Early Life
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Mohandas Gandhi was born on the 2nd October 1869 in Porbandar, in the modern state of Gujarat. His family was a political Hindu family. Both his father and grandfather had been prime ministers to the rulers of two adjacent states and for a long time his father was chief officer in one of the states of India. However, the family came from the traditional caste of grocers and moneylenders. The name "Gandhi" means "grocer" (while the 'Mahatma' means Great Soul, a title given to him later by the great poet Rabindranath Tagore. Mohandas loved his father, who was a fine brave man, very much. He loved his mother too and was much influenced by her. She was a very serious woman in her religion (Jainism), a religion in which ideas of nonviolence and vegetarianism are supreme. Once she felt that her religion demanded that she should not eat until she saw the sun. It was the season of rain and the sun was not usually seen for a long time. Her children were so troubled that they spent hours looking up at the sky so they could hurry and tell their mother that the sun was shining and she could eat.
School
As an introverted child, it was not easy for Gandhi to make friends with other boys in school. He also said-in a book he wrote in his later life-that his only companions were his books and lessons. A small event concerned with school games affected him and in this early age he could learn from it. One day Gandhi was supposed to return to school at four o'clock for school games. He didn't have a watch and the cloudy weather tricked him. He arrived late; the games were over and everyone had left. The following day, he tried to explain to the head of the school why he was late but he was not believed. He was told he was lying. Honest Gandhi, a liar! No! No! But he could not prove he was innocent. So young, he began to understand that a man of truth must be a careful man as well.
"Your character must be above suspicion, and you must be truthful and self-controlled."
Gandhi
Marriage
Gandhi was married when he was only thirteen. However, this age in India at that time was not considered very young but there was another more efficient reason for his early marriage. As marriages cost families a lot, Gandhi's parents decided that the second son (the oldest son of the family was already married) and the third son, young Gandhi together with another relative were to be all married together. Gandhi's wife, Kasturba was also very young. She was only thirteen two.
Expectedly this early marriage hindered his lessons so he lost a year in high school. (His wife was illiterate) But later, Gandhi was able to finish two classes in one year.
"We were both thirteen...the wedding meant no more than wearing new clothes, eating sweets and playing with relatives."
(Gandhi in his autobiography on the day of his wedding)
Youth
As many others, Gandhi made many mistakes during his youth but as a good man he suffered an extreme feeling of guilt afterwards which drove him to make resolution about his moral behavior that were to lead him through out the rest of his life.
For example, according to his religion eating meat was forbidden; but a friend of him convinced him to eat meat and deceive his parents by telling him that the English were stronger than they were and were able to rule over them because they ate meat.
For a year, Gandhi's friend arranged for him to eat meat in secret; but after, Gandhi gave up meat completely because he thought that nothing was worse than deceiving his parents in such way.
Also when Gandhi and a friend of his began to smoke-not because they liked it but they thought that it would please them to get smoke out of their mouths like grown-up men. However, Gandhi soon stopped because he found smoking dirty and harmful.
"Conscience is the ripe fruit of strictest discipline."
Gandhi
