Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (© Kandarp Gupta/Alamy)

Not every freedom fighter carried a weapon. He carried an idea. Gandhi Jayanti marks the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born in Porbandar, India, in 1869. He became a key leader of India's independence movement through satyagraha, his philosophy of truth and non-violent resistance. His 1930 Salt March showed how something as ordinary as salt could become a powerful symbol of protest. His influence eventually reached far beyond India, inspiring movements built around peaceful resistance.