Mahatma Gandhi returned to India permanently from South Africa in 1915.
Gandhi arrived in Bombay on 9 January 1915 after more than two decades in South Africa. During that period, he had developed methods of organized nonviolent resistance while campaigning against discriminatory laws affecting the Indian community there.
His return marked the beginning of his most influential phase in Indian public life. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, whom Gandhi regarded as his political mentor, advised him to travel around India before taking a major political position. Gandhi followed that advice and studied conditions among India’s rural population and different communities.
The date 9 January is commemorated in India as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or Non-Resident Indian Day. It is also important to distinguish Gandhi’s permanent return in 1915 from his earlier visits and movements between India and South Africa.