Theme: Honoring Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary & His Life

On Gandhi Jayanti, today's puzzle explores ideas, places, practices, movements, and symbols connected with Mahatma Gandhi's life and legacy.

9 themed words All 26 letters covered Vowels shown in gold Consonants hidden in blue
1
    A   A  
Show expanded hints
  1. A concept meaning self-rule or self-governance.
  2. It became central to India's independence movement.
  3. Gandhi wrote extensively about this idea.
  4. It appears in the title of one of Gandhi's best-known works.
Reveal answer
S W A R A J
Background information
Swaraj, meaning self-rule, was central to Gandhi's political thought. His 1909 work Hind Swaraj set out important elements of his social and political philosophy.
2
  A     I    
Show expanded hints
  1. A form of self-discipline and protest Gandhi used to appeal for social or political change.
  2. It involves voluntarily going without food for a period of time.
  3. Gandhi used it on several significant occasions.
  4. For Gandhi, it could carry both spiritual and public meaning.
Reveal answer
F A S T I N G
Background information
Gandhi undertook fasts at different points in his life as acts of self-discipline, moral appeal, and protest, including appeals related to communal harmony.
3
    A       A
Show expanded hints
  1. The spinning wheel Gandhi promoted as a symbol of self-reliance and economic independence.
  2. It was closely connected with the production of hand-spun cloth.
  3. It became an important symbol of Gandhi's constructive program.
  4. Gandhi himself was frequently photographed using one.
Reveal answer
C H A R K H A
Background information
The charkha, or spinning wheel, became closely associated with Gandhi's promotion of khadi, village industry, self-reliance, and resistance to dependence on imported cloth.
4
  E     I   E
Show expanded hints
  1. An industry closely connected with Gandhi's promotion of locally made cloth.
  2. Imported cloth became a target of the Swadeshi movement.
  3. Hand-spinning and weaving were important to Gandhi's economic ideas.
  4. Khadi is a famous example associated with his movement.
Reveal answer
T E X T I L E
Background information
Textiles were central to Gandhi's economic and political program. He promoted hand-spun khadi and encouraged Indians to reduce dependence on imported cloth.
5
  E   A     A  
Show expanded hints
  1. A village in Maharashtra closely associated with Gandhi.
  2. He made it his home during the later years of the independence struggle.
  3. An ashram there became an important center of his activities.
  4. Its name means village of service.
Reveal answer
S E V A G R A M
Background information
Gandhi settled at Sevagram in Maharashtra in 1936. Sevagram Ashram became his home and an important center of activity during the later independence movement.
6
  U   U   O      
Show expanded hints
  1. The stretcher-bearer unit Gandhi led during the 1906 uprising in South Africa.
  2. Its members provided medical assistance during a period of conflict.
  3. It was formed during Gandhi's years in South Africa.
  4. The experience became part of Gandhi's account of his South African life.
Reveal answer
Z U L U C O R P S
Background information
During the 1906 uprising in Natal, Gandhi organized and served with an Indian stretcher-bearer corps that assisted wounded people. ZULUCORPS is used here as a compact puzzle term for that historical connection.
7
  O     A     A  
Show expanded hints
  1. A coastal city in Gujarat.
  2. It is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
  3. Gandhi was born there on October 2, 1869.
  4. Kirti Mandir there commemorates his birthplace.
Reveal answer
P O R B A N D A R
Background information
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, on October 2, 1869. His birth anniversary is observed as Gandhi Jayanti in India.
8
  U I   I     I A
Show expanded hints
  1. A major independence movement launched in 1942.
  2. Gandhi called for an end to British rule during this campaign.
  3. It is associated with his famous call to 'Do or Die.'
  4. Its leaders were arrested soon after the movement began.
Reveal answer
Q U I T I N D I A
Background information
The Quit India Movement was launched in August 1942, with Gandhi calling for an end to British colonial rule and giving his well-known 'Do or Die' message.
9
  A     A     A   A
Show expanded hints
  1. A method of nonviolent resistance closely associated with Gandhi.
  2. Its name combines ideas of truth and firmness.
  3. Gandhi developed the concept during his years in South Africa.
  4. It became fundamental to several campaigns he led in India.
Reveal answer
S A T Y A G R A H A
Background information
Satyagraha was Gandhi's philosophy and method of nonviolent resistance grounded in truth and moral force. It became central to many of his campaigns in South Africa and India.

Gandhi & His Life

🎂 October 2
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. India observes the date as Gandhi Jayanti.
🧵 Spinning for Self-Reliance
Gandhi promoted the charkha and khadi as symbols of local production, self-reliance, and reduced dependence on imported cloth.
🏡 Sevagram Years
Gandhi moved to Sevagram in 1936, and its ashram became an important base during the later years of the independence struggle.
✊ Truth and Resistance
Satyagraha became Gandhi's distinctive approach to nonviolent resistance and was used in campaigns in both South Africa and India.