A Great Indian Leader : Mahatma Gandhi
Introduction—
"Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." Our beloved leader Mahatma Gandhi belongs to the second category of people, that is, he is among those who achieved greatness by their own effort.
His Early Life—
Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi was born on 2" October, 1869, at Porbandar in Gujarat. His father was the Diwan of Rajkot State. His mother was a religious lady. Mohandas was married at the age of 13 years.
His Education—
At the age of 7 he was sent to school. He was an average student. He never told a lie even in his school life. He paid attention to build his character. For higher education he was sent to England. There he studied law and became a barrister. He started his practice at Bombay.
His Political Life—
In South Africa he fought for the rights of the Indians living there. Afterwards he came to India. He became the leader of the Indian National Congress. He alongwith other leaders, fought bravely for the freedom of India. He was sent to jail many times. At last India became free on 15th August, 1947. He was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on 30th January, 1948.
His Greatness—
Mahatma Gandhi was not only a great political leader, he was great in other things as well. He worked for the unity of the Hindus and the Muslims. He loved Ahinsa and Truth in his whole life. He loved Harijans and the poor most. He helped all. So he was called 'Mahatma Gandhi'. He was called `Bapu' and 'Father of the Nation'. Even today people respect Gandhiji very much.
