Lesson 1. Birth and Parentage.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born on 2nd October 1869. He was a man of ethics, who was committed to and deployed nonviolent resistance to run the most victorious campaign for India's independence from the British rule. He was a lawyer and an anti-colonial nationalist. He had expressed his resistance towards a socio-political atmosphere which was violent, discriminatory, exploitive, and tragic. That Gandhi's contribution to India's Freedom Movement is momentous, is beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The Gandhis belonged to the Bania caste, who were originally grocers, but his forefathers have been the Prime Minister of numerous Kathiawar states. Uttamchand Gandhi, alias Ota Gandhi was Mahatma Gandhi's grandfather who was also a man of principle. He was a Divan at Porbandar but was compelled by the state to leave the place. He then sought refuge in Junagadh. Ota Gandhi used to salute the British with the left hand. When someone noticed this disrespectful courtesy and asked for an explanation, he simply said that his right hand was already pledged to Porbandar.
Mahatma Gandhi's father, Karamchand Gandhi, was also truthful, generous, courageous, but short-tempered. He had always loved his clan and his loyalty to the state was widely known. He never had any ambition or interest in acquiring wealth, so his family was left with very little property.
Gandhi has always seen his mother wrapped up in all the goodness the world has to offer. She was deeply religious and had a strong common sense. She was well informed about all the affairs of the state and everyone thought highly of her intellect.
Lesson 2. Child Marriage.
Gandhi got married to Kasturbai at the age of thirteen. He never even dreamt of criticizing his father for having him married at such an early age.
In earlier times, when the elders of a family decided to get their children married, it was not out of any thought of welfare, but mostly because of their convenience and economy. He further explains that marriage among the Hindus is not a simple subject. The parents of the bride and the bridegroom would constantly interfere in the union, trying to outdo the other in terms of how much money they could spend. They would waste their time and money over the preparations for the wedding.
Gandhi used to follow the little pamphlets which used to discuss the issue of child marriage, conjugal love, thrift, and
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