Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known by “Mahatma” Gandhi, was born in Northwest India in 1869. Many people already know that he became the leader of the peace movement in India, but there are quite a few facts that you most likely do not know about him.
Number Fifteen: He Was Not a Great Student
He was privileged enough to be born into a high caste, and thus received a great education. However, he wasn’t very good with intellectual material.
Number Fourteen: Gandhi Was Extremely Shy as a Child
It may come as a surprise since later on in his life he became a fearless, outspoken leader and speaker, but this was not always the case. As a kid, he used to run home after school out of fear of talking to people.
Number Thirteen: He Loved Walking
He called this activity the “prince of exercises”. He began partaking in long walks in high school, preferring this activity to more organized sports. As a law student in Great Britain, he walked up to ten miles each day.
Number Twelve: He Had Bad Experiences with the British
Once while taking a train trip in the UK, an official asked Gandhi to get off the train because they thought he was “black”. Gandhi refused and the officer pushed him out of the train. This was one of his many bad experiences with British people.
Number Eleven: He Threw His Shoes Away Out of Kindness
One day when he was getting on a train, one of his shoes off his foot. Instead of retrieving it, he tossed the other off as well. His hope was that someone who needed them would come upon them later.
Number Ten: ‘Do I Have to Speak Into This Thing?”
While in Great Britain in 1931, Gandhi made a broadcast over the radio for America. The first thing the people in the states heard him say was, “Do I have to speak into this thing?”
Number Nine: He Published One of the ‘100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century’
His autobiography, “An Autobiography of My Experiments with Truth” came out in 1927. It received this honorary label many years later, in 1999. We hope you enjoyed the first half of this list about Mahatma. Be sure to check out part two, coming soon!