Editing Gopal Krishna Gokhale (section)

== Mentor to Gandhi ==
[[File:Gandhi group Gokhale.jpg|thumb|Gokhale and Gandhi in Durban, South Africa, 1912]]
Gokhale was famously a mentor to [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in the latter's formative years.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /> In 1912, Gokhale visited South Africa at Gandhi's invitation.  As a young [[barrister]], Gandhi returned from his struggles against the Empire in South Africa and received personal guidance from Gokhale, including a knowledge and understanding of India and the issues confronting common Indians. By 1920, Gandhi emerged as the leader of the [[Indian Independence Movement]]. In his [[The Story of My Experiments with Truth|autobiography]], Gandhi calls Gokhale his mentor and guide. Gandhi also recognised Gokhale as an admirable leader and master politician, describing him as ''"pure as crystal, gentle as a lamb, brave as a lion and chivalrous to a fault and the most perfect man in the political field"''.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1" />  Despite his deep respect for Gokhale, however, Gandhi would reject Gokhale's faith in western institutions as a means of achieving political reform and ultimately chose not to become a member of Gokhale's [[Servants of India Society]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Masselos, Jim|page=157|title=Indian Nationalism: An History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPxMx01UFEcC|year=1991|publisher=Sterling Publishers|isbn=978-81-207-1405-2|access-date=18 December 2018|archive-date=29 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329131644/https://books.google.com/books?id=MPxMx01UFEcC|url-status=live}}</ref>