Mahatma Gandhi initially traveled to South Africa to represent Dada Abdulla, a merchant involved in a commercial dispute. Gandhi arrived in 1893 after accepting a one-year legal assignment connected with Abdulla’s business interests.
The case brought Gandhi into the South African legal and commercial world, where he worked on a dispute involving members of the extended Abdulla family. During the journey and early stages of the case, Gandhi experienced racial discrimination, including his removal from a first-class train compartment at Pietermaritzburg.
Gandhi’s South African work lasted far longer than the planned year. He remained there until 1914, developing political organizations, legal campaigns, and methods of nonviolent resistance. The client’s name is sometimes written as Dada Abdulla or Dada Abdullah in historical accounts.