Mahatma Gandhi's time in South Africa marked a significant phase in his life that laid the foundation for his philosophy of non-violence and civil resistance. His struggles in South Africa began in 1893 when he traveled there as a young lawyer to work on a legal assignment for an Indian firm. Initially, Gandhi was unfamiliar with the harsh realities of racial discrimination and social injustice that were prevalent in the country. However, he soon encountered firsthand the systemic oppression faced by the Indian and other non-white communities under the colonial and apartheid-like policies implemented by the British and the Boer authorities. This period of his life was pivotal in shaping his approach to social and political activism, eventually influencing his leadership in India’s freedom movement. One of Gandhi’s earliest and most defining experiences of discrimination occurred shortly after his arrival at the Durban train station. While traveling by first-class compartment, despite holding a valid ticket, he was thrown out by a railway official solely because of his Indian identity. This incident was not an isolated one; Indians in South Africa faced restrictions on travel, residence, and employment, and were subjected to humiliating laws such as the registration certificates and pass laws, which controlled their movement and legal rights. Gandhi was deeply affected by this injustice, and it prompted him to question the moral basis of such laws and the role of an individual in challenging them. This incident is often cited as the catalyst that ignited his determination to fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa. In response to the injustices faced by the Indian community, Gandhi began organizing local Indian immigrants to resist oppressive laws.