Mahatma Gandhi left South Africa and returned to India in which year?

Introduction / Context:
Mahatma Gandhi spent many years in South Africa, where he developed the methods of satyagraha and non violent protest that later became central to the Indian freedom movement. Knowing when he returned to India helps place his political career in proper chronological order. This question asks you to identify the year in which Gandhi left South Africa and came back to India.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The topic is the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa.
• Four possible years are given as options: nineteen eleven, nineteen fifteen, nineteen seventeen, and nineteen nineteen.
• The correct answer should match standard biographical timelines.

Concept / Approach:
Gandhi first went to South Africa in eighteen ninety three and stayed for about two decades, returning to India only after his work with the Indian community there. The exact year of his final return is nineteen fifteen. By then, he was already known for his leadership in civil rights struggles, and Indian leaders invited him to participate in the national movement. Linking his South African period with later campaigns in India like Champaran and Kheda helps fix this year in memory.

Step by Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Gandhi left for South Africa in the late nineteenth century and spent around twenty years there. Step 2: Remember that he finally returned to India in the early twentieth century, before launching major satyagraha movements in India. Step 3: Biographical accounts state that Gandhi returned to India in January nineteen fifteen. Step 4: After his return, he travelled across India to understand conditions before taking up local struggles like Champaran in nineteen seventeen. Step 5: Among the options given, nineteen fifteen is therefore the correct year.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can confirm by linking later events with his presence in India. For example, the Champaran satyagraha took place in nineteen seventeen, which means Gandhi had to be in India before that. Hence dates like nineteen seventeen or nineteen nineteen cannot be the year of return. Nineteen eleven is too early because he was still active in South African politics then. Biographies and exam guides consistently mention nineteen fifteen as his year of return.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1911: Gandhi was still engaged in South African campaigns around this time, so he had not yet returned to India.
1917: This is the year of the Champaran satyagraha in India, but Gandhi had already been in India since nineteen fifteen by then.
1919: This year is famous for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Rowlatt Satyagraha, long after Gandhi had returned.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse the year of return with the year of his first major movement in India. Another common error is to place his return too close to events such as Jallianwala Bagh. To avoid this, remember a simple sequence: Gandhi returns in nineteen fifteen, Champaran in nineteen seventeen, and nationwide agitation strengthens by the end of the decade.

Final Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi left South Africa and returned to India in 1915.