Rabindranath Tagore used the title “Mahatma” for Mohandas Gandhi.
“Mahatma” is commonly translated as “Great Soul.” Tagore’s use of the term helped popularize it as Gandhi’s most famous honorific, although the exact history of who first applied the title is discussed in historical accounts. The word comes from Sanskrit-derived religious and philosophical vocabulary.
Gandhi became known by several names. “Bapu,” meaning “father,” was widely used by Indians, while “Gandhiji” added a respectful suffix to his surname. “Mahatma,” however, became the internationally recognized title attached to his public image.
The honorific should not be mistaken for Gandhi’s birth name, which was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was a title of respect, not a replacement for the name recorded at his birth. Tagore and Gandhi also had a notable intellectual relationship despite differences in some political and educational views.