The Gandhi family is the family of

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 ...

(2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), commonly known as ''Mahatma Gandhi''; Mahatma meaning "high souled" or "venerable" in Sanskrit; the particular term 'Mahatma' was accorded Mohandas Gandhi for the first time while he was still in South Africa, and not commonly heard as titular for any other civil figure even of similarly rarefied stature or living or posthumous presence. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the

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 ...

in British-ruled India. Mohandas Gandhi has been called contemporary, post-colonial sovereign India's

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 ...

, a title first given to him by

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 ...

on 6 July 1944 during Bose's address on the Singapore Radio. On 28 April 1947,

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

too referred to Gandhi with the title ''Father of the Nation''. Mohandas Gandhi is also referred to 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- ...

: endearment for "father") in India, as prime minister Nehru called him at his funeral. In common parlance in India he is often called Gandhiji; 'ji' being a honorific suffix. Gandhi has also been referred to (mostly by British officials) as Gae-ndy or Ga-ndhi as in Hindi the a makes an "ah" sound. In 1883, Mahatma Gandhi married

Kasturba Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi (, born Kasturba Gokuldas Kapadia; 11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944) was an Indian political activist who was involved in the Indian independence movement during British Raj, British India. She was married to Mohandas ...

(née Kasturbai Makhanji Kapadia). They had their first baby in 1885, who survived only a few days.Guha 2015, p. 29 The Gandhi couple had four more children, all sons: Harilal, born in 1888; Manilal, born in 1892; Ramdas, born in 1897; and

Devdas ''Devdas'' (, transliterated as ''Dēbôdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden childhood love ...

, born in 1900. Mohandas and Kasturba being third generation members of the cogent strata of this clan in a modern continuous descent, following upon a notable first generation progenitor who was first in the family to hold the office of full Diwan, Prime Minister as the Mahatma translates it, in a princely state, their issue now has notable and active members in their family's seventh generation and continue to be steadily prolific. The Mahatma writes that "The Gandhis belong to the Bania caste and seem to have been originally grocers." Prior to the Mahatma's grandfather being a Prime Minister in two different monarchial states, after a principled falling out with a royal faction in his first state, several generations of the Gandhi men had been Deputy Prime Ministers, if their career status is considered sufficiently notable in this family of political officials, then numeration of their generations as a 'dynasty' of ministers would be several numbers higher. Five generations before the Mahatma's grandfather, Lalji Gandhi (born circa 1674) was the first of 5 successful generations of Naib Diwans of the Princely state of Porbander. Gandhi family tree

The Nehru-Gandhi family, India's other significant family with surname Gandhi, is unrelated by biology and marriage to the family of Mahatma Gandhi, however the same spelling of 'Gandhi' came into the Nehru-Gandhi family when

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

's daughter

Indira __NOTOC__ Indira may refer to: People * Indira (name) Films and books * ''Indira'', an 1873 novella by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee * ''Indira'' (film), directed by Suhasini Manirathnam Others * Indira is a byname of Lakshmi Lakshmi ...

married politician

Feroze Gandhi Feroze Jehangir Gandhi (12 September 1912 – 8 September 1960) was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. He served as a member of the provincial parliament between 1950 and 1952, and later a member of the Lok Sabha, the Lower ...

who had changed the spelling of his surname Ghandy to Gandhi precisely to match that of Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, revered as the 'father of the Indian nation'.: "Feroze Gandhi was also from the Nehrus' home town, Allahabad. A Parsi by faith, he at first spelt his surname 'Ghandy'. However, after he joined the national movement as a young man, he changed the spelling to bring it in line with that of Mahatma Gandhi."

Etymology

Gandhi: "perfume seller," from

''gandh'', "

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods. Sanda ...

" The Gandhi surname came into the separate Nehru-Gandhi family from

, a politician of

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

ancestry, who, after joining the

independence movement Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of a ...

, changed the spelling of his surname from Ghandy to Gandhi, to match that of the family of Mahatma Gandhi despite not being related biologically nor by marriage nor formal adoption.: "Feroze Gandhi was also from the Nehrus' home town, Allahabad. A Parsi by faith, he at first spelt his surname 'Ghandy'. However, after he joined the national movement as a young man, he changed the spelling to bring it in line with that of Mahatma Gandhi." In the case of the Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: ''Mahatma'', Sanskrit, "high souled" or "venerable" is the particular term accorded Mohandas Gandhi for the first time while he was still in South Africa, and not commonly heard as titular for any other civil figure even of similarly rarefied stature or living or posthumous presence. Mohandas Gandhi is also referred to as Bapu (

, a title first given to him by

on 6 July 1944 during Bose's address on the Singapore Radio. On 28 April 1947,

too referred to Gandhi with the title ''Father of the Nation''.

First generation

* Uttamchand Gandhi, husband of Laxmiba Gandhi, father of Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi, called 'Ota' by his grandson Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, first in this family to hold the office of full, not deputy Diwan of Porbandar then after a principled falling out with the Queen's faction in his first princely state, Diwan of Junagadh instead, a colorful, daring character who hid condemned politicians and even returned to Porbander when the Queen died, giving service anew, but declining the Prime Minister's title in favor of his son holding that office * Laxmiba Gandhi, wife of Uttamchand Gandhi, mother of Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi

Second generation

Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi (1822 — 16 November 1885) was a court official in Porbandar. He served as Diwan of Porbandar and Rajkot and was the father of Mahatma Gandhi. Life The Gandhi family originated from the village of Kutiana in wha ...

(1822–1885), nickname Kaba, fifth of six sons of Uttamchand and Laxmiba Gandhi, with 4th wife Putlibai Gandhi (1844 — 12 June 1891) father of Laxmidas (male), Raliatbehn (female), Karsandas (male), and Mohandas Karamchand (male) Gandhi, Diwan of

Porbandar Porbandar is a city and the headquarters of Porbandar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It was the former capital of the Porbandar State, Porbandar princely state. Porbandar and Chhaya, ...

, Member of the Rajasthanik Court, and Diwan of

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...

* Tulsidas Gandhi, sixth of six sons of Uttamchand and Laxmiba Gandhi, Diwan of

following the term of his older brother Karamchand Uttamchand

Third generation

(Mahatma Gandhi) (2 October 1869 — 30 January 1948), son of Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi and 4th wife Putlibai Gandhi, youngest brother of Laxmidas (male), Raliatbehn (female), and Karsandas (male) Gandhi, married Kasturba Gandhi, father of Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas Gandhi, Indian subcontinent autonomy and multiculturalism leader acclaimed as ''Father of the Nation'' of modern India and as ''Mahatma'', Sanskrit, 'Great Soul', civil rights champion in South Africa, attorney with law degree formally through Inner Temple and informal auditing at University College, University of London, barrister called to the bar 1891 at age 22 *

Kasturba Gandhi Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi (, born Kasturba Gokuldas Kapadia; 11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944) was an Indian political activist who was involved in the Indian independence movement during British Raj, British India. She was married to Mohandas ...

(née Kasturbai Gokuldas (or Makhanji) Kapadia) (11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944), wife of Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi through arranged marriage when she was 14 and he was 13, mother of Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas Gandhi, ''National Safe Motherhood Day'' is observed on April 11 every year in India, coinciding with her birthday

Fourth generation

Maganlal Gandhi Maganlal Khushalchand Gandhi (1883–1928) was a follower of Mohandas Gandhi. He was a first cousin, twice removed, of Mahatma Gandhi. Maganlal Gandhi is cited in many works of Mahatma Gandhi. It is he who suggested that the word ( Sadagra ...

(1883–1928) *

Harilal Gandhi Heeralal Mohandas Gandhi (formerly Abdullah Gandhi; born Harilal Mohandas Gandhi; 23 August 1888 – 18 June 1948) was the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had three younger brothers: Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi a ...

(1888–1948) *

Manilal Gandhi Manilal Mohandas Gandhi (28 October 1892 – 5 April 1956) was the second son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. Biography Manilal was born in Rajkot, British India, the second of four sons of Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had an ...

(1892–1956) *

Ramdas Gandhi Ramdas Mohandas Gandhi (4 May 1897 – 14 April 1969) was the third son of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a freedom activist in his own right. Biography Ramdas was born in the Colony of Natal, the third son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He ha ...

(1897–1969) *

Samaldas Gandhi Samaldas Gandhi (1897–1953) was a journalist and Indian independence activist who headed the ''Aarzi Hakumat'' or ''Provisional Government'' of the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh. He was a nephew of Mahatma Gandhi. Early life Samalda ...

(1897–1953) *

Devdas Gandhi Devdas Mohandas Gandhi (22 May 1900 – 3 August 1957) was the fourth and youngest son of Mahatma 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 movement, spendi ...

(1900–1957)

Fifth generation

* Kanu Gandhi (1917–1986), photographer, several scenes from

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 ...

's biopic ''Gandhi'' were shot on the basis of Kanu's photographs, his wife Abha was one of the companions with Mahatma Gandhi at Birla House Delhi, when Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi *

Kanu Gandhi (scientist) Kanu Gandhi (1928 – 7 November 2016) was an Indian scientist and son of Ramdas Gandhi, thus a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a master's degree in civil engineering in 1963. ...

(1928–2016), scientist, MS.Civil Engineering

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

1963, worked for NASA and United States Department of Defense on aircraft design, his wife Shivalaxmi was a professor and researcher in

Boston Biomedical Research Institute Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) was a non-profit institution concentrating on basic biomedical research to promote the understanding of human diseases (including heart disease, cancer, muscular dystrophy and Alzheimer's Alzheim ...

, no issue. *

Arun Manilal Gandhi Arun Manilal Gandhi (14 April 1934 – 2 May 2023) was a South African-American author, socio-political activist and son of Manilal Gandhi, thus a grandson of nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. In 2017, he published ''The Gift of Anger: And O ...

(1934–2023), father of Tushar Gandhi *

Rajmohan Gandhi Rajmohan Gandhi (born 7 August 1935) is an Indian biographer, historian, politician and research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US. His paternal grandfather is Maha ...

(1935–), brother of Gopalkrishna and Ramchandra Gandhi and Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee (née Gandhi) *

Ramchandra Gandhi Ramchandra Gandhi (9 June 1937 – 13 June 2007) was an Indian philosopher. He was a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the son of Devdas Gandhi and Lakshmi (daughter of Rajaji), and brother of Rajmohan Gandhi and Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Ramc ...

(1937–2007), son of Devdas Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi's youngest son) and Lakshmi (daughter of Rajaji), brother of Rajmohan Gandhi, Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, father of

Leela Gandhi Leela Gandhi (born 1966) is an Indian-born literary and cultural theorist who is noted for her work in postcolonial theory. She is currently the John Hawkes Professor of Humanities and English and director of the Pembroke Center for Teaching a ...

, PhD Philosophy, Oxford University, founded the philosophy department at the

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (UoH) is a prestigious public central research university located in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Established in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students and 400 faculty, from ...

, taught at

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati (IAST: ''Viśva-Bhāratī''), () is a public central university and an Institute of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which ...

Panjab University Panjab University (PU) is an Indian collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Lahor ...

California Institute of Integral Studies The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private graduate school (with limited undergraduate offerings) in San Francisco. Founded in 1968 as the California Institute of ''Asian'' Studies, the name was changed in 1980. CIIS has b ...

in San Francisco, California, and

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by University Gra ...

Ela Gandhi Ela Gandhi (born 1 July 1940), is a South African peace activist and former politician. She served as a Member of Parliament in South Africa from 1994 to 2004, where she aligned with the African National Congress (ANC) party representing the Ph ...

(1940–), daughter of Manilal Gandhi and Sushila Mashruwala, Member of Parliament in South Africa from 1994 to 2004, former Chancellor of Durban University of Technology, chairs the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee and the Mahatma Gandhi Development Trust which she founded *

Gopalkrishna Gandhi Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi (born 22 April 1945) is a former administrator and diplomat who served as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal serving from 2004 to 2009. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). As a forme ...

(1945–), son of Devdas and Lakshmi Gandhi, brother of Rajmohan, Ramchandra Gandhi and Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee (née Gandhi), 22nd Governor of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

serving from 2004 to 2009, served as Secretary to the President of India and as High Commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka, younger brother of Rajmohan Gandhi, Ramchandra Gandhi, and Smt. Tara Bhattacharjee (Gandhi), has 2 daughters with his wife Tara *

Sumitra Kulkarni Sumitra Kulkarni (née Gandhi) is an Indian politician. Born in the family of Mahatma Gandhi, she studied MA and served as an Indian Administrative Service officer before joining politics. She served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 1972 to 1978 ...

(née Gandhi) (1929–), daughter of Ramdas and Nirmala Gandhi, Member of

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

(1972–1978), married Gajanan Raghunath Kulkarni, has twin sons Shriram and Shrikrishna and a daughter, Sonali

Sixth generation

* Shanti Gandhi (1940–), son of Kantilal and Saraswati Gandhi, married Susan Gandhi, father of Ann, Anita and Anjali Gandhi, surgeon and US Republican party member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

, representing the 52nd District from 2013 to 2015. * Kirti Menon (1959–) (née Dhupelia), daughter of Sita (nee Gandhi) and Shashikant Dhupelia, married Sunil Menon, mother of Sunita Menon, Senior Director at the

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant fundi ...

and chairman of the Gandhi Centenary Committee, South Africa, known for reforming the policy environment in post-secondary education sector in South Africa. * Tushar Arun Gandhi (1960–), son of Arun Manilal Gandhi and , married Sonal (née Desai) Gandhi, father of Vivan Gandhi (male) and Kasturi Gandhi (female), a Director of the Gandhi Research Foundation in

Jalgaon Jalgaon () is a city in the state of Maharashtra, India. The city is located in North Maharashtra in the subregion of Khandesh, and serves as the administrative headquarters of its namesake district, the Jalgaon district. In the subregion of ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. *

(1966–), daughter of

, John Hawkes Professor of Humanities and English, author and director of the

Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women The Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women is an interdisciplinary research center focused on gender and women at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. It was established in 1981. In addition to research, the center is home to a ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. *

Sonali Kulkarni Sonali Kulkarni (born 3 November 1974) is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi, Hindi and few Tamil films. Kulkarni is considered as one of the most accomplished and highest-paid actresses in Marathi cinema, ...

, daughter of Sumitra and Gajanan Raghunath Kulkarni, CEO of

Fanuc FANUC ( or ; often styled Fanuc) is a Japanese group of companies that provide automation products and services such as robotics and computer numerical control wireless systems. These companies are principally of Japan, Fanuc America Corpora ...

India and married Ravi Venkatesan, a business executive. * Shrikrishna Kulkarni, son of Sumitra and Gajanan Raghunath Kulkarni, COO of

Panasonic is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...

India and director of Cybernetic Research Labs, chairperson of IIM Culcutta, trustee of

Gujarat Vidyapith Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. This institute was founded in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi, India's " Father of the Nation" and the leader of the Indian independence movement. It has been deemed university s ...

* Shriram Kulkarni, son of Sumitra and Gajanan Raghunath Kulkarni

Family tree (partial, generations 2 through 6)

External links

* Photo essay o
'Four Generations Of Mahatma Gandhi Family Photos , Rare & Old Vintage Photos , Real-Life Photos"
illustrating the Gandhi family members. Although titled '4 generations', actually 6 generations are shown, as noted via ArunGandhi.net.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Family of Mahatma Gandhi Indian families Hindu families ...