Mahatma Gandhi Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was an iconic Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule. He inspired civil rights and freedom movements across the world with his philosophy of ahimsa (nonviolence).

Gandhi came to London in 1888 to study law and jurisprudence at University College London, and was called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1891. He briefly stayed at Kingsley Hall in East London’s Tower Hamlets borough during a later visit in 1931, while attending the Round Table Conference on India’s future. Kingsley Hall was a community center known for hosting other peace activists like Muriel Lester.

While in London, the young Gandhi encountered vegetarianism and was introduced to the Bhagavad Gita by the Theosophical Society. These experiences helped shape his spiritual and political outlook. He would go on to lead nationwide campaigns in India for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, and achieving self-rule.

Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress, as epitomized by the 250-mile Dandi Salt March in 1930. His example inspired future civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Tragically, Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi in January 1948, mere months after India finally achieved independence. He is widely revered as the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in the 20th century.