Mahatama Gandhi
"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
From insignificance to importance
Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi was born in Porbander, a town in the state of Gujrat, On October 2nd, 1869. Born to father Karamchand and mother Putlibai into a household of Hindu and Jain customs, which influenced Gandhi for his future beliefs and endeavors. His father served as the prime minister of Rajkot while India was still under British rule, and in turn Gandhi ‘s intermediate education was received in Rajkot as well. Gandhi was known to be a less than stellar student in Porbander and Rajkot and even barely passed his entry exam for Samaldas College, located in Bhavnagar, Gujrat. He was also unhappy with his course of study, which through pressure of his parents, was for becoming a lawyer. Also during his youth, during May of 1983, he was arranged to be married to Kasturba Makhanji at the age of thirteen and the couple had their first child, Harilal, in 1988.
Armed, with a mind
In September of 1888, Gandhi set sail for England to attend University College London to further his law degree, much to the dismay of his family, especially his widowed mother. His mother, a devout Jain, allegedly made him promise, in the presence of a Jain monk, to uphold the Hindu values of abstaining from alcohol, promiscuity and meat-eating during his travels. His also left behind his son Harilal, whom was only a few months old at this time and subsequently passed away soon after. While in England, Gandhi tried to adopt some English customs, albeit unsuccessfully, however he embraced the idea of vegetarianism so much that he joined the Vegetarian Society, becoming an executive member and then founding a local chapter himself. Through the acquaintances he made by being a part of the Vegetarian Society, he met members of the Theosophical Society, whose tenants include unity through spiritual understanding and investigating Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and ancient Christian teachings. Ironically, it was here that Gandhi first learned to appreciate the Bhagavad Gita, a central Hindu text. He returned to India in 1891 after completing his law degree, refusing offers from the Inner Temple for Wales and England's High Court. He attempted, but only received limited success at practicing law in Bombay. After a short period of this, he applied to be a part-time high school teacher but was rejected and in turn returned to Rajkot, becoming a petition drafter for litigants but was forced to shut down his business when he somehow offended a British officer. Soon afterwards, an Indian businessman named Dada Abdulla, living in the British colony of South Africa, offered Gandhi a year long contract to be a legal advisor in Natal in 1983. Though the contract was meant to last only a year, unbeknownst to Gandhi, it would become an over twenty year stay.
This is just the beginning of his story...
The road less traveled...
It's interesting to see how modest men can have such momentous legacies. Few people have actually been able to cause a revolution through compassion and I'm quite sure Gandhi is the only person who was able to change the face of a nation thanks to it. In addition to this, he influenced Martin Luther King Jr. through his civil disobedience practices and in turn had an effect on the American civil rights movement as well. His words and actions are still of great importance today as people realize the oppression that they face everyday by controlling powers.
From insignificance to importance
Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi was born in Porbander, a town in the state of Gujrat, On October 2nd, 1869. Born to father Karamchand and mother Putlibai into a household of Hindu and Jain customs, which influenced Gandhi for his future beliefs and endeavors. His father served as the prime minister of Rajkot while India was still under British rule, and in turn Gandhi ‘s intermediate education was received in Rajkot as well. Gandhi was known to be a less than stellar student in Porbander and Rajkot and even barely passed his entry exam for Samaldas College, located in Bhavnagar, Gujrat. He was also unhappy with his course of study, which through pressure of his parents, was for becoming a lawyer. Also during his youth, during May of 1983, he was arranged to be married to Kasturba Makhanji at the age of thirteen and the couple had their first child, Harilal, in 1988.
Armed, with a mind
In September of 1888, Gandhi set sail for England to attend University College London to further his law degree, much to the dismay of his family, especially his widowed mother. His mother, a devout Jain, allegedly made him promise, in the presence of a Jain monk, to uphold the Hindu values of abstaining from alcohol, promiscuity and meat-eating during his travels. His also left behind his son Harilal, whom was only a few months old at this time and subsequently passed away soon after. While in England, Gandhi tried to adopt some English customs, albeit unsuccessfully, however he embraced the idea of vegetarianism so much that he joined the Vegetarian Society, becoming an executive member and then founding a local chapter himself. Through the acquaintances he made by being a part of the Vegetarian Society, he met members of the Theosophical Society, whose tenants include unity through spiritual understanding and investigating Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and ancient Christian teachings. Ironically, it was here that Gandhi first learned to appreciate the Bhagavad Gita, a central Hindu text. He returned to India in 1891 after completing his law degree, refusing offers from the Inner Temple for Wales and England's High Court. He attempted, but only received limited success at practicing law in Bombay. After a short period of this, he applied to be a part-time high school teacher but was rejected and in turn returned to Rajkot, becoming a petition drafter for litigants but was forced to shut down his business when he somehow offended a British officer. Soon afterwards, an Indian businessman named Dada Abdulla, living in the British colony of South Africa, offered Gandhi a year long contract to be a legal advisor in Natal in 1983. Though the contract was meant to last only a year, unbeknownst to Gandhi, it would become an over twenty year stay.
This is just the beginning of his story...
The road less traveled...
It's interesting to see how modest men can have such momentous legacies. Few people have actually been able to cause a revolution through compassion and I'm quite sure Gandhi is the only person who was able to change the face of a nation thanks to it. In addition to this, he influenced Martin Luther King Jr. through his civil disobedience practices and in turn had an effect on the American civil rights movement as well. His words and actions are still of great importance today as people realize the oppression that they face everyday by controlling powers.
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