Gandhi

Mohandas Gandhi = = //Also Mahatma Gandhi.// Born Mohandas K. Gandhi on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar, in British-ruled west India. He was the son of Karamachand Gandhi and Putlibai Gandhi. Gandhi g rew up worshiping the Hindu god Vishnu, following the Jainist nonviolent teachings, and as a strict vegetarian. [grammatically this sentence is off] He later said that his mother's spirituality was the greatest influence in his life. Gandhi was a poor student as a child and married at 13 in an arranged marriage. He went through rebellious stages as a teen where he smoked and ate meat, although he always returned to his beliefs.
 * Early Life**

Gandhi began law school in Britain, in 1887, although he had dreams to become a doctor. He was amazed by the discrimination against Indians in Britain. After working in India for a while, he went to South Africa, where he was a lawyer for a firm there. While in South Africa, Gandhi felt the effects of discrimination against Indians and Africans. Gandhi fought segregation; once he refused to give up his bus seat to a white passenger and was beaten by the bus driver.

Gandhi first used satyagraha while protesting British legislation that required Indians to register and give fingerprints to the authorities so their movements could be controlled, which offended many Indians. In 1914, Gandhi won a compromise that ended the tax on former Indian servants, legalized Hindu and Muslim marriages, and outlawed importing Indian servants.
 * Gandhi: The Spiritual and Social Leader**

Gandhi returned to India in 1915, and during WW I, ceased to verbally attack Britain. He even helped the British army recruit Indian soldiers, although he disagreed with the treatment of those soldiers. [you should explain why Gandhi helped GB recruit soldiers] After the war, when Britain announced the Rowlatt Acts, Gandhi declared a satyagraha which resulted in the British massacre at Amritsar. In 1920, Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress and strengthened it by reorganization and making it less elite. After a prison term of two years, he called for a widespread boycott of British goods and led the Salt March.

After resigning from C ongress in 1934, he led a simple life, and encouraged all Indians to do so as well. Gandhi again gained attention during WW II when he demanded that Britain grant India complete independence. Britain reacted by placing (click here if you dare -->) him and many congressmen in jail in 1942. He was not released until 1944. Gandhi toured India in 1947 and 1948, beggining a fast in hopes of ending religious fighting between Hindus and Muslims.

On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot by a Hindu fanatic during a prayer meeting. His last words were "Oh God", and then he died instantly. Gandhi was given the name Mahatma, meaning "great soul" because of his lifelong role as a spiritual leader and a martyr for human rights.