Arun Manilal Gandhi Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)	• Author • Socio-political activist
Famous for	Being the fifth grandson of Mahatma Gandhi
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 173 cm in meters- 1.73 m in feet & inches- 5’ 8”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Gray
Career
Award & Honours	• Received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award "for bringing the legacy of Gandhi to America" and founding the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in 1991 • Seven honorary doctoral degrees awarded • Former Board Member of the Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Hospital in South Africa, The Parliament of the World’s Religions, and the Interfaith Alliance • Multi-year participant of the Renaissance Weekend deliberations alongside former U.S. Presidents and Rhodes scholars • Former leader of the Interfaith March in Washington D.C.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	14 April 1934 (Saturday)
Birthplace	Durban, Natal Province, South Africa
Date of Death	2 May 2023
Place of Death	Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Age (at the time of death)	89 Years
Death Cause	Brief Illness [1]The Times of India
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	American
Hometown	Durban
Religion/Religious Views	He was born into a Hindu family; however, he did not practise Hinduism. He considered himself a Unitarian. In his words, "Hinduism is not really a religion if you look at it. There is nothing you need to do except be born a Hindu. I was born a Hindu; I am a Hindu; nobody can deprive me of being a Hindu. Yet I can practice it differently." [2]Honolulu Advertiser
College/University	University of Mississippi, U.S. (1987)
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Widower
Marriage Date	Year, 1957
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sunanda Gandhi (nurse, author, researcher; died on 21 February 2007)
Children	Son- Tushar Arun Gandhi (author) Daughter- Archana Gandhi
Parents	Father- Manilal Mohandas Gandhi (editor of the Indian Opinion newspaper; died on 5 April 1956) Mother- Sushila Mashruwala (died in 1956)
Siblings	Brother- He had a brother. Sister(s)- Sita Gandhi (died in 1999) Ela Gandhi (peace activist, former politician)
Other Relatives	Grandfather- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Lawyer, anti-colonialist, political ethicist; died on 30 January 1948) Grandmother- Kasturbai Gandhi (Indian political activist; died on 22 February 1944)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Arun Manilal Gandhi

• Arun Manilal Gandhi was a South African-born American author and socio-political activist, who was the son of Manilal Mohandas Gandhi and the fifth grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

• His family has its roots in India.

• He was born in South Africa and later, he moved to India with his family.
  

  Arun Manilal Gandhi was born in this home in South Africa

• When he was five years old, he met his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, for a short period of time. In 1946, after the Independence of India, Arun began to live with him at the Sevagram ashram in India.
  

  A childhood image of Arun Manilal Gandhi with his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi

• When he was 14 years old, he returned from India to the Union of South Africa (now the Republic of South Africa) a few weeks before the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. He spent his childhood in South Africa.
  

  The house where Arun Manilal Gandhi spent his childhood in South Africa

• During his stay in India, he worked as a journalist, and in 1949, he wrote his first book titled ‘A Patch of White.’

• When he was living at Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram in Sevagram, Maharashtra, he was the only literate child among the neighbouring children who worked in crop fields. His grandfather told him to play with those children after school and teach them what he learned in school that day. Later, he began to teach crowds of children and their parents.

• In 1982, after the release of the English language Biographical film ‘Gandhi’ by Columbia Pictures, the Indian government subsidized the film with $25 million. Arun wrote an article in which he criticised the Indian government and argued that this amount of money could be spent on other important things. However, he attended the screening of the film and said that his grandfather’s character, philosophy and legacy were precisely portrayed in the film. He was so impressed by the film that he wrote another article for withdrawing the first article.

• In 1987, he moved to the United States for working on a study at the University of Mississippi. In the study, he examined and compared the prejudices that existed in India, the U.S., and South Africa.

• Later, he and his wife, Sunanda Gandhi, shifted to Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, and in 1991, they founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, affiliated with Christian Brothers University, a Catholic academic institution.

• In 1996, he co-founded a yearly event titled the ‘Season for Nonviolence’ for celebrating and remembering the philosophies and lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

• In 2003, he signed ‘Humanism and Its Aspirations,’ the third Humanist Manifesto.

• In 2003, he published a book titled ‘Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence’ in which he wrote about the teaching he received from his grandfather revolving around family, men and women, simplicity, religious unity, humility, truth, and nonviolence.
  

  Poster of the 2003 book ‘Legacy of Love – My Education in the Path of Nonviolence’ by Arun Manilal Gandhi

• In 2007, he was the first guest in the ‘Conflict Scholar in Residence’ Program of Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, where he taught a course titled ‘Gandhi on Personal Leadership and Nonviolence.’

• On 12 November 2007, he gave a lecture on ‘Nonviolence in the Age of Terrorism,’ at Salisbury University Center for Conflict Resolution.

• In 2007, after the demise of his wife, he moved M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence to Rochester, New York.
  

  M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Rochester, United States

• In a 2008 interview, he talked about Israel and the U. S. being the biggest contributors to the ‘culture of violence.’ Later, he apologised defending himself; however, Christian Brothers University did not accept his apology and wanted him to resign from the institution or else the institution would not open. Soon, he left the institute and is no longer a part of the institute.

• In 2008, he again co-taught a course titled ‘The Global Impact of Gandhi’ at Salisbury University.

• He had given many speeches regarding non-violence in many countries.

• In 2009, he visited Chattanooga State Technical Community College in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee to give a speech and spread a message of peace.

• In 2009, he was featured in the documentary film titled ‘THE CALLING: Heal Ourselves Heal Our Planet’ directed by William Gazecki.

• In 2010, he visited The University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming to give a speech and promote peace.

• In 2011, he went on a tour to Honolulu, Hawaii, which was sponsored by the We Are One Foundation’s Barbara Altemus and the Gandhian International Institute for Peace.

• In 2011, he gave a speech on the subject of ‘Nonviolence: A Means for Social Change’ at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. On the same day, he gave a speech on the topic ‘The Wisdom of Choosing Peace’ at Iolani School in Honolulu.

• In 2011, he gave a speech at an event at the University of Hawaii Architecture Building in Honolulu.

• On 4 March 2011, he visited the Pacific Buddhist Academy in Honolulu and gave a speech there.

• On 6 March 2011, he spoke on the topic ‘Lessons I Learned With My Grandfather’ at Unity Church, Diamond Head, Honolulu.

• On March 23, 2012, he gave a keynote speech at Arcadia University’s first annual Engaging Peace Conference in Pennsylvania.

• In 2014, he co-authored a children’s book titled ‘Grandfather Gandhi’ with Bethany Hegedus, which was released in March 2014.
  

  Poster of the 2014 book ‘Grandfather Gandhi’ by Arun Manilal Gandhi

• In 2015, he published a book titled ‘The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi.’
  

  Poster of the 2015 book ‘The Gift of Anger’ by Arun Manilal Gandhi

• In 2016, he released another children’s book titled ‘Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story.’
  

  Poster of the 2016 book ‘Be the Change – A Grandfather Gandhi Story’ by Arun Manilal Gandhi

• As of 2016, he was living in Rochester, New York.

• In November 2022, he gave a lecture as part of Augustana College’s Global Lecture Series in Illinois, United States.