Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi was an Indian political activist and wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi. Along with her husband and son, she was involved in the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India.
Born on April 11, 1869, in Gujarat, she got married to Mahatama Gandhi at the age of 14. Their marriage lasted for 61 years until Kasturba’s death.
Here’s all about Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi:
- A 13-year old Kasturba, who hailed from an economically sound and reputed family in Porbandar, was married off to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the year 1883, as is recorded in Gandhi’s autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’ – that was published in two parts in 1927 and 1929.
- She first became involved in politics and social activism in South Africa. In 1904 she helped Mohandas and others establish the Phoenix Settlement near Durban, a cooperative village where residents shared chores and grew their food, later the family lived there for several years.
- In 1913 she was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison for participating in a protest against the treatment of Indian immigrants in South Africa.
- The family left South Africa for the final time in July 1914, traveling to England before arriving in India in early 1915.
- As Gandhi launched the various Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, Kasturba was a front-liner at these agitations. She would often step into the role of leading the movements when Gandhi was detained.
- She once wrote a powerful speech addressing the country during one of the Quit India Movement marches, Aparna Basu writes.
- Kasturba died on February 22, 1944.
