Gandhigiri

The story

1. Hindi · derived fromगांधी
2. hi-mum · borrowed fromगांधीगिरी
3. English todayGandhigiri

Borrowed from Bombay Hindi गांधीगिरी (gāndhīgirī), from Hindi गांधी (gāndhī) (the surname of the Indian lawyer and anti-colonial nationalist Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) who used non-violent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule) + -गिरी (-girī, “suffix meaning ‘the act of; doing’”). The Hindi word was coined in the movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai (Keep Going, Munna Bhai, 2006), where it was coined by the lead character, a gangster, in the line of dadagiri (“gang rule; intimidating behaviour”).

First known use, by meaning

• from 2006 The practice of Gandhism (“the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, encompassing tenets such as non-violent activism”), often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism such as depositing flowers or planting trees.