Mahatma Gandhi: The Great Soul

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in a small town in India. As a child, he was very shy. He was afraid of the dark, ghosts, and even talking to other boys at school! He would run home as soon as school ended just to avoid speaking to anyone.

But Mohandas had a very strong belief in telling the truth. Once, during a spelling test, he misspelled the word “kettle.” His teacher nudged him to look at his neighbor’s slate and copy the correct spelling. But Mohandas refused. He knew that cheating was wrong, even if it meant getting a bad grade.

When he grew up, he went to England to study law and then to South Africa to work. In South Africa, he saw that people were treated badly just because of the color of their skin. Once, he was thrown off a train even though he had a first-class ticket, just because he wasn’t white.

Mohandas realized he had to stand up against this unfairness. But instead of fighting with fists or weapons, he decided to fight with something stronger: Truth and Non-violence (Ahimsa). He believed that love could conquer hate.

He returned to India, which was then ruled by the British. The Indian people wanted to be free. Gandhi, now called “Mahatma” (which means Great Soul), led them. He lived very simply, wearing plain white cotton clothes that he spun himself on a wooden wheel called a charkha.

He led thousands of people on a long walk to the ocean to make their own salt, defying unfair laws. It was called the Salt March. He inspired millions to protest peacefully. Even when they were treated harshly, they did not strike back.

Finally, after many years of peaceful struggle, India became free. The whole world was amazed that a little man with a walking stick had defeated a mighty empire without firing a single shot.

Mahatma Gandhi taught us that true strength comes from inside, and that peace is the most powerful weapon of all.

Moral of the Story: You can shake the world in a gentle way. Truth and non-violence are powerful forces for change.