Unknown facts about Gandhiji along with quiz.
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A few facts about the life of Mahatma Gandhi are surprising.
Many people don't know he was married at age 13 and had four sons before taking a vow of celibacy. The teachers at his London law school complained incessantly about his bad handwriting. Many other lesser-known facts about Gandhi have been forgotten in light of his great accomplishments.
Mahatma Gandhi, known throughout India as the "father of the nation," was a powerful voice for peace during a very volatile time in India’s history. His famous hunger strikes and message of nonviolence helped to unite the country. Gandhi's actions sparked world attention and ultimately led to India’s independence from the British on August 15, 1947, and the country's rise to world superpower in South Asia.
Sadly, Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, shortly after independence was achieved and while India was still plagued with bloodshed over new boundaries between religious groups.
The life of Mahatma Gandhi inspired the thinking of many world leaders, among them Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. His wisdom and teachings are often quoted.
Interesting Facts About the Life of Gandhi
Many people remember Gandhi for his famous hunger strikes, but there’s a lot more to the story. Here are some interesting Gandhi facts that offer a small glimpse into the life of the father of India:
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Karamchand was the name of his father. The honorific title Mahatma, or "Great Soul," was given to him in 1914.
Gandhi is often called Bapu in India, a term of endearment that means "father."
Gandhi fought for much more than independence. His causes included civil rights for women, the abolition of the caste system, and the fair treatment of all people regardless of religion. His mother and father had different religious traditions.
Gandhi demanded fair treatment for the untouchables, India’s lowest caste; he underwent several fasts to support the cause. He called the untouchables harijans, which means "children of God."
Gandhi ate fruit, nuts, and seeds for five years but switched back to strict vegetarianism after suffering health problems. He maintained that each person should find their own diet that works best. Gandhi spent decades experimenting with food, logging the results, and tweaking his eating choices. He wrote a book named The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism.
Gandhi took an early vow to avoid milk products (including ghee), however, after his health began to decline, he relented and started drinking goat’s milk. He sometimes traveled with his goat to ensure that the milk was fresh and that he wasn’t given cow or buffalo milk.
Government nutritionists were called in to explain how Gandhi could go 21 days without food.
The British government wouldn't allow official photos of Gandhi while he was fasting, for fear of further fueling the push for independence.
Gandhi was actually a philosophical anarchist and wanted no established government in India. He felt that if everyone adopted nonviolence and a good moral code they could be self-governing.
One of Mahatma Gandhi's most outspoken political critics was Winston Churchill.
Through a prearranged marriage, Gandhi was wed at age 13; his wife, Kasturbai Makhanji Kapadia, was one year older. They were married 62 years.
Gandhi and his wife had their first child when he was 16 years old. That child died a few days later, but the couple did have four sons before he took a vow of celibacy.
Despite being famous for nonviolence and involvement in the Indian independence movement, Gandhi actually recruited Indians to fight for Britain during World War I. He opposed India's involvement in World War II.
Gandhi's wife died in 1944 while imprisoned in the Aga Khan Palace. Her day of death (February 22) is celebrated as Mother's Day in India. Gandhi was also in prison at the time of her death. Gandhi was released from prison only because he contracted malaria, and British officials feared an uprising if he, too, died while in prison.
Gandhi attended law school in London and was famous among the faculty for his bad handwriting.
Mahatma Gandhi’s image has appeared on all denominations of Indian rupees printed since 1996.
Gandhi lived for 21 years in South Africa. He was imprisoned there many times as well.
Gandhi denounced Gandhism and did not want to create a cult-like following. He also conceded that he had “...nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.”
Gandhi was assassinated by a fellow Hindu on January 30, 1948, who shot him three times at point-blank range. More than two million people attended Gandhi’s funeral. The epitaph on his memorial in New Delhi reads "Oh God" which are purported to be his last words.
An urn that once contained Mahatma Gandhi's ashes is now at a shrine in Los Angeles, California.
1.Title of “Mahatma” or “Great soul” was given by Rabindranath Tagore. According to a popular anecdote, when Gandhiji visited Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan in the year 1915, he greeted him with a 'Namaste Gurudev'. On hearing this, Tagore's reply was, "If I am Gurudev, you are Mahatma". Since then Mahatma, which means a great soul, has become popular as his first name.
2.Father of the Nation' might not have been officially accorded by the Indian Government, but it still has come to be associated with him. The origin of the term dates back to a radio address by Subhas Chandra Bose on Singapore radio on July 6, 1944 as the Indian National Army that was headed by him started its march in Delhi.
3.His funeral was 8 kilometres long and Ramdas Gandhi, the third son of the Mahatma, set fire to the funeral pyre.
4.As tensions mounted in Europe following Germany’s occupation of Czechoslovakia, the non-violent leader penned a letter to Hitler to avoid war, but it never reached its intended recipient because of an intervention by the British Government. It is also believed that Gandhiji and Leo Tolstoy exchanged letters several times.