Great Soul However Gandhi was not comfortable being called Mahatma He preferred to be seen as a role model striving to make a positive difference in the world He hoped people would follow in his footsteps Gandhi was a high-energy person who related to a wide range of people Many individuals young and old were drawn to him Gan dhi had admirable qualities but he also admitted to having flaws and making mistakes In his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth Gandhi wrote about his life and work as well as the hard times he experienced with the people closest to him He could be stern and stubborn as well as short tempered and contradictory He could also be lenient accepting lighthearted and loving He was fre quently away from home for work and Kasturba was often in charge of raising their children A strict vegetarian Gandhi was constantly searching for simple hearty meat-free foods He was very interested in health and hygiene and he even wrote a book titled Key to Health In his youth Gandhi dreamed of becoming a doctor but his father wanted him to become a lawyer The skills he learned as a lawyer were beneficial on his path to becoming a leader In a vibrant journey of self-transformation Gan dhi went from being a shy and tongue-tied young lawyer to standing before thousands of people and delivering powerful speeches Gandhi worked hard for Indian rights in both India and South Africa Although he sought to bring about harmony much of his life was enveloped in conflict and violence He was harassed humiliated beaten imprisoned and eventually assassinated He experienced war firsthand In South Africa he lived through the Second Boer War and the Zulu Rebellion In England and India he lived through World War I and World War II But Gandhi believed there was a better less violent way to live He helped bring about change through his speaking writ ing marches boycotts fasts and protests against injustice which often landed him in jail Gandhi spent a sum total of nearly six years in jail Gandhi saw goodness in people and accepted many different reli gions beyond his Hindu faith He believed in truth justice civil rights and freedom and he always sought to promote important ideals be kind to others seek truth respect differences practice nonviolence and know change is possible In India Gandhi is known as Father of the Nation and his inspiring message of nonviolence lives on x
1 EarLy yEars by thE sEa If we could change ourselves the tendencies in the world would also change As a man changes his own nature so does the attitude of the world change towards him M K Gandhi when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2 1869 in the small coastal town of Por bandar India his world was already changing By his birth day the torrential rains and high winds brought on by the region’s monsoon season had passed and drier more com fortable winter days were on the way Porbandar was a seaport located in the large state of Guja rat in northwest India Situated on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the ear-shaped Kathiawar Peninsula Porbandar over looked an expansive blue ocean framed by long stretches of white sandy beaches It offered young Mohandas an exciting place to live during his early childhood Small fishing boats and large ships would come and go and townsfolk could fish or swim in the ocean or fly kites and walk along the beach As waves continually crashed against the shoreline the port was often highlighted by beautiful rainbows color ful sunsets or dramatic lightning storms As a boy Mohandas was surrounded by wildlife Cows horses goats cats and dogs roamed the streets of Porban dar and it was common to see oxen pulling passengers or cargo in two-wheeled or four-wheeled bullock carts A wide range of colorful birds such as pink flamingos great white 1
pelicans egrets and herons could be seen flying about perched in trees or standing on beaches or in marshes In the distant forests and plains of Gujarat lions leopards and deer roamed their natural habitats Fishing was an important industry in Porban dar and fishermen would take out their wooden boats and cast wide nets to catch shrimp tuna eel squid and catfish The tangy smell of fish dry ing in the salty ocean breeze was a familiar scent around town Porbandar was also a hub for trade with Africa and the Middle East and large ships were often seen transporting products such as tobacco timber and cotton Gujarat was rich in the mineral limestone and a thick limestone wall had been built near the water to protect the city from ocean storms and high waves As it aged the limestone wall eventu ally hardened and turned to a yellow-white color When the sun reflected off the white wall it was a dazzling landmark for incoming sailors who could easily spot it Porbandar was sometimes called The White City because of the wall’s bright white appearance a busy hoME Mohandas was born in a large three-story house in the heart of Porbandar not far from the sea Like most structures of the region this build ing was constructed of limestone Homes in the neighborhood were built close to one another with tight alleyways between them Mohandas’s neighborhood had narrow lanes that were lined with temples shops street vendors and bustling bazaars The extended Gandhi family lived in this home for nearly a century before Mohandas was below Mohandas when he was about seven years old Wikimedia Commons right An early painting of Port Porbandar The British Library WD 4414 f 8v 2
born He lived with his parents a sister and two brothers on the first floor and his extended family of stepsiblings cousins aunts uncles and grand parents resided on the two upper floors It was common for extended Indian families to all live under one roof in this way Wood-framed windows and a large door and veranda welcomed visitors to their box-shaped house For decoration intricate floral patterns adorned many walls and doorways There were not many windows throughout the home and because the sparsely furnished rooms tended to be dark Mohandas’s family relied on oil lamps for light and warmth A large balcony on the upper floor provided sunshine and fresh air and family members often enjoyed spending time there Freshwater was a precious commodity in Por bandar Drinking water could taste salty so the Gandhi family devised a way to obtain freshwater Before the monsoon season the flat roof of their three-story home was cleaned so it could catch rainwater The rainwater was then funneled down through a pipe and stored in a large underground tank built below Mohandas’s house Mohandas’s home also had a small kitchen where aromatic vegetarian dishes such as lentils with flatbread were prepared Foods were cooked and water was heated on a stove fueled by fire wood or cow dung patties When ignited the flat round cow dung patties provided consistent heat for cooking A special family puja room was a sacred and serene area of the home used for prayer worship Gandhi’s home in Porbandar Courtesy of Gandhi Heritage Portal and meditation Mohandas’s family members were Hindus and practiced the religion of Hinduism a cLosE-Knit faMiLy Although Mohandas’s father’s name was Karam chand friends and family fondly called him Kaba For many years Kaba experienced heartache He had already been married three times when he 3
