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Arun Manilal Gandhi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth14 April 1934

Age89 (at time of death)

BirthplaceDurban, Natal Province, South Africa

ProfessionAuthor; Socio-political activist

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusWidower (at time of death)

SpouseSunanda Gandhi (died 21 February 2007)

FamilySon: Tushar Arun Gandhi; Daughter: Archana Gandhi; Father: Manilal Mohandas Gandhi; Mother: Sushila Mashruwala; Grandfather: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Arun Manilal Gandhi Biography

Arun Manilal Gandhi (14 April 1934 – 2 May 2023) was a South African–born American author and socio-political activist, best known as the fifth grandson of

Early life and background

Arun Manilal Gandhi was born on 14 April 1934 in Durban, in what was then the Natal Province of South Africa. He was the son of Manilal Mohandas Gandhi and Sushila Mashruwala and grew up in a family with roots in India. As a child he spent time at his grandfather Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s Sevagram ashram in India, and when he was five he met his grandfather briefly. He later returned to South Africa in his early teens and spent much of his childhood there.

Career

Gandhi established himself as an author and socio-political activist whose work carried forward elements of his grandfather’s teachings on nonviolence and social responsibility. His first book, written in 1949, appeared while he was living in India. Over the decades he wrote and spoke widely on themes such as religious unity, humility, truth, simplicity and nonviolence.

In 1987 he moved to the United States to undertake a study at the University of Mississippi that compared prejudices in India, the U.S., and South Africa. He and his wife, Sunanda Gandhi, later relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. In 1991 they founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, affiliated with Christian Brothers University. He co-founded the annual Season for Nonviolence in 1996 to honor the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Gandhi’s published work includes Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence (2003), a reflective account of lessons learned from his grandfather. He also co-authored the children’s book Grandfather Gandhi with Bethany Hegedus (2014), and published The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi (2015). In 2016 he released another children’s title, Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story.

He received recognition for his work promoting nonviolence, including the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for bringing Gandhi’s legacy to America and for founding the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. He was awarded seven honorary doctoral degrees and served on boards and committees such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the Interfaith Alliance, and the board of Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Hospital in South Africa.

Public profile

Throughout his life Gandhi was an active lecturer and educator, delivering talks and courses at a range of institutions. He was the first guest in Salisbury University’s Conflict Scholar in Residence program in 2007, where he taught Gandhi on Personal Leadership and Nonviolence and later co-taught The Global Impact of Gandhi. He gave numerous public lectures across the United States and abroad on nonviolence as a means for social change and on lessons drawn from his grandfather.

He participated in public dialogues such as the Renaissance Weekend and led public events including an Interfaith March in Washington, D.C. He was a signatory to Humanism and Its Aspirations, the third Humanist Manifesto, in 2003.

Later life and controversies

Following the death of his wife in 2007, Gandhi moved the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence to Rochester, New York. In 2008 comments he made in an interview prompted controversy with Christian Brothers University; he issued an apology but ultimately left the institute.

Gandhi continued to travel and speak into the 2010s. He visited universities and schools across the United States, appeared in the 2009 documentary THE CALLING: Heal Ourselves Heal Our Planet, and participated in lecture series and peace conferences. In November 2022 he delivered a lecture as part of Augustana College’s Global Lecture Series.

Personal life

Arun Gandhi married Sunanda Gandhi in 1957; she was a nurse, author and researcher. The couple had two children: a son, Tushar Arun Gandhi, and a daughter, Archana Gandhi. Sunanda Gandhi died on 21 February 2007. Arun was a widower at the time of his death. He identified culturally with Hinduism by birth but described his personal religious outlook as Unitarian.

Death

Arun Manilal Gandhi died on 2 May 2023 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, at the age of 89 after a brief illness.

Latest updates

Posthumous retrospectives and continued interest in his writings and lectures have kept his work in public conversation. His books for adults and children, his institute, and the annual Season for Nonviolence remain part of his legacy.
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Recent Work

Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence

A 2003 book in which Gandhi wrote about lessons learned from his grandfather on nonviolence, simplicity, religious unity and related themes.

2003
Grandfather Gandhi

A children's book co-authored with Bethany Hegedus, released in March 2014.

2014
The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi

A 2015 book drawing on Gandhi's reflections and teachings from his grandfather.

2015
Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story

A children's book released in 2016 continuing themes of his grandfather's life and teachings.

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. Founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence (1991)
  2. Co-founded the Season for Nonviolence (1996)
  3. Received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award
  4. Awarded seven honorary doctoral degrees
  5. Served on boards including the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the Interfaith Alliance
  6. First guest Conflict Scholar in Residence at Salisbury University (2007)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Arun Manilal Gandhi born?

14 April 1934

What is Arun Manilal Gandhi known for?

Author; Socio-political activist

What is Arun Manilal Gandhi’s marital status?

Widower (at time of death)

Who is Arun Manilal Gandhi married to?

Sunanda Gandhi (died 21 February 2007)