Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) was a lawyer and the prominent figure behind India's push for independence from British rule. He followed the philosophies of pacifism, believing in the importance of the nonviolent approach to protesting. He documented his influential life in An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Born and raised in Western India to a Hindu family, Gandhi received barrister training in London. He first experienced institutional racial discrimination in South Africa, which spurred him to his first actions in leading group-based nonviolent civil disobedience. He later returned to India and led protests against British colonialism, excessive taxation, and racial discrimination. Known as 'the Father of the Nation," Gandhi was instrumental in the fight for religious pluralism and Indian independence. He was assassinated in 1948.