Mahatma Gandhi's Speech

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869
at Porbandar, a small town on the Western Coast of India.

Gandhi was born in a vaishya family that’s why from an early
age of life he learned a lot of things such as non-injury to living
beings, tolerance and vegetarianism. His father Karamchand
was and his mother was Putlibai. Mohandas Gandhi went to an
elementary school in Porbandar, where he found it difficult to
master the multiplication tables. He had two brothers and a
sister and was the youngest of all. He was excessively shy and
timid. While he was still in school, he was married, at the age of
13, to Kasturba who was also of the same age. At the age of 18,
he was offered to continue his studies in London and he was
not very happy at Samaldas College so he accepted the offer
and sailed to London in September 1888. After reaching
London, He was having difficulty understanding the culture and
understanding the English language. Some days after arrival he
joined a Law college named Inner Temple which was one of the
four London law colleges. The transformation of changing life
from a city to India studying in a college in England was not
easy for him but he took his study very seriously and started to
brush up his English and Latin. His vegetarianism became a very
problematic subject for him as everyone around him as eating
meat and he started to feel embarrassed. Some of his new
friends in London said some of the things like “not eating meat
will make him weak physically and mentally. But eventually, he
found a vegetarian restaurant and a book that helped him
understand the reason to become a vegetarian. From
childhood, he wanted to eat meat himself but never did
because of his parents but now in London, he was convinced
that he finally embraced vegetarianism and never again
thought of eating meat not only Gandhi met Food faddists but
also met some men and women who had vast knowledge about
Bhagavad-Gita, Bible, Mahabharata, etc. From them, he learned
a lot about Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and many others.
Gandhi slowly absorbed politics, personality, and more
importantly ideas. He passed his study from England and
became a Barrister but there was some painful news was
waiting for him back at home in India. In January 1891 Gandhi’s
mother died while Gandhi was still in London. He came back to
India in July 1891 and started to begin the legal career but he
lost his very first case in India. He soon realized that the legal
profession was heavily overcrowded and he changed his path.
He then was offered to be a teacher in Bombay high school but
he turned it down and returned to Rajkot. Soon after his arrival
in India, he was given an offer from Dada Abdulla and Co. to go
to South Africa on their behalf in connection with a lawsuit. He
found that Indians and the African faced discrimination and
were the oppressed section of the society. The turning point
came into Gandhi’s life when he was not allowed to board a
first class compartment in the train because he was not white.
So the ticket checker threw Gandhi out of the train and he
spent the whole night shivering badly. That incident made
Mohandas Gandhi to come out of his timidity and stand for his
rights. He extended his stay in South Africa and protested
against the bill that denied Indians the right to vote. Gandhi
lived for twenty-one years in South Africa. He started the
Satyagraha movement in South Africa against the unjust
treatment meted out to the Indians there by the British. His
great efforts forced the British to give more freedom to the
Indians residing there. He emerged as a great political leader
there. In January 1914 Gandhi returned to India with only one
ambition to serve his people and bring freedom in his country.
After much wandering for a year, he founded an Ashram in
1915. He named it Satyagraha Ashram. There he dedicated
himself to the service of the people and preached the vows of
truth, ahimsa, celibacy, non-stealing. When the Rowlatt Act was
passed that denied the civil liberties of the Indians, Gandhi
finally got into active Indian politics. He became the forefront of
the freedom struggle and within a few years he became the
undisputed leader of the national movement for freedom.
He became the President of Indian National Congress. He

protested against the British rule and in order to free India from
the foreign yoke, Gandhi launched three mass movements,
namely Non-cooperation movement in 1920, Civil Disobedience
movement in 1939 with his famous ‘Dandi March’ to break the
salt law and Quit India movement in 1942. Those three
movements shook the foundation of British Empire in India and
brought millions of Indians together into the freedom struggle
movement.
Gandhi advocated non-violence and Satyagraha as his chief

weapons to achieve freedom. Gandhi’s guidance and influence
also empowered and encouraged many women to be a part of
the freedom movement. Gandhi was arrested many times and
he was put into jail. But nothing could sway him from his quest
for national freedom. Under his leadership Indians irrespective
all barriers took up the cry for freedom. The British realized that
they could no longer stay in India and were forced to grant
independence to our country on 15th August 1947. Gandhi’s
legacy remains his greatest contributions to our country and to
the world. He was a great leader and a social reformer. He was
pious, truthful and religious. He influenced many great leaders
across the globe to fight for their independence without
violence. He believed in simple living and high thinking. He was
the champion of democracy. Today Mahatma Gandhi is known
as the ‘Father of the Nation’ because he laid the true
foundation of independent India with his noble ideals and
supreme sacrifice. He was fondly called ‘Bapu’. His birthday on
2nd October is celebrated as a National Holiday across the
country and his image appears on the Indian currency notes.

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869

at Porbandar, a small town on the Western Coast of India.

He became the President of Indian National Congress. He

Gandhi advocated non-violence and Satyagraha as his chief

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