Gandhi spent independence day on August 15, 1947, fasting and spinning, refusing all requests for speeches. The terms of independence, he dryly commented, made for "a sorry affair." Bewailing the division of India, he devoted himself instead to maintaining the peace between Muslims and Hindus as bloody riots broke out across India. His fasts stopped violent rampages in Calcutta and Bombay in September 1947 and January 1948.

PHOTO: KANU GANDHI