Mahatma Gandhi

About Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) stands as one of history's most profoundly influential figures, securing the #7 rank in MIT's Pantheon project based on his vast global cultural impact. As a primary leader of the Indian independence movement, his philosophy of *Satyagraha*—non-violent civil disobedience—was instrumental in dismantling the British Empire's rule over India and inspired subsequent civil rights and freedom movements worldwide.

Despite this towering historical importance, Gandhi's modern digital presence shows a significant attention gap. In 2025, his Wikipedia pages garnered an annualized 4.8 million views, placing him in a state of **+4x overattention** relative to his already high standing, which is unusually strong for a pre-20th-century figure, though less viewed than some contemporary figures like Bob Dylan (12.7M views) or Elon Musk (26.4M views) who rank much lower in historical importance. An even more striking contrast exists when compared to figures like Gautama Buddha (#2 importance), who receives only 411K views.

Looking at recent trends, Gandhi's attention seems to be slightly retracting; the Year-over-Year change shows a decline of 17.4%, and his Q1 versus Q3 momentum further indicates a 17% drop in recent interest, suggesting that while highly regarded, the day-to-day digital focus on his legacy is waning.