Some people see Mahatma Gandhi as a moral teacher of timeless and universal importance Others believe that he was a mixture of the saint and the politician who by combining the two roles slighted one or the other Reformers praise him as an inspirational and tactical resource for efforts to end war and social injustice Marxists criticize him for not demanding an end to private wealth Sympathizers with the Third World credit Gandhi for his early and effective contributions to the personal dignity and national independence of colonial peoples Those in India and the west who have grown to maturity since Gandhi s assassination in 1949 may think of him as a prophet of village simplicity and the father of civil disobedience Some may question or be confused by his teachings about economic and sexual matters but most interpretations would agree that the Indian leader was an extraordinary person and public figure whose impact is still felt and will be felt for decades to come in many parts of the world