Few figures in history are as famous as Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869–January 30, 1948). His face is on Indian currency. Nearly every Indian city has
an MG Road, and statues of him stand in town squares across the country. His ideas are a fixture of school textbooks and political speeches. Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he is remembered every year on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, when the nation celebrates his birth anniversary. Satyagraha, ahimsa and swadeshi were the principles at the core of his philosophy, and through them he changed the course of the freedom struggle. His life continues to inspire. The places where he lived and worked now draw history and travel enthusiasts from across the world. A growing number of tours invite visitors to walk that ground rather than simply read about it. They are built around the landmarks of his life, including his birthplace in Porbandar, the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the Dandi coastline and Sevagram near Wardha. Some itineraries also cover South Africa, where he spent two decades of his adult life. Travel agency Tour My India offers "In the Footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi: Father of the Nation". It runs for 17 nights and 18 days and covers Porbandar, the Sabarmati Ashram and Wardha. Travellers stay at Sevagram Ashram, one of Gandhi's key bases during the later years of the freedom struggle. The route also includes the ashram of Vinoba Bhave, among other stops. In Delhi, Viator and Intrepid Urban Adventures run day tours of Gandhi sites in the capital. One half-day outing, "Footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi", covers Gandhi Smriti, Raj Ghat and the National Gandhi Museum. London was where Gandhi spent his years (1888- 1891) as a law student. A walking tour called Gandhi's London follows his footsteps through the city. The walk lasts two to three hours and begins at Temple Underground Station. It passes through Inner Temple, the Strand and Covent Garden before heading towards Trafalgar Square. Along the way, guides share stories of the London that Gandhi knew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a young student and lawyer. Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 and stayed until 1914. The website Gandhi South Africa charts those 21 years, his activism and the evolution of his philosophy, and it also lists several packages. "Gandhi South African Reflections Tour: In Brief" runs for four nights and five days. It includes the Old Prison in Volksrust, where Gandhi was jailed in 1913. Another package runs for nine nights and 10 days. It begins with a full-day tour of Johannesburg, with stops at Constitutional Hill, Gandhi Square, Satyagraha House, Fordsburg and Tolstoy Farm. Read More: Madhya Pradesh's Caves, Temple and Fort Make It to UNESCO Tentative List There are day trips too. One is Gandhi and Mandela Pietermaritzburg Footsteps Day. Tripadvisor lists the Durban Township and Mahatma Gandhi Day Tour, which takes in the Phoenix Settlement, founded by Gandhi, and the Ohlange Institute, where Nelson Mandela cast his vote in South Africa's first democratic election in 1994. Travellers can also stay at Satyagraha House in Johannesburg, where Gandhi once lived. Today it is both a guesthouse and a museum.
