At the age of 60, Gandhi led one of the most dramatic protests of his career: a 240-mile march to the sea from Gandhi's settlement on the Sabarmati River to gather salt in defiance of British salt laws. Starting off with 79 followers, Gandhi attracted hundreds of protesters by his journey's end, sparking an unsurpassed wave of Indian nationalism. The British arrested Gandhi and 60,000 others in the Salt March's violent aftermath, but the campaign of civil disobedience had had its effect. One year later, in 1931, Gandhi would be invited to join talks in London on the status of India as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress party.

PHOTO: HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION/CORBIS