Arvo leo biography of mahatma

- Edited by Yoshita Rao

Before Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi () became a central player in the freedom struggle, he read a lot of Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, also known as Leo Tolstoy (–).

The Russian is one of the greatest literary figures of all time.

Calling him the “greatest apostle of non-violence that the present age had produced” and “a great teacher whom I have long looked upon as one of my guides”, Gandhi’s conviction of taking the path of Ahimsa (non-violence) was inspired by the Russian author.

He once said, “Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You overwhelmed me. It left an abiding impression on me.” He went on to articulate how the book embodied independent thinking, truthfulness and made him a firm believer in Ahimsa.

Gandhi also shared a profound correspondence with Tolstoy as the latter was nearing the end of his life.

And it all began in , when an Indian revolutionary, Taraknath Das, asked for the prodigious author’s support for India’s fig