Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915 after leading political and social struggles in which country?

Introduction / Context:
Before becoming the main leader of the Indian national movement, Gandhi spent many years abroad, where he developed his ideas of satyagraha and non violent resistance. Knowing where he gained this early experience is essential for understanding his later strategies in India. This question asks from which country he returned in January 1915.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The date of return is January 1915.
- The person is Mahatma Gandhi, a central figure in the Indian freedom struggle.
- The options include South Africa, England, United States of America, Russia, and Sri Lanka.

Concept / Approach:
Gandhi first went to England to study law, but his major political work took place in South Africa, where he fought against racial discrimination and developed the technique of satyagraha. He returned to India from South Africa in 1915 after almost two decades of activism. The strategy is to recall this timeline and select the country where he had led these struggles just before coming home.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Remember that Gandhi studied law in England earlier in his life but did not return directly from there in 1915.
Step 2: He then went to South Africa as a lawyer and became involved in the struggle of the Indian community against racial laws.
Step 3: Over many years he organised non violent campaigns in South Africa, which formed the practical basis of his later methods.
Step 4: After successfully negotiating several settlements there, Gandhi finally decided to return to India in January 1915.
Step 5: Thus the country from which he returned is South Africa.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative check is to think of famous phases in Gandhis life: student years in London, legal practice and political experiments in South Africa, and national leadership in India. The immediate transition in 1915 was from South Africa to India. None of the other listed countries correspond to this turning point in his biography.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option b is wrong because although Gandhi studied in England, he returned from there much earlier, not in 1915 after major struggles.
Option c is wrong as Gandhi did not conduct his early satyagraha campaigns in the United States and did not return from there in 1915.
Option d is wrong since Gandhi had no comparable political phase in Russia.
Option e is wrong because Sri Lanka does not feature as the base of his overseas satyagraha experiments.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students mix up the England and South Africa phases or think of any foreign stay simply as time spent in Britain. Another mistake is to forget the chronological order and associate 1915 with his student years rather than with his mature political activity. Keeping a simple three phase timeline England, South Africa, India makes the answer straightforward.

Final Answer:
Gandhi returned to India in January 1915 from South Africa.