Bollywood film written and directed by Amit Rai. The film features Bollywood actors Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Pawan Malhotra. ''Road to Sangam'' is a simple story of a God fearing, devout Muslim mechanic named Hasm ...

'' tells the story of a devout

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

named Hasmat Ullah (

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has Paresh Rawal filmography, appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various L ...

) who has been entrusted the job of repairing an old V8 ford engine, not knowing the historic significance that it once carried Gandhi's ashes which were immersed in the holy

Triveni Sangam In Hindu tradition, Triveni Sangam is the confluence (Sanskrit: ''sangama'') of three rivers that is a sacred place, with a bath here said to flush away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj ...

. *2011: Gandhi is portrayed by Avijit Dutt in '' Dear Friend Hitler'', a drama film based on letters written by Mohandas Gandhi to

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

leader and

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. * 2011: ''

Koormavatara ''Koormavatara'' () is a 2011 Indian Kannada drama film directed by Girish Kasaravalli, based on short story of the same name written by Kum. Veerabhadrappa. It stars Shikaripura Krishnamurthy, Jayanthi and Apoorva Kasaravalli in the lead roles, ...

'', a Kannada film by

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

revolves around a government employee cast in a play to portray Mahatma Gandhi, who, on course, realizes that playing Gandhi is easier than imbibing and implementing his principles in real-life. Scholar Dr. Shikaripura Krishnamurthy essayed the role of government employee. *2012: ''

Welcome Back Gandhi ''Mudhalvar Mahatma'' is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language biographical film directed by A. Balakrishnan. The film, released on 30 January 2012 in India, stars S. Kanagaraj as Mohandas Gandhi. The movie's music was written by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyric ...

'' (also known as ''Mudhalvar Mahatma''), directed by A. Balakrishnan and starring S. Kanagaraj as Gandhi, portrays the impact Gandhi would have if he returned to present day India. *2016: ''Gandhigiri'' talks about Gandhi's values in today's world *2017: ''

Viceroy's House The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana''; ; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the official residence of the President of the Republic of India at the western end of Rajpath, Rai ...

'', a British-Indian

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Kaur Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a Kenyan-born British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme in her work showcases the trials of Indian women residing ...

, about the period leading up to the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

under Viceroy

Lord Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...

. Gandhi is portrayed by

Neeraj Kabi Neeraj Kabi is an Indian film entertainer and theatre actor, theatre director, and acting coach known for his works in International films and Hindi cinema, theatre, and television. Early life Neeraj Kabi was born on 12 March 1968 in Jamshedp ...

. *2017: Kamlesh portrayed Gandhi in historical drama film ''

Firangi ''Firangi'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language historical comedy film written and directed by Rajiev Dhingra. It stars Kapil Sharma, who is also the producer, along with Ishita Dutta and Monica Gill. The film was shot primarily in Punjab an ...

''. *2019: Gandhi is portrayed by Surendra Rajan in the Bengali film ''

Gumnaami ''Gumnaami'' is a 2019 Indian Bengali-language mystery film based on the true events directed by Srijit Mukherji, which deals with the mystery of Netaji's death, based on the Mukherjee Commission hearings and the book ''Conundrum'' written by ...

'' based on the Mukherjee Commission Hearings, which deals with three possible theories about the death of

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...

. * 2019: Gandhi is portrayed by Jesus Sans in '' The Gandhi Murder'', a

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

film based on the

assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at age 78 in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, from Pune, Maharashtra, a Hindu nationalist, with ...

*2023:

Deepak Antani Deepak Antani (born on 20 September 1964) is an Indian actor, film director, director and screenwriter known for his work in Gujarati cinema, Gujarati and Hindi cinema, television and theatre. He is widely recognized for portraying Mahatma Gandh ...

portrayed Gandhi in

Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh () is a 2023 Indian Hindi, Hindi-language historical fiction film written and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, and produced by Manila Santoshi. The film stars Deepak Antani and Chinmay Mandlekar in the lead roles. The film deals with a fictional ...

, the film deals with a fictional situation in which Gandhi survives his assassination. *2023: Gandhi is portrayed by

in '' Mujib: The Making of a Nation'', a biopic of the founder of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

. *2024: Gandhi is portrayed by

Rajesh Khera Rajesh Khera (''Rājēśa Khērā'') is an Indian television actor and voice actor who has acted in many Hindi films and is remembered for the role of fashion designer Maddy in '' Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin''. He was recently seen as a contender ...

in '' Swayantrya Veer Savarkar'', a biopic on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Literature

* " The Last Article" (1988) by

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed his ...

, an

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

novella of a German victory in World War II, has Gandhi as the primary third-person narrator. * "Soldier of the Queen" by

Barbara Hambly Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an American novelist and screenwriter within the genres of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and historical fiction. She is the author of the bestselling Benjamin January mystery series featuring a ...

in " War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches (1996), an alternate history and

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

set in an alternate universe where the

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celes ...

alien invasion of Earth depicted in "

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

" (1898) by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

actually happened in the year that the novel was published. As with the other stories in the anthology, it deals with celebrities of the time (in this case Gandhi and author

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

) and how they dealt with the Martian invasion of their locality. India was invaded but the Martians were defeated worldwide. The Martians also invaded Britain (which was what happened in the original H. G. Wells novel) and Gandhi takes advantage of the turmoil in Britain by declaring Indian independence 50 years early (in 1898 instead of 1948).

Memorials, paintings, sculptures, and statues

There have been numerous memorials to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Gandhi Smriti Gandhi Smriti, formerly known as Birla House or Birla Bhavan, is a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, situated on Tees January Road, formerly Albuquerque Road, in New Delhi, India. It is the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last ...

, or Birla House, the home of

Ghanshyam Das Birla Ghanshyam Das Birla (10 April 1894 – 11 June 1983) was an Indian businessman and member of the Birla Family. Birla family history Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Pilani town in Jhunjhunu district, in the region known as ...

, where Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948, was acquired by the Government of India in 1971 and opened to the public in 1973 as the

or "Gandhi Remembrance". It preserves the room where Mahatma Gandhi lived the last four months of his life and the grounds where he was shot while holding his nightly public walk. A Martyr's Column now marks the place where Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated. In 1988, India donated a bust of Gandhi to the city of

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, Spain, which is located in a park. The city of

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

, South Africa—where Gandhi was ejected from a first-class train in 1893—now hosts a commemorative statue that was unveiled during the

2003 Cricket World Cup The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 23 March 2003. This edition of the World Cup was the ...

by the Indian team led by captain

Saurav Ganguly Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ''Maharaja of Ind ...

. In the United Kingdom, there are several prominent statues of Gandhi, most notably two in London: one in

Tavistock Square Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden near Euston Station. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Fr ...

near

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

where he studied law, and another in

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and ...

. 30 January is commemorated in the United Kingdom as the "National Gandhi Remembrance Day." In the United States, there is a statue of Gandhi outside the Union Square Park in New York City, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and a Mahatma Gandhi Memorial on Massachusetts Avenue in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, near the Indian Embassy. There is a Gandhi statue in San Francisco Embarcadero Neighborhood. In 2009, a statue of Gandhi was installed outside the Bellevue Library in Washington state. There are wax statues of Gandhi at the

Madame Tussaud's Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843. In 1883, the restricted space of ...

wax museums in London, New York, and other cities around the world. Józef Gosławski designed a caricature of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1932, which was cast in bronze in 2007. Gandhi's Three Monkeys is a series of sculptures created by Indian artist

Subodh Gupta Subodh Gupta (born 1964) is an Indian contemporary artist based in New Delhi. His work encompasses sculpture, installation art, installation, painting, photography, performance art, performance and video art, video. Early life and education G ...

. The sculptures recall a visual metaphor from Gandhi, of the "

Three wise monkeys The are a Japanese pictorial Maxim (philosophy), maxim, embodying the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". The three monkeys are * , covering his eyes * , covering his ears * , covering his mouth. Lafcadio Hearn re ...

", representing the principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". In 2010, realist painter Gopal Swami Khetanchi depicted Gandhi's dream of an independent India in his exhibition titled ''Gandhigiri''. The exhibition displayed twenty-one artworks depicting an elderly Gandhi with other elements and figures complementing or countering the discourse. In Australia, the Indian community of Brisbane commissioned a statue of Gandhi, created by Ram V. Sutar and Anil Sutar in the

Roma Street Parkland Roma Street Parkland covers 11 hectares in the centre of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Roma Street Parkland is adjacent to the former Brisbane Transit Centre and the Roma Street railway station from which it takes its n ...

. It was unveiled In 2014, by

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

, then Prime Minister of India. On 22 November 2018, President of India

Ramnath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind ( ; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2017 to 2022. He is the first person from Uttar Pradesh to serve as the president. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Pa ...

unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

, Sydney, Australia. In 2018, a statue of Gandhi at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

, erected in 2016, was removed, "after protests from students and faculty who argue the Indian independence leader considered Africans 'inferior'.... Campaigners in

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

are trying to stop another Gandhi statue from being erected in the capital Blantyre." In 2019, the fifth statue of Gandhi in the United Kingdom was unveiled at

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...

. The statue weighing 800 kg and measuring 9 feet was a gift from Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur, a worldwide spiritual organization. It was unveiled by the mayor of Manchester and Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai along with several guests as a symbol of peace and compassion, following the 2017 terror attack at

Manchester Arena Manchester Arena (currently known as AO Arena for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. Pr ...

. File:Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Statue in Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg,

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

, Cyprus File:Gandhi Smriti Delhi.jpg, The Martyr's Column at the

in New Delhi, marks the spot where he was assassinated File:Gandhi Memorial.jpg, Rajghat in New Delhi, marks the spot of Gandhi's cremation in 1948 File:PMBGandhistatue.jpg,

, South Africa File:DSCN1998TavistockSqGandhi.jpg,

, London File:POL Mahatma Gandhi sculpture.jpg, Caricature of Gandhi by Gosławski File:Gandhi Burgos lateral.JPG, Gandhi bust in

, Spain File:Spomenik Mahatmi Gandhiju u Manchesteru.jpg, Gandhi statue at Manchester Cathedral

Music videos

*1954: The patriotic song Sabarmati ke Sant from the Bollywood film ''

Jagriti ''Jagriti'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Satyen Bose. A remake of Bose's 1949 Bengali film ''Paribartan'', the film stars Rajkumar Gupta, Abhi Bhattacharya, and Ratan Kumar in the lead roles. The film won the Filmfare ...

'' is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi *2012: "Be the Change (The Story of Mahatma Gandhi)," a mixture of

Raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

and

Hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

by MC Yogi, released in celebration of

. *2013: "Gandhi vs

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Epic Rap Battles of History ''Epic Rap Battles of History'' (ERB) is a YouTube web series and music project created by Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "EpicLLOYD" Ahlquist. The series pits historical and pop culture figures against one another in a rap battle format ...

Season 2," a satirical rap video between Gandhi and MLK depicted by comedians

Key and Peele Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * ...

Television

*2002-03: Gandhi Smith is a main character in the animated series ''

Clone High ''Clone High'' is an adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence for MTV. It premiered on November 2, 2002, in Canada, and January 20, 2003, in the United States. Set at a high school popu ...

''; his depiction on the show was controversial and resulted in its cancellation after only one season. When the show was revived in 2023, Gandhi was excluded from the main cast, though was still referenced by other characters, suggesting a possible return in future seasons. *2004:"One World: Telecom Italia 'Gandhi' ": An award-winning television commercial produced by Y&R, Italy and directed by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

. It depicts Gandhi broadcasting a speech during

, reaching audiences through the use of digital technology.Youtube clip

Theater

*The

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

'' Satyāgraha'', composed by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

(in 1980), with a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by himself and Constance De Jong is based on Gandhi's experiences in

. * The 1995 Marathi play ''Gandhi Virudh Gandhi'' explored the relationship between Gandhi and his son Harilal. The 2007 film, ''

'' was inspired on the same theme. The 1997 Hindi play ''Gandhi Ambedkar'' criticised Gandhi and his principles. *'' Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy'' (

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

for ''This is

Nathuram Godse Nathuram Vinayak Godse (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) () was an Indian Hindu nationalist and political activist who was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multi-faith praye ...

speaking'', first staged in 1997 *

Howard Brenton Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter, often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, and David Hare. Early years Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, so ...

's '' Drawing the Line'' premiered in 2013 at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

. A play on the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, it featured

Tanveer Ghani Tanveer Ghani is a British actor. He has appeared in various British television programmes and British films. One of his first roles was in the BBC hospital drama, ''Angels'' (1982). He is perhaps best known for playing the role of Rezaul Kabir ...

as Gandhi. * A Gujarati-language one-man play ''

Mohan No Masalo ''Mohan No Masalo'' (English: ''Mohan's Recipe'') is a 2015 biographical one-man play about Mahatma Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi. Written by Ishan Doshi and directed by Manoj Shah, it depicts the early life of Mohandas Gandhi. First performed ...

'', directed by

Manoj Shah Manoj Sakarchand Shah (born 5 February 1955) is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the Gujarati theatre. He has directed over 90 Play (theatre), plays, such as Solo performance, one-man plays and biographical p ...

, premiered in 2015 in Mumbai. It recounts the early years of Gandhi played by

Pratik Gandhi Pratik Gandhi (born 28 April 1980) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi films, theater, and television. He is best known for portraying Harshad Mehta in the Sony LIV biographical series ''Scam 1992'' ( ...

. * In 2016, the

National Centre for the Performing Arts (India) National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

premiered Danesh Khambata's ''Gandhi—The Musical'', featuring

Chirag Vohra Chirag Vohra is an Indian television, stage and film actor. He has acted in films like '' Tere Bin Laden'', '' Billu'', ''Heyy Babyy'', '' Mangal Pandey: The Rising'', '' Jaago'' and ''Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein'' and Scam 1992 (2020). He is w ...

and Abhishek Krishnan as Gandhi. * In November 2016, the play '' Yugpurush: Mahatma na Mahatma'' premiered in Mumbai, India. The play depicts the spiritual guidance that Gandhi received from

Shrimad Rajchandra Shrimad Rajchandra (9 November 1867 – 9 April 1901), also known as Param Krupalu Dev, was a Jainism, Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar, and reformer from India. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he attained recollection of his pas ...

. * The National Theatre's 2022 season includes Anupama Chandrasekhar's '' The Father and the Assassin'', which tells the story of Godse, styled as "a devout follower of Gandhi ho becomeshis eventual assassin."

Video games

Civilization

In the ''

Civilization A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...

Turn-based strategy Strategy video game is a major video game genre that focuses on analyzing and strategizing over direct quick reaction in order to secure success. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, the strategy genre is most commo ...

series (1991–present), Gandhi appears as the leader of the Indian civilisation starting from the first game in the series ''

'' (1996) and all other games in the series excluding spin-offs. If the player is not playing as the Indian civilisation, the computer makes Gandhi act in much the same way as real life (i.e. peaceful) and will not attack other civilisations unless attacked himself. As part of the series, the

technology tree In strategy games, a technology, tech, or research tree is a hierarchical visual representation of the possible sequences of upgrades a player can unlock (most typically representing the research progress of a given faction). Because these tre ...

in the games allow both the player's own civilisation and others controlled by the computer to discover nuclear energy and subsequently develop nuclear weapons. From the first game in the series up to and including ''

Civilization IV ''Civilization IV'' (also known as ''Sid Meier's Civilization IV'') is a 2005 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K. It is the fourth installment of the ''Civilization'' series and was designed by S ...

'' (2005), Gandhi does use the weapons during a war (which by his very nature is strictly a defensive war) but not any more than any other peaceful leader (such as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, leader of the American civilisation) although it was perceived. Starting from ''

Civilization V ''Sid Meier's Civilization V'' is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the sequel to Civilization IV, ''Civilization IV'', and was released for Microsoft Windows, Windows in Sep ...

'' (2010) onwards, a new feature by programmer

Jon Shafer Jon Shafer is an American designer and programmer of video games. He was the video game designer, lead designer of the strategy game ''Civilization V'', developed by Firaxis Games, Firaxis. Shafer is the president of Conifer Games, a video game ...

was added as a joke where once Gandhi gains nuclear weapons, he will bomb neighbouring civilisation and the player's own. The joke was that Gandhi is famous for his strict adherence to the principle of non-violence and so it would be extremely uncharacteristic of Gandhi to start a war, especially a nuclear war, leading to internet memes about a so-called "

Nuclear Gandhi Nuclear Gandhi is a video game urban legend purporting the existence of a software bug in the 1991 strategy video game ''Civilization'' that would eventually force the pacifist leader Mahatma Gandhi to become extremely aggressive and make heavy us ...

". Over time, it became a popular misconception that a glitch in the first game and/or the second game,

Civilization II ''Sid Meier's Civilization II'' is a turn-based strategy video game in the ''Civilization'' series, developed and published by MicroProse. It was released in 1996 for PCs, and later ported to the PlayStation by Activision. Players build a ...

(1996) turned Gandhi into a nuclear warmonger under such circumstances. Supposedly, the glitch was caused by an

integer overflow In computer programming, an integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation on integers attempts to create a numeric value that is outside of the range that can be represented with a given number of digits – either higher than the maximu ...

error whereby Gandhi's aggression level was set to "1" (the lowest level) and if it lowered again, instead of the non-existent "0", it would instead lower to "255" (the highest level) and make Gandhi very aggressive. In 2020, the first game's creator,

Sid Meier Sidney K. Meier ( ; born February 24, 1954) is an American businessman and computer programmer. A programmer, designer, and producer of many strategy video games and simulation video games, including the ''Civilization'' series, Meier co-found ...

stated that no such glitch was in the first ''Civilization'' and the game was not programmed in such a manner as the first game used the programing language C and the second game used

C++ C++ (, pronounced "C plus plus" and sometimes abbreviated as CPP or CXX) is a high-level, general-purpose programming language created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup. First released in 1985 as an extension of the C programmin ...

. In both, those programing languages, all integer variables are signed by default making such a glitch impossible.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi Cultural lists

Currency and stamps

Film

Literature

Memorials, paintings, sculptures, and statues

Music videos

Television

Theater

Video games

Civilization

See also

Further reading

Notes