Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or known as Mahatma Gandhi. The honorific title Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” was given to him in 1914.He was an anarchist i.e he wanted no established government in India . He believed that if everyone adopted non-violence and a good moral code they could be self governing . Such was his belief in non-violence.
There’s no doubt that he inspired countless people and continues to do so .
He was known as the ” father of the nation” , he was a very powerful voice for peace . He promoted non violence and chose hunger strikes , messages of non violence and unity to fight for India’s independence.
He himself denounced Gandhism , because he didn’t want a cult like following .
According to him nothing that he was telling was new , in his words : “…nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.”
He was married at the young age of 13 to Kasturba Makhanji Kapadia . He and his wife had their first child when he was 16 yrs old . Unfortunately the child died after a few days . Mahatma Gandhi became a celibate after having four sons .
Gandhi’s wife died in 1944 while imprisoned in the Aga Khan Palace.
Gandhi was assassinated by a fellow Hindu on January 30, 1948, who shot him three times at point-blank range.
India lost him , shortly after independence was achieved and when India was still plagued with bloodshed over new boundaries between religious groups.
More than two million people attended Gandhi’s funeral. The epitaph on his memorial in New Delhi reads “Oh God” which are purported to be his last words.
Some fun facts
- The teachers at his London law school complained incessantly about his bad handwriting.
- He went on a fast for 21 days and at that time Britishers had to call government nutritionists .
- He completely abstained from milk , but as his health deteriorated he started drinking goat milk.
- Mahatma Gandhi’s image has appeared on all denominations of Indian rupees printed since 1996.
Famous quotes of him
Gandhiji is an epitome of inspiration; he inspired many and continues to do so .
Even Though he is no longer with us his words remain with us .
Some of his most famous quotes :
- ” You must be the change you wish to see in the world “
- There is more to life than increasing its speed .
- ” Man is but the product of thoughts . What he thinks , he becomes . “
- The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others .
- The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated .
- An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind .
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Malvika Tiwari, |
