A champion of civil rights and a leading light in India’s struggle for independence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an icon of the 20th century. The Mahatma was a man of extraordinary courage and vision, a born leader and a revolutionary, relentless in his pursuit of equality and justice.

Gandhi is best remembered for continually challenging the injustices of British colonial rule through acts of non-violent civil disobedience. Willing to subject himself to prison for his beliefs, he was a complicated and sometimes controversial figure. A master of conflict resolution, he was adept at forging alliances with his fiercest critics, yet he could be uncompromising in his treatment of family members and followers.

This intimate pictorial biography unpicks the nuances of Gandhi’s life and character, charting his evolution from fun-loving schoolboy to the man revered throughout India as ‘Father of the Nation’. Drawing on contemporary accounts and a myriad of letters, documents, illustrations and photographs – including many which have rarely, if ever, been published – it reveals a man of contradictions, a fascinating personality whose complexities are often obscured by the scale of his achievements, yet who remains a continuing source of inspiration to those struggling for freedom all over the world.