Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in India in 1869.He was the youngest of four children.As a child, he was greatly influenced by his mother, who was an extremely religious woman. She didn't eat meat, and she often fasted ( = didn't eat). When Gandhi was young he wanted to rebel against the old traditions.For example he thought that Indians should eat meat because it would give them the strength and vitality of the Englishmen who ruled India.But when Gandhi went to England to study law , he read books on vegetarianism and became an active member of the vegetarian movement there. Ghandi became more and more ascetic as he grew older .He abstained from sex. He did not drink alcohol. He did not go to doctors or use medicine.And little by little, Ghandi was developing his philosophy of non-violent resistance, " satyagraha".The first time Ghandi put satyagraha into practice was in 1906 in Johannesburg, South Africa when Indians there were being forced to carry registration cards. Under Gandhi's influence many Indians went to jail to protest against this injustice.

Later , non-violent resistance, with Ghandi as its leader and inspiration , helped India get its freedom.

Ghandi was called "Mahatma", which means "great soul". The Indian people, as well as many people throughout the world, considered him a saint.

Ghandi was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic. He died smiling kindly at his murderer and speaking the name of God, "Ram".