[gahn-dee, gan-] 
| 1. | In⋅di⋅ra [in-deer-uh] , 1917–84, Indian political leader: prime minister 1966–77 and 1980–84 (daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru). |
| 2. | Mo⋅han⋅das Kar⋅am⋅chand [moh-huh n-dahs kuhr-uhm-chuhnd] , (“Mahatma”), 1869–1948, Hindu religious leader, nationalist, and social reformer. |
| 3. | Ra⋅jiv [rah-jeev] , 1944–91, Indian political leader: prime minister 1984–89 (son of Indira). |
A political figure of the twentieth century in India; the leader of India's drive for independence from Britain. Gandhi used methods of passive resistance and nonviolent disobedience, such as boycotts and hunger strikes, to influence British rulers. He was assassinated in 1948, just after India secured its independence. The title mahatma means “great soul.”