Mahatma Gandhi Stories

 

January 30 is observed as Martyrs Day in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.He inspired millions during his lifetime; he continues to inspire millions around the world through his ideas, his achievements and his wrtings. His observations, based as they are on the inner convictions of a morally courageous man, have the ability to change lives.

 

So today on his                       we are sharing 5 stories of Mahatma Gandhi that will inspire you to take action in life.

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1.  The whole world was his family

Once when a reporter asked Kasturba Gandhi how many children she had, she replied “Four, but Bapu, my husband, has four hundred million.” 

(400 million was the population of India at that time )

 

2.  He believed in the Dignity of Labour

Once Lala Lajpat Rai and Mahatma Gandhi were staying at the house of an ardent nationalist, Shiv Prasad Gupta.

On their first day there, Lala Lajpat Rai put on new clothes after his bath and left the ones he had put off, in the bathroom.

The next day he found the clothes washed and neatly folded, on his bed. He was delighted. He had been travelling a lot and he had many more soiled clothes with him. He asked his host if he could put the whole lot for washing.His host said he certainly could.

So Lala Lajpat Rai got all his clothes washed.

 

When the time came for them to leave, the Lala said he would like to tip the servant who had washed his clothes. His host said it was not necessary but Rai insisted. Shiv Prasad went in search of the man but to his consternation found that the clothes had not been washed by any of his servants.

 

“It was the other man in the room with Lalaji who washed them,” a servant said, finally.

“I saw him hanging out the clothes to dry.”

 

Can you guess now, who had washed the clothes?

 

3.  We are here to serve not to be served.

 

A sanyasi, Swami Satydev spent spent a day at Sabarmati Ashram and then expressed a wish to stay  there.

“I like the work you do here,” he told Gandhiji.

Gandhiji said he was welcome to stay as the ashram was meant for people like him, but added

“You will have to put away your saffron robes, and dress like the others here.” 

The swami did not like that.

“I am sanyasi!” he protested.

“I’m not asking you to renounce sanyas,” explained Gandhiji.

“Sanyas is a state of mind. Dress has nothing to do with it. If you wear your ochre robes here, people will not allow you to do work out of respect for your robes, instead they will serve you, and that would be contrary to the principles of this ashram. We are here to serve, not to be served.  ”

 

The swami thought the matter over and decided to join the ashram.

On other occasion, a man in an advanced state of leprosy came to the ashram and asked for shelter.

 

“I’ve come to shed me skeleton here,” he said.

“I won’t go even if I’m pushed out.”

“How can I say there’s no shelter for you here?”said Gandhiji .

“You’re welcome.”

Nursed by Gandhiji, the man spent several days in the ashram before succumbing to the disease.

 

4.  He was Fearless

“I have no fear. That is why I’m unarmed.

That is what ahimsa is about.”

 

When he visited the Northwest Frontier to meet his Pathan supporters, he was dwarfed by their height. They were tall and rugged, and all carried guns.

“Are you afraid? ” he asked them.

“Why else would you carry guns? ”

They stared at him, stunned into silence. No one had ever dared to question their courage.

“I have no fear,” continued Gandhiji.

“That is why I’m unarmed. That is what ahimsa is about.”

The leader of the group, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, threw down his gun, and the others followed suit.

 

5.  He was considerate.

Mahatma Gandhi suspended his individual Satyagraha campaign for almost a fortnight  from 25th December 1940 to 4th January 1941 so that British officials enjoying their Christmas holidays would not have to come out to make arrests.