Mahatma Gandhi's First Nationalist Initiative in India

The question asks about the very first step Mahatma Gandhi took as a nationalist leader in India after returning from South Africa in 1915. His return marked a new phase in India's freedom struggle, and his initial actions were crucial in establishing his leadership.

Let's look at the options provided:

• Porbandar: This is significant as it is Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace, located in Gujarat. However, it was not the location of his first nationalist initiative or movement after his return to India.
• Kheda: The Kheda Satyagraha took place in 1918, involving peasants who were unable to pay land revenue due to crop failure. This was a significant movement led by Gandhi, but it occurred after his first major initiative.
• Champaran: Located in Bihar, the Champaran Satyagraha took place in 1917. This was the first major challenge to British authority that Gandhi led in India. It concerned the plight of indigo farmers (ryots) who were forced by British planters to grow indigo on a fixed portion of their land under the exploitative 'tinkathia' system. Gandhi's intervention and successful resolution of the issue through non-violent resistance (Satyagraha) marked his emergence as a leader of mass movements in India.
• Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Mill Strike also occurred in 1918, involving textile mill workers demanding better wages. Gandhi used hunger strike for the first time during this protest. Like Kheda, this movement happened after the Champaran Satyagraha.

Considering the timeline and significance of these events, the first major initiative where Mahatma Gandhi acted as a nationalist leader, addressing a specific issue and mobilizing people for resistance against unjust policies in India, was the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917.

Therefore, Champaran is widely recognised as the site of Mahatma Gandhi's first significant nationalist initiative in India.